Pagoda Bells

Pagoda bells are somehow like their counterparts in the church.

but they give their melody when people bang on them unlike they do in the church this is much more easy, impressive and won't make noise.

The story of its great bells is an integral part of the history of this widely famed Buddhist shrine. A 32 ton bronze and brass bell donated by the Mon King Dhammazedi was stolen by the Portuguese adventurer Philip de Brito y Nicote in 1608. This mercenary, a former ship's cabin boy had declared himself King of Lower Burma and established his capital at Thanlyin (Siriam) just across the Yangon River. 

He intended to melt down this late 15th Century bell to make cannons, but the bell was lost forever in the murky waters of the Yangon River when the boat transporting it and other plundered loot capsized.

A massive earthquake demolished the top of the Shwedagon in 1768. 

After King Hsinbyushin of the Konbaung dynasty (1752 -1885) renovated it, raising the height of the stupa to its present 326 feet during the process. His son, King Singu, had the 23 ton Maha  Tissada Ganda bronze bell cast between 1775 and 1779 and placed on the north-west side of the main pagoda platform.

The Maha Tissada Pagoda Bell at the Shwedagon Pagoda platform in Yangon

During the first Anglo - Burma war (1824 - 1826) the British attempted to pilfer the bell and convey it to Calcutta but history repeated itself and the bell fell into the river. The British made many attempts to recover the very heavy weight from its watery abode but failed. The Burmese proposed to raise the heavy thing stipulating that it be returned to its original location in the pagoda.

The British readily agreed since they had a poor opinion of the Burmese astuteness. Putting into operation an ingenious and effective plan, native divers descended to the bottom of the river, fastened innumerable bamboo poles underneath the heavy bell until it slowly floated to the surface.

All large shrines have many of various sizes including the very small golden ones at the top producing the melody when the wind moves them, most of them engraved with praises for the Lord and some with hopeful wishes of the donor. They are placed everywhere on the precinct. In addition to the ones on the ground, the hti (umbrella) contains a large number of small golden bells.

Most have inscriptions arranged in horizontal rows in Pali or Burmese. 

Sometimes almost the whole surface of the bell is covered with characters; it is usually to the dedications of the people who have donated the bell. These dedications are either about the hope to reach the ideal state of enlightenment, or they include preserving the Nats requests to the earth, the air and the house, the cultivated fields and the family from misfortune and evil powers. Also appeals to the attainment of Nirvana in one of the coming rebirths are occasionally included in such bell inscriptions.

Usually Myanmar bells hung not high, rather close the ground. There is no clapper; with a thicker baton, a wooden rod the bell is beaten to mark the attention of the deity in honor of their good work, said a prayer, a sacrifice or the like completed. Due to the resonance body they have different sound. Even with fingers one can cause an elongated delicate and harmonious tone. When the first one was casted is still unclear, however they were already in use in the times of the kingdom of Bagan.

One of the most famous Mingun Bell near Mandalay, placed at the unfinished gigantic brick stupa at in 1790. This is located near Mandalay at the other side of the Irrawaddy River in Sagaing Division. The height including the loop for hanging up amounts to 7 m, weight 90 tons. It’s the second biggest in the world after the Moscow Tsar Bell.

A nationwide famous is in a special Tazaung.

The bell has the name Maha Ganda  which means  melodious voice . Casted in 1775-1779, has a weight of 23.3 tons and a height of 3.5 m (without strap) . A particularly sophisticated and artfully decorating has the loop in the form of a sculpture composition depicting dragons and Nats.  Another one is located in a tazaung shows the name of King Tharawadi of 1841 and her name is also Maha Tissada Ganda, a very solid piece with approximately 2 m, it has a 30.5 cm thick wall and weighs 42 tons. The decor underlines the massifs and the severity of that bell.

• Buddhist Stupa
• Buddhist Temples
• Mandalay Pagodas
• Monywa Pagoda
• Mrauk U Pagoda
• Myanmar Pagoda
• Stupas and Temples

Buddhist Shrine

There are more than 200 Shrines in various forms on the platform.

Also plenty of Buddha and other statues in various postures.

Chinthe figures

Chinthe figures are the guardians of pagodas, stupas and temple.

Sometimes the whole look a bit like Disneyland but we must consider that this architectural add on's are more than thousand years old when the peoples where still totally engulfed in the ancient mysticism.  

Southern Shwedagon Entrance

The Southern Entry.

Shops are lining the stairways offering cloth and various items and bundles for donations. Most popular are flowers usually chrysanths and roses. Many people make a living supplying them to the pilgrims. 

Here is the south side, Shwedagon Pagoda Road run almost into it, hundreds of people pass through here every day. Since foreigners are less than about 10% of the visitors it is extremely to let them pay about $ 8.50 (until 2012 it was $ 5,-) and all others pay nothing at all. Buddhist temples in Myanmar and Thailand are the only religious monuments in the whole world where local people try to milk others in the name of Buddha.  

Shwedagon Treasure Donations

Gold, diamonds and other precious gems donations.

There is probably no building in the world, which surpasses the pagoda treasures in terms of the amount of gold and diamonds used for its decoration and precious items such as jewelry and gems donated.

The lower part of the almost 100 meter-high stupa is covered with gold plates and the upper part with more than 14 000 foils of size 30 X 30 cm and a total weight of about 100 kg.

Countless small bells made from the metals surround the very top, they sparkle, glow and send harmonious sound although they are too far away to hear it at the platform. 

Above the mast is a weather-vane decorated with rubies and other gems and the diamond bud in form of a sphere with 25 cm diameter is above.

The mast is made of silver where four golden Buddha bas-reliefs are mounted.

This precious crowning of the stupa is studded with 5451 diamonds in various weights of together 2078 carats, and with about 1470 other precious stones. The total number of bells amounts to 1500.

All this treasures come from people.

They give their jewelry as donations. The gemstones are used for a other purpose, metal is melted and shaped into new forms. Now what is all this for? The main purpose is to gain merit for the next life cycle. The same idea is for building pagodas.

Goldsmith at work

Historic records show several 

times gold sheets have been

placed on the stupa

On the picture left diamonds and gold are combined to form one of the most valuable collection in the world. This are all valuable precious stones of various sized with an incredible combined value. There is no fake, no synthetic just pure gemstones, the very big one in the center of the top is the only non diamond, that is an local found quartz. 

It is not clear where all the stones came from since this is a ongoing process which started already more than thousand years ago. Every time when the stupa was renovated and enlarged donations were added.   

Pagoda Renovation

From "time to time" repair is necessary.

Because all technology used over a long time is just the same since ages. E.g. all brick construction is done without insulation that's the reason why the walls get dark because of the heavy monsoon rain and more.

Getting the gold decoration right

Placing gold sheets for cover

Since all renovation is done with donation money nobody is really in charge means nothing is done properly. Only from time to time the government or some rich people initiate some improvement work or gold decoration, but as indicated before most people dont know what they really do and the result of this will be low unless it is in a technique they already did it 500 years ago.

One of the most funny things on renovation ( but it works good ) is the use of a cable car to get the needed stuff to the top because of the monument's shape it's rather difficult to to lift up things otherwise.

I am always wondering how they keep track of the gold plates and sheets to cover the surface because of the sheer value of them it's a real temptation to take one and call it day, there are thousand of dollars value on it. The same is with the donations of private jewelry people give to have it enclosed into the top of the shrine to gain merit etc.