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Sule Pagoda

Sule Pagoda is located on a small circle at the heart of the rush Yangon Capital. It is also called Kyaik Athoke and Kyaik is meant of pagoda and Mon Language, Athoke means supreme commander (some mentions Hair Relic). Thus the pagoda which is built by the supreme court official or enshrined with the sacred hair.

The history of Sule Pagoda will have to date back over 2000 years and intercoursed with the foundation of Shwe-Da-Gon pagoda on arrival of the eight-strands of hair relic by Tappussa and Ballika merchant brothers.

Some say that the hill of Sule pagoda was used as a meeting point when king Okkalapa endeavoured to find out where the Singuttra hill was for the erection of Shwe-Da-Gon. Meeting together in Myanmar pronounced “su-way”. In the course of time, it is changed into “Sule”.

Whatever the original name of that Pagoda was not a controversy and a small stupa until Queen Shin-Saw-Pu enlarged it. When king Alaungpaya conquered Dagon in 1557 A.D and named Yangon, supposing to be “End of strife” then made a wooden-stockade with landing for systematic city and security, the pagoda was just out of the city’s boundary. It was king Tharawaddy or Shwe-Bo Min in 1837 – 46 A.D who built a new Yangon city andonly then the pagoda was inside the city area. After the second Anglo-Myanmar war in 1852 A.D during the region of king Bagan, the lower Myanmar was as part of British colony and under the control of Governor Sir Phayre. Mr. Fraser of civil engineer from Bangali Infantry was designed to draw a systematic city-plan. Majority of religious monuments such as pagoda, Sima, monastery, were wiped out and ponds as well as holes were leveled but Sule pagoda was freed of it.

Now, Sule pagoda is right in the heart of busy-city and its location makes hinderance for further expansion but being on a comparative small area, it could easily be preserved in neat and tidy while a large queue of automobiles is winding at the bottom.

The pagoda precinth measures 2.2 acres with a length of 322’ from East to West and breadth of 291’ from South to North.

From the architectural point of view, this is doubtless in Mon or lower Myanmar type and solid stupa. The octagonal base is the most harmonious transition pattern receding upto banana bud that is the most prominent style and feature of Sule pagoda making different from others. The octagonal base means for the noble eight fold-path and slight three terraces represent to the attributes of triple gems (Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha) then 9 tiers of embossed band, molding of festoon encircled in the middle by a ring of spherical glass globs, banana bud, umbrellas section, weather vane and crowned a diamond orb at the summit, assuming to a height of over 150’.

Renovations and preservations of Sule were respectively formulated just as Northern arch in 1927, it and Eastern arches in 1947, southern arch in 1950. Diamond orb, 250 ticles of pure gold, with one precious stone for vane in 1948 and over 900000 Kyats cost to add in Diamond orb and vane in 1956, gilding the entire pagoda, hoisting a new umbrellas section were managed to shape. Now, the entire precinth of Sule pagoda is rested on a 27’ high base with stalls around the bottom. Every monument and edifice on the pagoda platform were reconstructed in a 5 month duration of renovation period and consumed over an amount of 17200000 Kyats at that time. The harmonious structure with well-strength base was planned and erected in a beautiful motif and decorative floral pattern in harmonious composition of the old and new architecture essence by the expert architect of Dr. Lwin Aung, once, the rector of Yangon Technological University.