Sule and Botataung Pagoda in Myanmar / Burma

I started this a little unorthodox..

I should have started from the beginning of my journey to Burma /Myanmar.

I arrived there on the 20^th of December 2005.

It was a journey I planned half the year since it was not easy to visit this country.

Had to go to Thailand and arrange transport from there.Since the place was not open so much for tourists.

But all went well and I arrived safe.

I found a sweet room at a hotel called Nikko in Yangon and after resting a bit I went out for a walk.

First thing I noticed there was the lack of communication.

There was no roaming on mobile phone, no room with your own phone and I do not have to mention no Internet anywhere.

You could contact your country only by using public phones that was probably monitored by the government. Burma was and  is governed by a military junta.I got myself a map exchanged some money and got back to my hotel to find my first location of visit.

Having money and knowing about the communication problem I contact my family and told them that I  was good and that I would call them once per week for the 3 weeks I would stay there cause the phone ,except of being rear, was also extremely expensive.

I opened the map of Yangon, capital then of Myanmar/Burma.

At this ,still most populated, town of Myanmar you can find some amazing places of interest to visit.

My plan of the day was to see Sule Pagoda and Botataung Pagoda.

By the time I finished planning it was raining over the capital.

View of the surroundings at Nikko Hotel.

Lucky for me the hotel offered umbrellas so I grab one and went out heading for Sule Pagoda.

Sule Pagoda is the oldest stupa in Yangon, pre-dating both the Shwedagon and Botatataung Pagodas.

Local tradition tells that Sule occupies the site which was once the home of a powerful  nat (spirit or minor deity), who was the only one to remember where missing Buddha Relics were buried. The nat was named Sularata (the Sule Nat).

The Pagoda was built at the time of the Buddha and that is making it more than 2,500 years old!!

I arrived at the roundabout of the Pagoda around 3 pm and the sun was about to set.Lucky for my cause of the rain not so many people was in the Pagoda so I got to take the photos I wanted to without anyone in my way.

Roundabout of Sule Pagoda

Sule is a San-daw-kyo Payamyar, or a Pagoda built to contain a Relic of the Hair of Buddha, but unlike the hollow Botataung, the Sula stupa is a solid form without entrance making that not possible.

The central chedi (an alternate term for stupa) is currently octagonal and is approached by four covered stairways, following the four directions of the compass.

 Each is covered with minor temples, typically gifted by local merchants hoping to reduce their reincarnations. Similarly, the chedi is surrounded by ten bronze bells inscribed with their donor's names. None of the surrounding architecture is older than a century.

Bronze Bells of Sule.

The lucky Bell

I asked just to be sure if the Relic of Buddhas hair was there and the monk there assured me it was at the Botataung Pagoda my next location to visit.

I got permission to ring one of the bells with the wooden stick for luck and left this 2.500 old magnificent structure.

Next stop and last one of day was Botataung Pagoda.

I arrived there after sunset but it was only 5pm and it was still open to public cause people visit the Pagoda to worship and pray around Buddha’s Hair Relic.

Botataung Pagoda lightened

In the surrounding of the Pagoda you can also see other smaller buildings containing Buddha statues and are used for praying and offerings.

Outside of the Main Pagoda

Praying

Yangon's Botataung Pagoda is unusually hollow inside so it is considered to be a temple, housing a relic of Buddha.

 Local tradition tells of the '1000 military officers' (literally translated as 'Officer' and '1000') that stood as guard of honor on this small hill by the Yangon River after escorting the the Relics of Gautama Buddha from India some 2,000 years ago.To commemorate the event, Buddhist King Sihadipa gave one Hair of Buddha to be enshrined there. Today the Relic of the Hair of Buddha can still be found inside the Botataung Pagoda which was built on the site.

 Entrance was all covered in Gold

The interior was laced with a mirror covered labyrinth of passage ways, with showcases of the relics found and leading through the core of the Pagoda, where the Relic of Buddha’s Hair is displayed.

Mirror covered Gate

Praying in front of the Buddha Hair Relic

 

The main treasure of the Pagoda.Buddhas Hair Relic.

 

I did not expected it to be a nightmare to photograph, the lighting is fluorescent, mercury discharge and tungsten, and it all gets mixed together very thoroughly by these mirrored hallways. I white balanced off from a notebook I had with me for every shot, but the exposure was very difficult to manage. Each little mirror in the mosaic is slightly offset to give an effect that a disco mirror ball can only dream of. So, getting a clear shot without flares was impossible, needed lot of patience trying to find a 'clean' angle to avoid reflection flares and all the people that was there to pray.

I have to admit tho it was amazing to be in there and the walk in the labyrinth priceless.

I am a “shaker” for labyrinths so I also enjoyed it even more plush I was inside the Pagoda and this gave me a fantastic feeling.

Superb Botataung Pagoda