Thai delegation led by PM Abhisit Vejjajiva circumambulates Uppatasanti Pagoda
Uppātasanti Pagoda (ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်, pronounced [ʔoʊʔpàta̰θàɰ̃dḭzèdìdɔ̀]; officially called ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်မြတ်ကြီး, also called the "Peace Pagoda") is a prominent landmark in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. The pagoda houses a Buddha tooth relic.[1] It is nearly a same-sized replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and stands 99 metres (325 ft) tall.[2]
History
Construction of Uppatasanti Pagoda began on 12 November 2006, with the stake-driving ceremony, and completed in March 2009, built under the guidance of Than Shwe, head of Burma's ruling State Peace and Development Council.[2] The invitation card for the stake-driving ceremony opened with a phrase "Rājaṭhānī Naypyidaw" (the royal capital).[3] The pagoda is 30 centimetres (12 in) shorter than the Shwedagon Pagoda.[4] The name "Uppātasanti" roughly translates to "protection against calamity". It is the name of a sutta prepared by a monk in the early 16th century. It is to be recited in time of crisis, especially in the face of foreign invasion.[5]
On 4 March 2009, 20 people died during a ferris wheel accident at a festival marking the pagoda's consecration.[6] The consecration of the pagoda, which involves the hoisting of the htidaw (sacred umbrella, ထီးတော်[tʰídɔ̀]) and the seinbudaw (diamond lotus bud, စိန်ဖူးတော်[sèɪɰ̃búdɔ̀]), took place on 10 March 2009.[1]
Structure
The massive base of the pagoda which may be mistaken for a large hill is completely man-made. The pagoda precinct also comprises:[2]
Maha Hsutaungpyae Buddha Image in Maha Pasadabhumi Gandhakuṭi Chamber
Four jade Buddha images in the pagoda's hollow cave
