Bago Places

The descendents of the great king Daham- mazedi of Hanthawaddy were weak rulers and in 1539 during the reign of king Takatyutpi the kingdom fell to King Tabin Shwe Hti of Toungoo. After he was assassinated in 1551, he was succeeded by his brother-in-law BayintNaung. Two years later, Bayint Naung built a new palace named KambawzaThardi to the west of the ‘old’ city and the area surrounding it with homes of the nobility and court official soon became known as the ‘New Pegu”to foreign visitors. Governors from all provinces had to send whole logs of teak inscribed with the urnane to be used as pillars.

It was built around 5th century BC by the king of the time, enshrined with some hair and tooth relics of the Buddha brought back from India by two merchants,Taputha and Balika. It was originally 76ft hight and in the year 825, King Thamala who founded the earliest Kingdon based in Utha Bago raised it to 81ft and his heir King Wimala to 88 ft in 840.As the pagoda was often damaged by earthquakes successive Mon kings and the Burmese dynasty of Byint Naung made renovation and raised the height .By 1796 it was 297ft hight,after a new crown called ‘umbrella on the spire was donated by Bodawpaya ,a Burmese king of Upper Myanmar.The worst damage by earthquake was in 1917 when the ‘banana bud” section of the spire collapsed but did not break apart.It can be seen on the pagoda platfrorm with a sign saying that “descended for its devotees to worship it up-close”.