Kyaiktiyo Pagoda
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda Golden Rock | |
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Theravada Buddhism | |
Region | Mon State |
Status | active |
Location | |
Municipality | Kyaikto |
Country | Myanmar |
Geographic coordinates | 17°28′54″N 97°05′53″E / 17.481682°N 97.098118°E |
Specifications | |
Spire height | 15 m (49 ft) |
Elevation | 1,100 m (3,609 ft) |
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (
According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously perched on a
Etymology
In the Mon language, the word 'kyaik' (ကျာ်) means "pagoda" and 'yo' (ယဵု) means "to carry on the hermit's head". The word 'ithi' (ဣသိ in Mon (from Pali ရိသိ, risi) means "hermit". Thus, 'Kyaik-htiyo' means "pagoda upon a hermit's head".[6][7]
Legend
The legend associated with the pagoda is that the Buddha, on one of his many visits, gave a strand of his hair to Taik Tha, a hermit. The hermit, who had tucked it in the tuft of his hair safely, in turn gave the strand to the king, with the wish that the hair be enshrined in a boulder shaped like the hermit's head. The king had inherited supernatural powers from his father
Legends also mention that pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage by trekking from the Kinpun base camp three times consecutively in a year will be blessed with wealth and recognition.[9]
Geography
The pagoda is located near Kyaikto in Mon State in the northern part of the Tenasserim coast. The Golden Rock is situated at an elevation of 1,100 m (3,609 ft) above mean sea level, on top of the Kyaiktiyo hill (also known as Kelasa hills or Eastern Yoma mountains); it is on the Paung-laung ridge of the Eastern Yoma mountains. It is at a distance of 210 kilometres (130 mi) from Yangon and 140 metres (460 ft) north of Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State.[10][11] The Kinpun village 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) is at the base of Mt. Kyaiktiyo. It is the closest to the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda. From Kyaiktiyo, the foot trail or road starts for the Golden rock. On this approach, there are numerous granite boulders on the mountain, perched in precarious condition. Near the top of the mountain, there are two large lions guarding the entrance to Kyaiktiyo Pagoda. From this location, known as Yatetaung (the last point for vehicular traffic), pilgrims and visitors have to climb to the Golden Rock barefoot, after leaving their footwear behind, as per
Structures
The boulder, which gleams golden and is popularly known as the Golden Rock, and on which the small Kyaiktiyo Pagoda has been built, is about 25 feet (7.6 m) in height and has a circumference of 50 feet (15 m). The Pagoda above the rock is about 7.3 metres (24 ft) in height. The boulder sits on a natural rock platform that appears to have been naturally formed to act as the base to build the pagoda. This granite boulder lies on an inclined plane and the area of contact is extremely small. The golden rock or boulder and the rock table on which it is resting are independent of each other; the golden rock has an overhang of half its length and is perched at the extreme end of the sloping surface of the rock. There is a sheer vertical drop in the rock face, into the valley below. A lotus shape is painted in gold leaf, encircling the base of the rock. It appears as though the boulder will crash down at any moment. A staircase leads to the pagoda complex that houses several viewing platforms,
A main square close to the golden rock has many establishments that deal in religious paraphernalia for worship and offerings made by the pilgrims. Adjoining the plaza area is the Potemkin village where restaurants, gift shops, and guest houses are located. A new terrace has been built at a lower level from which visitors can get a good view of the rock and the pagoda.[2]
Pilgrimage
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/No_women_allowed_sign_Kyaiktiyo_Pagoda.jpg/220px-No_women_allowed_sign_Kyaiktiyo_Pagoda.jpg)
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda or Golden Rock has become a popular pilgrimage and also tourist attraction. At the peak of the pilgrimage season, during November to March, an atmosphere of devotion is witnessed at Kyaikhtiyo pagoda. As the golden rock gleams in different shades from dawn to dusk (the sight at dawn and at sunset are unique), pilgrims' chants reverberate in the precincts of the shrine. Lighting of candles, meditation and offerings to the Buddha continues throughout the night. Men cross over a bridge across an abyss to affix golden leaves (square in shape) on the face of the Golden Rock, in
Gallery
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Bus at Kyaikhtiyo base station
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Road to the hill
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Litters for tourists
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Tagundaing in the plaza area at Kyaiktiyo
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Upāsaka adding gold leaf to the rock
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Golden rock and Kyaiktiyo Pagoda precincts in the morning
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View of Kyaiktiyo at Sunset
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Night view of Golden Rock and the Pagoda
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Male Buddhists are allowed to paste gold leaf onto the rock, as a sign of devotion
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The Gate of KyaiktiYoe Pagoda (ဆံေတာ်ရှင်ကျိုက်ထီးရိုးစေတီေတာ်၏မုခ်ဝ)
References
- ^ ISBN 9781561387724.
- ^ ISBN 1740596951. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ ISBN 978-1934159064. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ a b c "The Golden Rock with the Kyaik-htiyo-Pagoda". Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ ISBN 1425932320. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ "The Golden Rock with the Kyaik-htiyo-Pagoda". Archived from the original on 2007-03-21. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ a b c "Kyaik Hti Yo Pagoda". Archived from the original on 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b c "Kyaiktiyo:The Golden Rock That Balances on a Hair". Archived from the original on 2011-02-14. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ a b c "Kyaikhtiyo - The Golden Rock Stupa". News Finder; A Literary favour to world culture. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ^ "The Kyaiktiyo or golden Rock Pagoda". Archived from the original on 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ^ Political situation of Myanmar and its role in the region. Office of Strategic Studies, Ministry of Defence, Union of Myanmar. 2000. p. 87. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
Kyaiktiyo pagoda, now known as Golden Rock, is located on top of Kyaiktiyo hill at about 1,100 metres (3,600 ft) above sea level, 210 kilometres (130 mi) from Yangon. The pagoda was built over a hair relic
- ^ a b "Kyaiktiyo:The Golden Rock That Balances on a Hair". Archived from the original on 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
- ^ a b "Myanmar - Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock)". Retrieved 2010-03-26.
- ^ Reid p.150
- ^ "Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda". Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg/40px-Wikivoyage-Logo-v3-icon.svg.png)
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