PAGODA LAND GLORIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20252, 11 May 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

PAGODA LAND GLORIES.

PRINCE'S WEIGHT IN QQLD. GILDING A SACRED TEMPLE. PROMISE THAT COST £9OOO. £150,000 SPENT ON CARILLON, When the word " pagoda" is mentioned the thoughts instinctively turn to China, for it is the country associated in the popular mind with graceful, tapering towers and umbrella roofs. But Burma is far more entitled to be called Pacodaland, for, compared with China's thousands, it has its tens of thousands of these beautiful sacred structures, writes Mr. G. E. Arrowsmith, F.R.G.S., in Tit-Bits. The Indian pagoda is different in appearance from its celestial counterpart, for it looks rather like a colossal gramophone horn, inverted in a stone pedestal, and it has an entirely different, religious significance. Usually it is solid masonry throughout, witji neither shrine nor oratory, but bin-ied deep within the massive fabric will be some relic of the great Gautama—perhaps a hair from his head, or a finger-nail, or a tooth. In China the pagodas are more Taoistic —Taoism is the religion that centres around evil spirits and ancestor worship —than Buddhistic, and tlioy are erected for the purpose of bringing good luck. The pagoda-maker, be he Chinese or Burman, will acquire much merit by his architectural efforts, but once the edifice is completed the source of merit automatically dries up, and not even a trickle will flow through to him in response to any other efforts ho may make on behalf of that particular pagoda l . It is for this reason that both countries are made desolate with crumbling heaps of masonry, for no one would dream of keeping af pagoda in repair—what would be the use ? Far better to let the buildings moulder into dust and concentrate all one's energy on erecting fresh ones. Pagodas in Burma.

China) is said to have 2000 pagodas, but. in Burma their name is legion. Stand on Mandalay Hill, overlooking the beautiful moated enclosure known as Fort Dufferin —where King Theebaw's palace is still to be seen as a reminder of the days when Burma was independent—and one will view from that one vantage ground quite a thousand pagodas. They stretch at one's feet, big and little; some aTe whitewashed, others are gilded, some look spick and span, others seem to be in thelast stages of senile decay, but they all have a delicacy of outline that is pecu-. liarly their own. In one walled space, immediately beneath the hill, there are 729 pagodas of identical size and shape. This enclosure is known as the Kuthodaw and covers an area of 800 square yards. It is really a vast library—perhaps the queerest ever conceived by man—for within the domed buildings are preserved the commandments of Buddha, inscribed on stone slabs, one tablet in each building. It was a religiously-minded uncle of-the notorious Theebaw who devised this means of perpetuating the teaching of Buddha. The texts are inscribed in the Pali language, but the characters used are Burmese. In the midst of the 729 smaller buildings is an elaborate edifice with a. gilded dome, where pilgrims may resort for prayer and meditation after having? made the round of the " library." At the Shrine of Buddha.

Another curious " pagoda" only as few miles' from Mandalay is, strictly speaking, a temple. It goes by the name of tho Arakan, and is one of the most beautiful examples of Burmese religious architectlire; it is also regarded as belonging to the trio of most sacred edifices in the country. Buddhists can only acquire spiritual merit by offering brand-new architectural oblations to the comfortable religion of their race. There are, however, three exceptions. Much spiritual " kudos" may be obtained by any work of restoration done to the Shwe Dagon in Rangoon, or to the great temple at Pegu, or to thoArakan Pagoda, near Mandalay. It is for this reason that the Arakan is a dream of beauty, and is for ever thronged with worshippers. On one occasion that the writer visited it he had to remove his shoes, for the ground whereon he trod was regarded as most holy. Within the innermost shrine was a large figure of the Buddha, squatting, tailor-fashion, on a dais raised above the heads of the assembled devotees. The statue was some 10ft. in height and aglitter with gold leaf that was daily renewed by the faithful. Every worshipper purchased a small paper packet from an attendant priest, and this lie placed in a cleft stick and then paraded solemnly-be-hind the figure. There he was seized by another " bonze," who snatched the package from his hand, tore it open, and ap-' plied the gold leaf it contained to any part of Buddha's anatomy that he thought needed attention. A Miraculous History. This particular Buddha has a miraculous history. It is said to have been designed by Yisvakarma, the creator of the universe, but, alas, the god made rather a bad job of it, and when it came to assembling tho component parts of the figure they would not fit together. It was in vain that the workmen strained and strained—the limbs and the body refused to be united. And then one day Gautama himself came and embraced the warped metal. In a trico the ill-fitting joints came together and the statue was perfect. In the treasure chamber of this temple the veritable ashes of Buddha are preserved—so the priests assert. They were found some years ago at Peshawar. Of all the pagodas iu the Far East not one can compare with the Shwe Dagon of Rangoon. The great central cone that rises to a height of 368 ft., and is aquarter of a mile in circumference at its base, has the greater part of its surface overlaid every year with gold leaf presented by worshippers. History relates that one of the native princes vowed his weight in gold to the Shwe Dagon. " After he had taken a bath and scrubbed off as many pounds as he could, he jumped on one side of the scales and piled lip the gold on the other." His rash promise cost him some £9OOO, and with this sum the upper part of the pagoda—out of reach of the ordinary donors of gold leaf—was given a fresh coating. All For a Prophet's Hair. At the summit of the pagoda there is a vane studded with real jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds —over 4600 of them, set so high above the earth that no human eyo can soe them. Immediately below the vane is the " hti" (tee), a seven-ringed metal framework that is hung with a hundred bells of solid gold and 1400 of silver. When the winds blow they tinkle melodiously, and one is listening' to a carillon whose estimated worth is £60.000. What is the purpose of this mountain of golden masonry—literally golden, for recently the upper part of the pagoda was encased with plates of soli,d gold at a cost of £36.712:' It has been reared to mark tho burial place of a small casket which is alleged to contain three ct Buddha's hairs! , Tho pagoda is reached by four covered staircases, made of teak and elaborately carved and gilded, that arc situated at the cardinal points of the compass. Ihe mam one, facing south, is guarded by colossal stone leogryphs to scare away e spirits.