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Kuthodaw pagoda – view from the middle enclosure between the stone-inscription stupas – By Wagaung –

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about Kuthodaw Pagoda

Kuthodaw Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa, located in Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar). It is also known as 鈥淜uthodaw Paya鈥� or 鈥淩oyal Merit Pagoda鈥�. The pagoda is located at the base of Mandalay Hill

The “biggest book in the world,” containing the teachings of Gautama Buddha, is kept at Kuthodaw Pagoda. The Pagoda was built by the order of King Mindon Min in 1857. It was built as part of the traditional establishment of Mandalay Royal City.

The King feared that the philosophy of Gautama Buddha could not be passed on to the next generations. Mainly because the British invaded the South East region.

He built Kuthodaw Pagoda intending to preserve the entire text of the Tipitaka Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This was to be done by carving them on huge marble slabs.

Now let鈥檚 look at the top 10 Remarkable Facts about Kuthodaw Pagoda.

1. Pagoda Covered in Gold

Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay, Myanmar, from the southeast terrace – By Wagaung –

The Pagoda was constructed in 1857 based on the model of the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan. A gold-covered pagoda with a height of 57 meters is at the center of the Kuthodaw Pagoda complex.

It contains a bell-shaped stupa supported by three tiers of eroding squares. At the pagoda’s four corners, four enormous golden Chinthe, mythical lions from Burma, stand guard.

There are staircases leading up to the stupa’s pedestal on each side. A multi-tiered ornamental spire in the form of an umbrella, also known as hti in Burmese, tops the gilded pagoda.

2. Built as Part of The Traditional Foundations of New Royal City of Mandalay

Mindon Min had the pagoda built as part of the traditional foundations of the new royal city of Mandalay in 1857. He was later to convene the Fifth Buddhist Synod in1871. However, he wanted to leave a great work of merit by having the Tipitaka set in stone for posterity.

This was meant to last five millennia after the Buddha. King Mindon constructed this phenomenal Paya as patrimony for their youngsters.

3. Construction Began In 1860

A photo of Kuthodaw Pagoda in the 1870s – By Philip Adolphe Klier –

Building on the structure started in 1860. The hti (umbrella or crown) was mounted on 19 July 1862. The inscriptions were unveiled to the public on 4th May 1868.

Within three enclosures, 42 were placed in the first, 168 in the second, and 519 in the third. They were neatly organized in rows. At the southeast corner of the first enclosure, there is one more, making a total of 730. This stone records how it all came into being.

4. The British Occupied Mandalay and Used the Kuthodaw as A Military Base

The fortified city with Mandalay Palace became Fort Dufferin after Mandalay was annexed by the British in 1885. Around Mandalay Hill, troops were housed in pagodas, temples, and monasteries.

Burmese were no longer allowed to enter their religious sites. In 1890 Queen Victoria ordered the withdrawal of all her troops from religious precincts.

The people, however, found that the pagoda had been looted. They found the hti lying on the ground stripped of its bells, gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones.

5. In 1892, A Committee Was Formed to Start Restoration Works

To begin the restoration process, a commission made up of senior monks, members of the royal family and former royal officers was established in 1892.

The government ordered to restore it thanks to the Burmese鈥檚 donations as soon as the British left.  However, some changes were made during the restoration.

For example; they used black ink instead of attaching the new gold letters on these marble slabs. This ultimately made the inscriptions more legible.

6. Also Known As 鈥淭he World鈥檚 Largest Book鈥�

Due to the 729 shrines that have been built around Kuthodaw Pagoda, it is also known as “the world’s largest book.” Each of them is a single marble slab with Burmese script etched on its two sides. The Scrips originated from the Abhidhamma, Sutta Pitaka, and Vinaya Pitaka.

All contributed to coining the Tripitaka (鈥淭hree Baskets鈥�), The Buddha鈥檚 teachings in the ancient Pali language that was first written on dried palm leaves. Since King Mindon gave the order to build in 1860, it took 8 years to be finished.

7. A UNESCO Plaque Was Inscribed on To the Memory of The World Register

UNESCO plaque – By Jacklee –

The Tripitaka is written on 729 marble slabs and is the largest book in the world. In 2013, a UNESCO plaque noting that the Kuthodaw Inscription Shrines at Kuthodaw Pagoda were placed on the Memory of the World Register was unveiled.

8. A meeting of 2400 monks was held to verify the texts

Kuthodaw Pagoda is 57.27 m in height and was finished with the construction of three great walls. Inside these three walls, the Buddhist scriptures of the Three Baskets were carved on stone slabs and included in shrines.

The Pagoda is in a complex of 729 Pitaka pagodas and shrines. Each shrine has a slab that is 1.5 m wide and about 15 cm thick and was carved from white Sagyin Hill.

According to several sources, the Fifth Buddhist Synod, summoned by King Mindon in 1872, was crucial to the Kuthodaw’s growth. The writings were confirmed by a gathering of 2,400 monks from all around the nation. Work on the encasing shrines was then begun.

9. The Carving Work of Burmese Texts Took Almost 9 Years

One of the stone inscriptions, originally in gold letters and borders, at Kuthodaw – By Richard Mortel –

The marble pieces to be used on the Tripitaka were found a few miles away from the North of Mandalay. The carving work of Burmese texts started around October 1860 and it took them almost 9 years to complete them.

Originally, the lettering was covered by a thin gold leaf. But after the disruption, the government decided to use black ink to attach a letter on marble slabs.

10. When taking Mandalay tours, visitors can combine Kuthodaw Pagoda and Kyauktawgyi Pagoda

Visitors can take Mandalay excursions that include both Kyauktawgyi and Kuthodaw Pagodas. The Kyauktawgi Pagoda, often known as the “Great Marble Image,” is situated close to the southern entrance to Mandalay Hill.

King Mindon built it between 1853 and 1878. In Sagyin, Mandalay, the pagoda is well-known for the enormous seated Buddha statue made of green marble