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Visitors may be confused by the proliferation of structures erected around Shwedagon's main spire, but each shrine, each Buddha image, and each stupa represents a particular element of Burmese Buddhism, linked to one another by a complex, organic web of relationships "between the Shwedagon hill and the platform, the central stupa and smaller shrines,and the shrines and the pilgrims," as Elizabeth Howard Moore PhD writes. "The structures at the Shwedagon seem to defy logic and even have been called 'a confusion of buildings jumbled pell-mell'... [but] there is a rational logic to the arrangement of structures."
There's not nearly enough space to cover the hundreds of distinct structures on Shwedagon, but we've put together a short list of places you should check out when ascending to Shwedagon's terrace.
Devotion Halls for the Four Buddhas
A shrine dedicated to each of the four Buddhas honored in Shwedagon can be found next to each of the staircases leading up to the terrace. (Yes, four Buddhas - a clearer explanation can be found in this list of Buddhas.)
The first of these Buddhas in chronological order is Kakusandha, whose shrine stands next to the eastern stairway. The statue of Kakusandha in this shrine is called the Latpatlat, or "upturned hand" Buddha (read about Buddha hand positions, or "mudra"). To "make merit", devotees can buy sheets of gold leaf from the vendors near Shwedagon, then transfer the gold leaf onto the statue.
As you circumambulate Shwedagon in a clockwise direction, you'll come across shrines to the other Buddhas in the proper order. The southern shrine is dedicated to Konagamana, the Buddha after Kakusandha; the western shrine is for Kassapa; and the northern shrine is dedicated to Gautama Buddha, and is recognized as the most magnificent of all the devotional halls.
Planetary Posts
A series of eight "planetary posts" are also distributed uniformly around the main spire. Each post represents a focus of devotion for Buddhists born on a particular day of the week (in Burmese astrology, Wednesday a.m. and p.m. are two separate days).
Devout Burmese believe that each person's fate is closely tied to that of their birthday planet, of which there are eight in total: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and the mythical planet Rahu. As befits a zodiac, each planet is also accompanied by a guardian animal: for example, the southwest planetary post (representing Saturday and the planet Saturn) is paired with the mythical naga beast.
Devotees seeking favors will come to their respective planetary post to pour water over the image of the Buddha installed at each planetary post, and leave offerings of incense, "victory" leaves, and flowers.
Daw Ngwe Zin
Located near the Kakusandha shrine on the eastern side of Shwedagon, the Daw Ngwe Zin Hall contains a series of Buddha images. The larger images include a reclining Buddha and a crowned Buddha called Labha Muni by the Burmese.
Another key artifact housed in Daw Ngwe Zin: a five-foot-high cylinder made of seven stacked sandstone rings, each one studded with relief Buddha images making up 365 Buddha images in all.
Victory Ground
This isn't a building, but this open space on the northern sector of the terrace is considered one of the holiest places on Shwedagon. In the days of the Mon kingdoms, rulers and generals would congregate here to pray before an upcoming battle - thus its name "Aung Mye", or "Victory Ground" in Burmese.
Today, Burmese devotees gather here to pray for personal success in any venture, whether it's for an upcoming exam or for a profitable business. Its association with triumph has also linked the Victory Ground with subversive political activity - student activists would hold protests here before the police clamped down on their gatherings.
The Victory Ground is surrounded by a dense thicket of structures, including the northern devotional hall dedicated to Gautama Buddha, a cluster of eleven shrines crowned by a standing Buddha, the Maha Gandha and the Hall of Great Prosperity (see below).
Maha Gandha Bell
The Maha Gandha ("Great Bell") is a massive, 7-foot-high, 25-ton bell donated by a Burmese King in 1779 CE. During the 3rd Anglo-Burmese War, British forces stole the bell and attempted to carry it back to India over the Rangoon River. The boat capsized, and the bell sank to the bottom. It was later retrieved by the Burmese and put back in Shwedagon.
Twelve lines of Pali inscriptions encircle the bell; they tell the tale of King Singu, his accession to the throne and the provinces he ruled, and his meritorious act of donating the bell.
Hall of Great Prosperity
The Hall of Great Prosperity is one of the largest covered areas on Shwedagon, owing to its massive thirty-foot-high seated Buddha. Devotees can earn merit in the Hall by pulling a rope that operates an old Indian-style punkah (Wikipedia), or a swinging curtain that moves the air, "cooling" the Buddha.
Between October and November, the Hall of Great Prosperity hosts a weaving competition; participating devotees weave robes for the Buddha images on Shwedagon, completing the task in one night. The robes will be offered to the images on the next day.
Sandawdwin Pagoda
According to legend, Gautama Buddha's hairs were washed in a spring on the hill before they were enshrined under the stupa that now forms Shwedagon's main spire. The spring is said to be fed by the Ayeyarwady River itself.
The beautiful tazaung (pagoda) that now stands over the site of the spring pays tribute to the brothers who brought the Buddha's hairs to this spot, an event commemorated in the screen carvings emblazoned on Sandawdwin's walls.
Replica of the Mahabodhi Temple
A copy of one of the most sacred shrines in Buddhism stands on the north side of Shwedagon's terrace. It stands out from the other stupas onsite, as its geometric paneling is completely distinct from the other structures surrounding it.
"The Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya marks the place thought to be where the historical Buddha realized enlightenment," Barbara O'Brien tells us. "It was here that the Buddha realized the way to liberation from suffering would be found in mind and not in aestheticism, and he sat in meditation... until he realized enlightenment."
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