Page 393 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

Burmese architecture CONTEXTS 391
the classic design – typified by the stupas at pagodas such as the Shwezigon and
Shwesandaw – with their bell-shaped bodies rising to a delicately tapering spire above.
The massive Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon is perhaps the ultimate Burmese stupa,
and typifies many standard design elements found across the country, albeit on an
unusually grand scale. The entire stupa sits on a massive square base, surrounded by
miniature stupas, and with shrines to the four Buddhas (see box, p.74) at each of the
cardinal points. Above the base rises a series of octagonal terraces (pyissaya) – access to
these is restricted to monks. Surmounting this is the main body of the stupa, shaped
like an inverted almsbowl (thabeik), its top decorated with lotus petals. This provides a
base for the stupa spire, culminating in the distinctive “banana bud” (nga pyaw bu). At
the very top, the stupa is crowned by a latticework umbrella (hti), typically decorated
with precious stones, hung with bells and topped with a gilded flag.
Shrines
Surrounding the central stupa you’ll usually find a ring of shrines (tazaung), typically
decorated in a riot of colour and ornamentation. Most shrines are topped by a gilded
pyatthat, a kind of cross between a roof and a spire, with tiers of flamboyantly carved,
superimposed flying eaves rising to a needle-thin finial – a symbolic representation of
the Buddhist cosmos, with the different tiers standing for the various realms of human
and celestial beings rising to the mythical Mount Meru, home of the gods, above.
Pyatthat were also a common feature of royal palace complexes – the higher one’s status
at court, the more tiers the pyatthat over one’s residence were permitted.
Inside, walls and pillars are often decorated in dazzlingly intricate glass mosaics,
another Burmese speciality. Virtually every shrine will have a Buddha image inside,
often several. Some will also house images of nats, while in bigger shrines you’ll find
additional objects of veneration such as symbolic Buddha footprints, decorated with
arcane symbols, or reliquaries containing sacred objects – typically replicas of the
Buddha’s Tooth or other bodily remains.
Benign Buddhas
Burmese Buddhas are everywhere, from the supersized colossi in Yangon, Monywa,
Bago and elsewhere through to the myriad smaller images which can be found in every
temple. The array of styles is strikingly wide, ranging from manneristic, slightly
extraterrestrial-looking Shan- and Thai-influenced figures through to more realistic
images such as the square-faced and rather portly-looking images that were the
speciality of the Rakhine (such as the revered Mahamuni Buddha, now in Mandalay).
Most images show the Buddha clad in simple monk’s robes, although in later images
(particularly Mandalay-style statues) these are often replaced with sumptuous royal
regalia, including lavish sculpted robes and extravagant crowns.
The Mandalay-style Buddha, which developed during the Konbaung era, is
particularly popular, showing the Buddha with a round and realistic-looking face, and
a full head of closely cropped hair with a hair-bun looking slightly like a woollen cap.
Most Mandalay-style seated images are shown in the bhumisparsha mudra (see box,
p.392) with the robe tied over the left shoulder (the right shoulder is left bare).
Magical animals and mythical monsters
Mythical beasts are another essential feature of Burmese temple architecture, their
fearsome features designed to offer supernatural protection to the building they guard.
The entrances to many temples are protected by huge pairs of chinthe, lion-like figures
(with a hint of dragon), while sphinx-like creatures (basically chinthe with human
heads) are often placed at the corners of stupas. Grotesque kirtimukha (aka kala)
– pop-eyed ogre heads swallowing chains of garlands or pearls – decorate the walls of
many Bagan temples, referring to an old Hindu legend in which Shiva accidentally
creates a ravenous monster and then orders it to eat his own body. Other mythological

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