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Around 1315 AD, Sagain has been a capital of an independent Shan Kingdom after the fall of Bagan. But it period was short, Thado Minbya (the founder's grandson, in 1364), moved his capital across the river to Inwa. Today, Saggaing is regarded as an important religious place with numerous temples, monasteries and nunneries for monks, rest houses for nuns and laymen. Most of local Buddhism visit Sagaing for the purpose of religious retreat and meditation.

Sagaing. The Yadanabon Bridge spans the Irrawaddy River (Ayeyarwady River) in the Mandalay suburb connects with Sagaing City.

The Kaunghmudaw Pagoda is a large pagoda on the northwestern outskirts of Sagaing. Modeled after the Ruwanwelisaya pagoda of Sri Lanka, the Kaunghmudaw is known for its egg-shaped design, which stands out among more traditional-style, pyramid-shaped Burmese pagodas.

The stupa's formal name Yaza Mani Sula signifies the enshrinement of Buddhist relics inside its relic chamber. But it is commonly known by its popular name, Kaunghmudaw (lit. "Royal Merit-Making"). It is an important pilgrimage and tourist destination in the Sagaing area

Construction began during the reign of King Thalun on 25 April 1636 (Friday, 8th waning of Kason 998 ME). The pagoda was completed 12 years later on 12 May 1648 towards the end of Thalun's reign.

One of the most interesting of the many art forms I came across in Myanmar was the mosaic work, which is often a mixture of small mirrors and stained glass or coloured stones that adorn the temples and pagodas throughout the country. The artform is mainly decorative and abstract, and only rarely is there any attempt at figurative work.

Pillar, detailCeilling, detail

Pillar, detail

According to local lore, the relic chamber of the pagoda contains the lower left tooth relic of the Buddha, 11 hair relics, an alms bowl, statues, pagodas and other relics.

The lowest terrace of the pagoda is decorated with 120 nats and devas. The nats are spirits worshipped in Burma (or Myanmar) in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest (i.e., spirits of trees, water, etc.). Almost all of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths (lit. "green death"). They may thus also be called nat sein (lit. green spirits).

The Kaunghmudaw Pagoda is ringed by 802 stone lanterns, carved with inscriptions of Buddha's life in three languages: Burmese, Mon and Shan Yuan, representing the three main regions of Restored Toungoo Kingdom.

The pagoda is 46 metres (151 ft) high and has a circumference of 274 meters. The hti (umbrella or crowning) of the pagoda is 7.92 metres (26.0 ft) high and weighs 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb) (3440 viss).

The pagoda differs from the traditional Burmese-style pyramidal structures by having an arched image chamber in the center of its base. The chamber houses a massive seated 7.3 metres (24 ft)-high Buddha statue, carved out of solid white marble. The head of the Buddha statue alone is about 2.4 meters in diameter. It is believed that the dome was built later around the massive statue.

Guava

Thanaka

Thanaka – Pagoda market

Thanaka

The pagoda dome has been continuously painted white to signify purity, in Ceylonese tradition.

The military government of Burma has initiated a project to paint the dome with gold paint, which has drawn criticism from locals and other Burmese

Text: InternetPictures: Sanda Foişoreanu & InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Hlaing Win Maung - Dark Clounds the Forerunners