15 November 1559 (original structure) Wednesday, 2nd waning of Nadaw 921 ME[note 1]
Completed
2 January 1561 (original) Thursday, 2nd waning of Pyatho, 922 ME[note 2]
Mahazedi Pagoda (Burmese: မဟာစေတီ) is a prominent Buddhist pagoda in Bago, Myanmar.
History
The pagoda was built by King Bayinnaung to house a gold and jewel-encrusted tooth relic of the Buddha.[3][4] The tooth relic was a replica from Dharmapala of Kotte, the king of the Kingdom of Kotte, who gifted the tooth, along with an alms bowl and his daughter.[5][6][4] The construction of the pagoda began in November 1559, and was completed six months later in May 1560.[1] The footprint of the pagoda was 100 taung (45.72 m (150 ft)) in diameter, and the height was 150 taung (68.58 m (225 ft)), without the hti ("umbrella spire").[1] The hti spire was raised atop the pagoda for the first time on 2 January 1561.[2]
The relics arrived in 1576.[4] In 1599, King Anaukpetlun conquered Bago and removed the relics to Taungoo.[4] In 1636, King Thalun removed the relics to Inwa, enshrining them at the Kaunghmudaw Pagoda in Sagaing.[4] Throughout its history, the pagoda has been destroyed by several earthquakes on the Sagaing Fault, on 13 September 1564, 1583, and 8 October 1888, and completely leveled in 1930.[7][3] Mahazedi Pagoda was rebuilt in the 1950s.[6]
Notes
^The relic chamber was dedicated on Wednesday, 2nd waning of Nadaw 921 ME (Wednesday, 15 November 1599).[1]
^The construction of the pagoda was completed in May 1560 (six months after the relic chamber dedication ceremony).[1] The hti umbrella raising ceremony was held on 2nd waning of Pyatho 922 ME (Thursday, 2 January 1561).[2]
