Sandamuni Pagoda

Why Sandamuni Pagoda is special ?

The Sandamuni pagoda in Mandalay is known for its large golden zedi, its hundreds of shrines containing inscribed marble slabs and the largest iron Buddha image in Burma, the Sandamani, after which it is named.

Resembling the nearby Kuthodaw pagoda, the Sandamuni is located on the foot of Mandalay Hill with good views of the hill and its monasteries.

The pagoda was built as a memorial to crown Prince Kanaung, who was murdered in 1866 by two of King Mindon Min’s sons, who were unhappy not to be the first in line to become the next King. The bodies of the crown Prince and three of his sons who were also killed were entombed on the Sandamuni pagoda grounds. In the early 1990’s the tombs were moved to a mausoleum in Mandalay.

Source: https://www.renown-travel.com/

What to explore at Sandamuni Pagoda?

Surrounding the central pagoda are 1774 shrines, each housing a single marble slab. The slabs are inscribed with the teachings of the Buddha, consisting of Sutta Pitaka, Vinaya Pitaka and Abhidhamma Pitaka (the three baskets that make up the Tripitaka), as well as commentaries and sub commentaries.

Each slab measuring 1.68 meters tall and 1.07 meters wide is enshrined in a small white shrine named Dhamma ceti, Dhamma being the teachings of the Buddha and ceti the Burmese word for chedi or stupa. The white shrines are topped with a hti, an ornamental spire shaped like an umbrella. The grounds are more cramped than the nearby Kuthodaw pagoda; little space is left behind the rows of Dhamma cetis.

The Dhamma cetis were built several decades after the central zedi. They were erected in 1913 by U Khanti the hermit, who is known in Burma for having renovated a great number of Burmese temples and pagodas.

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How to get to Sandamuni Pagoda?

The pagoda is located on the foot of Mandalay Hill in the North of Mandalay, just North East of the Royal Palace and a short walk from the Kuthodaw pagoda.

Source: https://www.renown-travel.com/