The image of the Buddha in niche is that of gotama, the fourth of the present world-age. But it is the most beautiful of the four devotional halls which attracts the attention. The hall is benefaction of Sir Po Tha whose distinguished career included service as Honorary Magistrate, Member of the Legislative Council and Trustee of the Shwedagon and the receipt of many awards capped by a knighthood in 1927.

A replica of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment. The Mahabodhi temple at the Shwedagon, which only reproduces the general form of the original and greatly varies in its details, was built by Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay. The grandaughter of a high official of the Court of Mandalay, Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay began her literary career in 1917 when, at the age of 13, she wrote a prize winning short story.

The image of the Buddha in niche is that of gotama, the fourth of the present world-age. But it is the most beautiful of the four devotional halls which attracts the attention. The hall is benefaction of Sir Po Tha whose distinguished career included service as Honorary Magistrate, Member of the Legislative Council and Trustee of the Shwedagon and the receipt of many awards capped by a knighthood in 1927.

This is the site where the eight sacred hair of the Buddha were washed before they were enshrined and the pagoda built over them. The screen carvings on the hall depict, among the foliage and the flowers, the two brothers Tapussa and Bhallika receiving the sacred hair from the Buddha. the brick shrine built in 1879 over the well in which the sacred hairs were washed, and more recently decorated with glass mosaic work.

Standing Buddha image at the top of the eleven -shrine clester

Back towards the pagoda, to the northwest of it, is the Ground of Success, marked on the pavement by a stylized flower of ten petals. The white circle of the stamen - is considered an auspicious site, and devotees also gather here to say their prayers.

The wizards are those who practise the occult arts-alchemy, the casting of magic squares, etc-with the purpose of acquiring an everyouthful and superhuman body, able to fly through the air and travel underground, and of living a life of great longevity. At the entrance of the hall are two wizard figures-the wizard of Iron on the left, the Wizard of Incantations on the right.

Inside the hall in front of a crowned Buddha image, is the Buddha's Footprint, encircled and protected by a naga (serpent). In much a similiar fashion, in the third week after enlightenment, the Buddha was protected by the Naga King Mucalinda when there was a great shower of rain. The Footprint , together with the Wheel and the Bodhi Tree, was employed as an iconographic representation of the Buddha before he became represented in human form in the 1st century AD.

Built in 1898, bears the chinese name Fucigong, "Temple of Blessing and Compassion", but it is very much Myanmar in its architectural features. The hall is a pyatthat with a seven-tired roof, the eaves of which are decorated with vigorously executed carvings featuring figures of kings, ministers, royal pages and spirits (nats). The screen carvings are also well executed and depict the life of the Buddha.

Built in 1879. Sawlapaw was Saohpa (Cheif) of Kantarawaddy in the eastern Kayah State, enjoying a semi-independent status between British ruled Myanmar and the independent Kingdom of Myanmar. Four years after building the pagoda at the Shwedagon, Sawlapaw joined a number of Shan saohpas to challenge the authority of Thibaw(1878-1885), the last Myanmar king, but after the British annexed the Kingdom of Myanmar in 1885, Sawlapaw turned towards resistence against the British.

It was once one of a pair, but the figure on the other side of the stairway has disappeared. It is said that the original pair of the ogres was placed here by Queen Shinsawbu. The ogre belongs to a variety of beings called yakkha in Pali, half-divine beings of great power. Yakkha figures occur in the gates of Indian stupas such as the Great Stupa at Sanchi, being in the nature of guardians.

Inscribed by Dhammazedi (1472 - 1492), King of Hanthawaddy, in 1485. The inscription-in Pali, Mon and Myanmar, on both sides, front and back, of three slabs of sandstone-relates the story of the merchant brothers Tapussa and Bhallika who received eight sacred hairs from the Buddha and enshrined them in the Shwedagon, and records the efforts of the kings of Hanthawaddy to embellish and enlarge the pagoda in the 14th and 15th centuries.

A smaller version of the Shwedagon. Tradition has it that the King of Ukkalapa, who founded the Shwedagon, himself built the pagoda on the site where the sacred hairs of the Buddha were first placed on their arrival. Another tradition has it that Tapussa, the elder of the two brothers who received the eight sacred hairs from Buddha, went once again to the Buddha and received another sacred hair which he enshrined in a pagoda close to the Shwedagon.

Has the largest seated image of the Buddha at the Shwedagon, 30ft (9m) high. Because of its size, the hall is often used for religious ceremonies of various kinds and annually, on the eve of the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmon (October - November) the competation of weaving robes overnight for the images of the Buddha are held in the nearby space and the robes are ceremoniously offered on Full Moon Day.

By the side of the Hall of Great Prosperity and much smaller, is U Po Thaung's Hall. U Po Thaung was a Land Officer of the Yangon Development Trust and also served as a Trustee of the Shwedagon. Built in 1923, the hall features 15 carved panels by U Ba Thin depicting the efforts of King Asoka, the great patron of Buddhism, to establish and propagate Buddhism in India and Sri Lanka.

Built by Rakhine merchants led by U Ba Htaw and U Doe Aung, Brokers. the hall wears a slightly Western look because of the Corinthian pillars but the pyatthat roof is completely Myanmar and features beautiful wood carvings executed by Saya Khin of Mandalay. The screen carvings of the Rakhine hall are also wonderfully elegant. From left to right they depict the Vessantara Jataka.

Daw Pwint's Hall has beautiful screen carvings, the one over the entrance depicting the story of the two Shwehpyin brothers who, remiss in their duty of providing bricks for the construction of a pagoda at Taungbyon, near Mandalay by Anawrahta were executed and become nats (spirits), Great Lord (Mingyi) and Little Lord (Minglay) of Taungbyon, members of the pantheon of 37 nats, and who, pressing their suit on Me U, a maiden of the village, set a tiger on Me U, killing her, making her a nat also, Mistrss of the Hill (Taungdaw Thakinma).

Within the niche, the Buddha image is that of Kassapa, the third Buddha of the present world-age. Originally, the hall here was built by U Aung Gyi and Daw Saw Nyunt in 1900 at a cost of 120,000 rupees. But the hall was burnt in the fire of 1931, and nothing remains of it except three marble slabs recording the deed of merit in Myanmar, English, Chinese and Hindi.

Built in 1891 by U Thin, ship owner, the hall features some beautiful screen carvings. The carving in front depicts the story of the bandit Htilat who, wishing for invulnerability, was told in a dream by the spirit Min Kyawswa-whose icon usually features him on horseback with reins in one hand and riding stick in another

The latter hall was originally built by U Tinya and his wife Daw Nu in the style of a Chinese temple, but subsequent renovation has replaced in the replacement of the forner Chinese-style roof with a Myanmar pyatthat roof. Nevertheless there remain, inside the hall, many Chinese features such as the brackets of the beams and the ornamentation. The "Golden and Silver Hills", which give the hall its name and which too are characteristically Chinese, are in the back corners of the hall.

The Buddha image in the niche is that of Konagamana, the second Buddha of this present world-age. The hall has iron tracery in the spandrels, donated in 1957 by U Ba Yi, Land Owner, and Daw Than May and their children and grandchildren; the motif is floral but at the lower ends may be noticed the panca rupa figure, the ornamental creature of "five forms", combinig the trunk and tusks of an elephant, the horns of a fabulous animal, the legs and hooves of a horse, the wings of a bird and the tail of a carp.

At the edge of the platform in the southeast corner is the University Boycotters' Memorial. This commemorates in four languages-Myanmar, French, English and Russian. The 11 student leaders of the University Boycott which was started on 5 December 1920 in protest against the restriction provisions of the Act which established the University of Yangon. Apart from being a place of worship and devotion, the Shwedagon also provided a safe haven for movements of dissent and protest.

A carousel, enclosed in an iron grill cage, turns slowly. On it are four large silver bowls into which young people try to toss coins, the landing of the coin in the bowls signifies good fortune and success. The Hall of the Carousel has interesting screen carvings. From left to right, they depict the Bhuridatta Jataka.

Before the tradition developed of portraying the Buddha in human form, he was sometimes represented by the Bodhi Tree, which also serves as a symbol of the Enlightenment. The Bodhi Tree under which Buddhas attain enlightenment is distinct for each Buddha, and the variety here is the religious fig-tree of Gotama. The original Bodhi Tree is at Bodh gaya in India, but from at least the bagan period Myanmar pilgrims to Bodh Gaya have been in the habit of bringing back seeds or samplings to plant in Myanmar.>

Built in 1938, is a handsome hall, the decorative features of the roof and the iron tracery of the spandrels-which replace the screen carvings of the earlier period-being executed by Saya Thant of Mandalay. Within the hall, both the ceiling and the columns have wonderfully elegant mosaic work, while a set of 17 carved panels depict the life of the Buddha with such scenes as the ascetic Kaladevala recognizing that the young prince Siddhattha would become the Buddha and weeping that he would not live to see the boy's Buddhahood.

The original hall, built by a queen of King Tharyarwady (1838 - 1846) and renovated by U Kalagyi, Broker, in 1869, was described in 1895 as "the handsomest on the pagoda platform" and featured screen carvings depicting the previous lives of Buddha. This hall was destroyed by the Fire of 1931, and the present hall, built by U Myaing, Land Owner, in 1939, has screen carvings with a different motif altogether - the peacock, symbol of Myanmar nationalism in the 1920's & 1930's.

There are many images of the Buddha in the hall, including a reclining Buddha and a crowned Buddha image known as the Labhamuni, "Sage of Aquisition". Also in the hall, and viewed from a side entrance, is an interesting work of art-a sandstone cylinder with a hollow core about 5ft(1.5m) high. It is not all in one piece but is made up of seven rings or cylindrical pieces stacked one above the other. Known as the "Thousand Buddhas", it has on its surface 365 seated images of the Buddha.

Tradition has it that Bo Bo Aung, the central figure of this popular cult, acquired an ancient manuscript on the occult arts and, putting into practice its prescriptions, acquired magical powers. It is believed that, with his magical powers, Bo Bo Aung has been able to live a life of great longevity, that he still lives although he rarely shows himself, and that he succours those who devote themselves to the religion.