Kaungmudaw Pagoda – Sagaing

Kaungmudaw Pagoda, also called Yaza Mani Sula, is a huge pagoda 10km beyond the town of Sagaing in central Myanmar. It was built by King Thalun and his son in A.D 1636. The dome shaped pagoda rises up to 46 meters. At the base of the pagoda, there are 812 stone pillars, each one with a hollow and an image of a Nat in it. It was modeled after the Mahaceti Pagoda in Sri Lank. The stupa enshrined the Buddhist relics inside its relic chamber. The pagoda dome had been continuously painted white to signify purity but now gilded with gold. It is one of the famous pilgrimage and tourist destinations in the Sagaing area.

Road to Kaungmudaw Pagoda

Guardian lions

The Kaungmudaw Pagoda with new gold paint

812 stone pillars around the pagoda

Kaungmudaw Pagoda when it was white

(Source: myanmars.net)