ts golden mass giving it an air of weight and stability, the Shwezigon derives its name from
Jeyyabhumi, "Ground of Victory". Two great kings, noted for their patronage of the Religion, are associated with the
Shwezigon: Anawrahta (1044-1077) and Kyansittha (1084-1113).
Tradition has it that the holy tooth, collar-bone and frontlet relics of the Buddha are enshrined in the
Shwezigon, the tooth presented by the King of Ceylon, the frontlet obtained from Thayekhittaya near modern
Prome. The chronicles relate that Anawrahta placed the frontlet relic on a jeweled white elephant and, making a solemn vow, said, " Let the white elephant kneel in the place where the holy relic is fain to rest!" And it was there, at the place where the white elephant knelt, that Anawrahta built the
Shwezigon, although he was to finish only the three terraces before he died.
The chronicles go on to relate that on the accession of
Kyansittha, the royal teacher Shin Arahan urged him to complete the
Shwezigon. Kyansittha then marshaled all his people and quarried rock from Mount Tuywin in the east to build the pagoda. Marvelously, the pagoda was finished in seven months and seven days, and the chronicles record with some pride,
"Shwezigon is famous in the world of men and the world of spirits as far as the world of Brahmas. |
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Built by Alaungsithu in 1311, this temple is an early example of a transition in architectural styles, which resulted in airy, lighter buildings. The temple is also notable for its fine stucco carvings and for the stone slabs in the inner wall, which tell its history, including the fact that its construction took seven months. |
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