, native_name = , image = Naypyidaw_--_Uppatasanti_Pagoda.JPG , image_size = , alt = , caption = , map_type = Burma , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , location =

Naypyidaw Naypyidaw (), officially Romanization of Burmese, romanized as Nay Pyi Taw (NPT), is the capital city, capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's ...

, coordinates = , religious_affiliation =

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, sect =

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...

, deity = , country = Myanmar , functional_status = , website = , founded_by =

State Peace and Development Council The State Peace and Development Council ( ; abbreviated SPDC or , ) was the official name of the Military dictatorship, military government of Burma (Myanmar) which, in 1997, succeeded the State Law and Order Restoration Council (; abbrevi ...

, year_completed = March 2009 Uppātasanti Pagoda ( my-Mymr, ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်, pronounced ; officially called my-Mymr, ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်မြတ်ကြီး, also called the "Peace Pagoda") is a prominent landmark in

, the capital of Myanmar. The pagoda houses a Buddha tooth relic. It is nearly a same-sized replica of

Shwedagon Pagoda The Shwedagon Pagoda (, ; ), officially named ''Shwedagon Zedi Daw'' (, , ), and also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda and the Golden Pagoda, is a gilded stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar. The Shwedagon is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanma ...

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

and stands tall.

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 Than Shwe (; ; born 2 February 1933) is a retired Burmese army general who held influential positions within Myanmar's government. Serving as the chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) from 1992 to 2011, he played a signifi ...

, head of Burma's ruling

. The invitation card for the stake-driving ceremony opened with a phrase " Naypyidaw" (the royal capital). The pagoda is shorter than the

. The name "" 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. On 4 March 2009, 20 people died during a

ferris wheel A Ferris wheel (also called a big wheel, giant wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating upright wheel with multiple passenger-carrying components (commonly referred to as passenger cars, cabins, tubs, gondola ...

accident at a festival marking the pagoda's consecration. The consecration of the pagoda, which involves the hoisting of the '' htidaw'' (sacred umbrella, my-Mymr, ထီးတော် ) and the ''seinbudaw'' (diamond lotus bud, my-Mymr, စိန်ဖူးတော် ), took place on 10 March 2009.

Structure

The massive base of the pagoda which may be mistaken for a large hill is completely man-made. The pagoda precinct also comprises: * Maha Hsutaungpyae Buddha Image in Maha Pasadabhumi Gandhakuṭi Chamber * Four jade Buddha images in the pagoda's hollow cave * 108 feet high tagundaing (flagstaff) * Bo tree Garden with Maha Bo Tree and the images of the 28 Buddhas * Garden of 108 Bo Trees * Mālinī Maṅgala Lake with the chamber of Shin Upagutta * Withongama

Ordination Hall The ordination hall (Pali: ''sīmā'') is a Buddhist building specifically consecrated and designated for the performance of the Buddhist ordination ritual (''upasampadā'') and other ritual ceremonies, such as the recitation of the Pāṭimokkha. ...

(''thein'') * Cetiyapala Chamber * Sangha Yama hostels * Sasana Maha Beikmandaw Building * Pagoda museum * Pitakat Building and Religious Archive

Captive white elephants

Seven captive white elephants are kept at the pagoda grounds, under the custody of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation's Forest Department. They are kept in inhumane conditions, shackled for 22 hours a day and housed in small open-air pavilions.

Gallery

File:Uppatasanti Pagoda hti closeup.jpg, Closeup of the pagoda's ''

hti ''Hti'' (, ; ; Shan language, Shan: ), a Burmese language word meaning umbrella, is the name of the finial ornament that tops almost all Burmese pagodas. The chatra umbrella or parasol is an auspicious symbol in Buddhism and Hinduism. As re ...

'' File:Uppatasanti Pagoda-02.jpg, File:Uppatasanti Pagoda, Naypyidaw.jpg, File:Uppatasanti Pagoda-01.jpg, File:Naypyidaw -- Uppatasanti Pagoda interior.JPG, Inside the dome File:Naypyidaw -- Uppatasanti Pagoda -- corner view.JPG, View from a corner File:Naypyidaw -- Uppatasanti Pagoda Plaza at sunset.JPG, Plaza at sunset File:Naypyidaw -- Uppatasanti Pagoda plaza shrine.JPG, A shrine off the main plaza File:Naypyidaw -- Uppatasanti Pagoda plaza.JPG, Main plaza looking east File:Uppatasanti Pagoda.jpg, The pagoda from a distance File:ဥပၸါတသႏၱိေစတီေတာ္ျမတ္ႀကီး.jpg, Twilight image of pagoda File:Uppatasanti night view.jpg, Pagoda at night

References

{{Portal bar, Religion, Architecture Pagodas in Myanmar Buildings and structures in Naypyidaw Religious buildings and structures completed in 2009 Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Myanmar Buddhist relics