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Kuthodaw Pagoda

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Ed Hahn
Ed Hahn
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4 out of 5
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Kuthodaw Pagoda

  • June 11, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Ed Hahn from Hong Kong, China
Kuthodaw Pagoda

On our way to Mandalay Hill we stopped at the Kuthodaw Pagoda, often called the world’s largest book. It is a huge walled complex situated at the base of the southeast side of Mandalay Hill. It was built by King Mindon at the same time he was constructing the Royal Palace, both started in 1857. Both Pam and I noticed that the main stupa looked familiar. Later I discovered it was modeled after the Shwezigon Stupa we had seen near Bagan. I was beginning to think that, “All stupas looked alike.”

The stupa is set in the middle of a thirteen acre field of 729 pitaka shrines. Each shrine contains a marble slab, inscribed on both sides with a portion the Tipitaka, Theravada Buddhism’s sacred texts. Together, they contain the entire text of the Tipitaka and hence the title of “The World’s Largest Book.” The slabs were carved from white Sagyin Hill marble found just a few miles north of Mandalay. The work of carving began in October 1860 and was carried out in a special hall within King Mindon’s Royal Palace. The 200 carvers completed their task in May 1869. If spread out horizontally, the slabs would cover about 200 yards². If stacked vertically, the "pages" would rise about 115 yards. Originally the lettering was covered in gold leaf but the gold has long since worn off. You can see a photo of one of the slabs below.

Bruce told us that to dedicate the complex in 1872, 2400 monks read the whole book in a non-stop, six month relay. There evidently is a paper edition somewhere that runs to forty 400 page volumes. A truly incredible accomplishment.

Walking up and down the rows of small shrines helped us understand just how astounding the feat of producing the book was. Looking down on it from the brow of Mandalay Hill also helped us comprehend the enormity of the task.

The courtyard and interior are also attractive and interesting. The interior has many artifacts from Myanmar’s religious history. Unfortunately none of the explanations were in English and Bruce wasn’t around to translate.

Since it is on the way to Mandalay Hill and is a one of a kind of attraction, I highly recommend you take the time to see this place.

Beware of the children selling flowers and other souvenir items in the entrance way. My wife, Pam, made the mistake of buying something from one of the young girls and we were immediately inundated by a crowd of insistent child vendors. Bruce was no help in beating them off. I finally used my booming voice to scare them away.

The entrance fee is $5. Picture taking is allowed.

From journal Myanmar - Road to Mandalay

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