Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE FOUR BUDDHAS AND EIGHT PLANETS OF SHWEDAGON
IncommonwithmostBurmesetemples,theShwedagonhasfourprincipalshrinesattached
to the base of the stupa at each of the cardinal points and dedicated to the
four Buddhas
of the current
kalpa
. These include the historical Buddha, Gautama, along with his prede-
cessors Kakusandha, Konagamana and Kassapa (a few temples have a fifth shrine, dedic-
ated to the future Buddha Maitreya, the last of the Buddhas of the present
kalpa
).
Also found here (and at other Burmese temples) is the sequence of “
planetary posts
”
encircling the base of the stupa, each representing
a day of the week
, along with its as-
sociated heavenly body and animal (although one curiosity of Burmese astrology is that
Wednesday is divided into two, giving eight “days” in total). Astrology is still taken very
seriously in Myanmar - particular importance is attached to the day of the week on which
one is born, and locals come to pray at the relevant planetary shrine, each with its own
little Buddha image set on a plinth, which worshippers wash reverently during the course
of their devotions.
Starting from the southern stairs and heading clockwise, the pagoda's planetary posts
are: Wednesday a.m. (Mercury; elephant with tusks); Saturday (Saturn; a
naga
, or snake);
Thursday (Jupiter; rat); Wednesday p.m., or ”Rahu” as it's known in Burmese (the moon,
ascending;elephantwithouttusks);Friday(Venus;guineapig);Sunday(Sun;aGaruda,the
mythical bird-mount of the Hindu god Vishnu); Monday (the moon; tiger); and Tuesday
(Mars; lion).
Around the terrace
The
terrace
surrounding the stupa is scarcely less eye-popping than the stupa itself, ringed
withaveritableforestofshrinesandpavilionstoppedwithspikygoldenroofs,likedozensof
Buddhist antennae pointing towards heaven.
Between the southern and western staircases
Arriving at the top of the southern stairs you come out onto the terrace opposite the ornate
shrine housing an image of the
Konagamana Buddha
(signed “Kawnagammana”), one of
the four Buddhas of the present
kalpa
which sit at the stupa's cardinal points. All four were
commissioned by King Singu (reigned 1776-82) using a five-metal alloy containing gold,
silver,copper,ironandlead-aparticularlyauspiciousmetal(derivedfromtheancientHindu
traditionof
panchaloha
)favouredforsacredicons-althoughtheKassapaimage(onthewest
side of the stupa) was subsequently damaged by fire and replaced.
Turning left and heading clockwise around the terrace brings you to the Chinese Merited
Association pavilion housing a single
solid jade Buddha
, made in 1999 with 324kg of jade
from Kachin in northern Myanmar and inlaid with 2.5kg of gold, 91 rubies and nine dia-
monds. Just behind here is the so-called
Sun-Moon Buddha
, flanked with images of a pea-
