Kaba Aye Pagoda & Maha Pasana Cave

It was important for me while at Yangon to visit some places of highly importance.
Places you read in history and alway wonder of how it may be from close to see and be there..

So it was also expected that one day I decide to visiting a most known complex of buildings at
Yangon.

"Kaba Aye Pagoda and Maha Pasana Guha"

The Kaba Aye Pagoda or mostly known as "World Peace Pagoda" was built in 1952 and was
built to commemorate the Sixth Buddha Synod in 1954( held in Maha Pasana Guha).
It measures 111 feet (34 m) high and is also 111 feet (34 m) around the base .
The pagoda has five entrances and hall space containing five Buddha images.

Kaba Aye Pagoda

Two gates of the five this Pagoda has.

Detail from decoration around the pagoda.

Silver Buddha

In the ground of this Pagoda one can find the Maha Pasana Guha - "The Great Cave".
It was built at the same time as Kaba Aye Pagoda .

Despite the Great Cave's name, is actually a man-made structure, built for the Sixth Buddhist
Synod.
The cave is supposed to resemble India's Satta Panni Cave now called Rajgir in Bihar of India,
where the First Buddhist Synod took place shortly after Buddha's death.(2.500 years ago)
It was built by volunteers and was completed in May 1954 after 14 month's work - it measures
455 feet long and 370 feet wide(139m x 113 m)

One of the six gates of Maha Pasana Cave.

Bell stand beautiful decorated

Bell it self had also wonderful carvings.

Inside, the assembly hall is 220 feet long and 140 feet wide(67 m x 43 m) and can
accommodate up to 10.000 people.

The Maha Pasana Cave has also six huge concrete pillars and six entrances to mark the Sixth
Great Synod.

Examination was at rest.

Main Hall with four of the Six pillars.

It know hosts religious examination called the Tipitakadhara Tipitaka Kovida Examinations, an
extensive recitation, oral and written examination on the Tipitaka, the religious body of worksin
Theravada Buddhism.

In the end of the giant hall.

Trying to cover the distance and zooming the statue.

On one of the Hall walls..

Kaba Aye Pagoda (Burmese:

; pronounced [b pj]; also spelt Gaba Aye

Pagoda; lit. World Peace Pagoda), formally Thiri Mingala Gaba Aye
Zedidaw (
), is a pagoda located on Kaba Aye Road, Mayangon
Township, Yangon, Myanmar. The pagoda was built in 1952 by U Nu in preparation for the Sixth
Buddhist Council that he held from 1954-1956. The pagoda measures 111 feet (34 m) high and is
also 111 feet (34 m) around the base.[1] The pagoda is located approximately 11 km north of
Yangon, a little past the Inya Lake Hotel. The Maha Pasana Guha (great cave) was built
simultaneously with the Kaba Aye Pagoda and is located in the same complex. The cave is a
replica of the Satta Panni cave, located in India, where the first Buddhist Synod was convened.
The six entrances of The Maha Pasana Cave symbolize the Sixth Great Synod. The cave is 455
feet (139 m) long and 370 feet (110 m) wide. Inside, the assembly hall is 220 feet (67 m) long
and 140 feet (43 m) wide.[2]

Contents

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[hide]
Background
Political significance
Significance and Origin of Pagodas in Burma
1996 Bombings
References
See also

[edit]Background

Mahapasana Guha Cave also hosts religious examination called the Tipitakadhara Tipitaka
Kovida Examinations, an extensive recitation, oral and written examination on the Tipitaka, the
religious body of works in Theravada Buddhism.[3]
As prime minister of Burma, U Nu built the Kaba Aye Pagoda and the Maha Pasana Guha Cave
(
) in 1952 in preparation for the Sixth Buddhist Synod that he
convened and hosted and which lasted two years, from 19541956. This Synod coincided with
the 2500-year anniversary of Buddhas enlightenment. In Burma, the kings traditionally built a
pagoda in their honor to stand as a relic of their rule. For example, Ne Win built the Maha Wizaya
Pagoda in his honor. The construction of the pagoda and cave were a part of U Nus attempt to
establish Buddhism as the official religion of Burma, thereby creating a Buddhist state.
The Kaba Aye pagoda is open daily from 6 am to 8 pm, with an admission fee of $5. In addition
to the Burmese who make religious pilgrimages, the pagoda attracts domestic as well as foreign
tourists. The Kaba Aye Pagoda compound is large and is intended to be peaceful and quiet for
the tourists, monks and devotees who visit.[4]
The circular platform surrounding the main pagoda is enclosed in the style of a cave-temple.
There are five porches decorated with colorful arched pediments. Lotus flowers, lotus buds and
swastikas are carved in stucco around the outside. The main pagoda is 117 feet 6 inches high,
with smaller pagodas on the five porches each 8 feet (2.4 m) high. Vendors sell hand-made
products on the entrances to the pagoda. The pagoda, which is hollow, has a middle point inside
which features four great Buddhas (four great pillars) in commemoration of the four Buddhas
who have already appeared in the world. A room inside the pagoda houses Buddha relics,
including a large silver statue of Buddha, over eight feet tall. There is also a room inside the
pagoda, which is used to keep Buddha relics.[5]
The Maha Pasana Cave, which translates to great cave of stone, is located to the north of the
Kaba Aye pagoda. The cave is a replica to the cave by the same name in India, where the first
Buddhist Synod or Great Council was held just some months after the Buddha
underwent Parinirvana. During the sixth Buddhist Synod in 1954, 2500 monks converged on the
cave to recite the words of the Buddha in Pali, the entire Tipitaka. The monks recited, edited, and
approved all of the Buddhist scriptures, known as the Three Pitakat.

Political significance
U Nu was the first Prime Minister of Burma after the 1947 Constitution of the Union of Burma
was passed. U Nu was a devout Buddhist and he tried to establish Burma as a Buddhist country.
On August 29, 1961, the Parliament announced that Buddhism was the official state religion,
mainly as a result of U Nus efforts. Cow slaughtering was officially banned in Burma. However, in
1962 Ne Win, who succeeded U Nu, repealed this measure and the effort to make Burma a
Buddhist country was effectively halted. The construction of the Kaba Aye complex was part of U
Nus attempt to institutionalize Buddhism at the national level.
The Kaba Aye complex also underscores the failure of U Nu to standardize and institutionalize
Buddhism. There are numerous minorities in Burma such as the Kachins and Karens who felt
alienated by this effort to make Buddhism a state enterprise. Furthermore, Buddhists did not
believe that Buddhism should be a part of a political institution. They wanted Burma to be a
moral society but did not wish their religion to be imposed on the citizens. The monks who want
religion to be a social practice that is separate from the state do not associate with these
pagodas. Therefore, the pagodas such as the Kaba Aye are not affiliated with any monasteries.
The fear is that if these monks become tied to a pagoda, which was built by the state and is run
by the state, they will be captured by the state and lose their autonomy.

Significance and Origin of Pagodas in Burma

The most sacred pagoda in Burma is the Shwedagon Pagoda (Golden Pagoda). This pagoda
towers at 321.5 feet (98.0 m) tall, is gilded in gold and is also located in Yangon. It, too, contains
relics of the past four Buddhas inside of it. According to legend, the pagoda is 2500 years old.
Burma is most famous to the western world because of the Shwedagon Pagoda. For the Burmese
people, seeing foreign tourists visit the pagoda and looking at it in awe is a source of national
pride.
In the 11th century, King Anawrahta invaded the Mon Kingdom of Thaton in what is currently
part of southern Burma. Following the successful invasion he returned to Pagan with the
missionary monk Shin Arahan and the Buddhist scriptures he had brought with him from Ceylon.
After establishing his Pagan dynasty through constant warfare, Anawrahta established Theravada
Buddhism as the state religion in 1056 and built many pagodas. Some feel as though he built
these pagodas in order to make up for the violent warfare by which he built his Pagan dynasty.
Anawrahta implemented a tradition of pagoda building that has continued until the present. It
was in keeping with this tradition that Ne Win began building his Maha Wizaya Pagoda.
Furthermore, the military regime that succeeded him built the Swedawmyat (tooth relic) Pagoda.
Currently, hundreds of pagodas dot the Burmese landscape. Scholars suggest that besides King
Anawrahta, many other leaders built the pagodas not out of devotion to Buddhism, but rather to
assuage the guilt that they felt for carrying out multiple invasions of other kingdoms in India and
Thailand, in addition to other parts of what is currently Burma.[6]

[edit]1996 Bombings
On December 25, 1996, two bombs exploded at the Kaba Aye Pagoda and Maha Pasana Cave,
killing five people and wounding 17. The initial explosion took place at the Kaba Aye Pagoda at
8:20 pm, but nobody was injured because pilgrims did not use that entrance. However, the
second explosion, which detonated two hours later as authorities were looking into the other

blast, went off inside the temple as it was filling with pilgrims, causing the fatalities and injuries.
At the Kaba Aye compound Buddha's tooth relic was on display, and thus many more pilgrims
were at the site than during normal times. The tooth relic, on loan from China and believed to be
one of two surviving since the Buddha's death 2500 years ago, was not damaged in the
bombing.[7]
The explosion followed a crackdown on student protestors who were demanding more civil
liberties. The SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) accused the All-Burma Students
Democratic Front (ABSDF) and the KNU (Karen National Union) of carrying out the bombing.
Both groups denied the accusation.[8] Aung Naing U, the foreign affairs liaison officer of the
ABSDA, denied all involvement and added, This is just an excuse by the SLORC to use force in
suppressing the democratic forces. We learned that more security forces were placed at the site
of the bombing; despite this measure, the explosions took place. Thus, it is assumed that it must
be the work of the SLORC.[9]
Even before the bombing at the Kaba Aye complex, the Burmese government had been accused
of staging disturbances to justify crackdowns that would follow. Namely, the government freed
prison inmates in 1988 who then turned pro-democracy protests into riots that were stopped with
bloodshed.

[edit]References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

^
^
^
^
^
^

"[1]"
"[2]"
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/buddhism/tpdkdhra.htm
"[3]"
Ka Ba Aye Pagoda "[4]"
The Pagoda and the General: A Millennium-old Struggle "[5]" October

1999.
7.

^ Buddha tooth pilgrims die in bomb blast The Daily Telegraph

(Sydney, Australia), December 27, 1996.
8.
^ "Opposition statement denies involvement in Buddha's tooth bombing
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts, December 30, 1996.
9.
^ Opposition group condemns 6th April bomb explosion BBC Summary
of World Broadcasts, April 10, 1997.

Kaba Aye Pagoda, formally Thiri Mingala Gaba Aye Zedidaw, is a pagoda located on Kaba
Aye Road, Mayangon Township, Yangon, Myanmar. The pagoda was built in 1952 by U Nu in
preparation for the Sixth Buddhist Council that he held from 1954-1956. The pagoda measures
111 feet (34 m) high and is also 111 feet (34 m) around the base. The pagoda is located
approximately 11 km north of Yangon, a little past the Inya Lake Hotel. The Maha Pasana Guha
(great cave) was built simultaneously with the Kaba Aye Pagoda and is located in the same
complex. The cave is a replica of the Satta Panni cave, located in India, where the first Buddhist
Synod was convened. The six entrances of The Maha Pasana Cave symbolize the Sixth Great
Synod. The cave is 455 feet (139 m) long and 370 feet (110 m) wide. Inside, the assembly hall is
220 feet (67 m) long and 140 feet (43 m) wide.

Background
As prime minister of Burma, U Nu built the Kaba Aye Pagoda and the Maha Pasana Guha Cave in
1952 in preparation for the Sixth Buddhist Synod that he convened and hosted and which lasted
two years, from 19541956. This Synod coincided with the 2500-year anniversary of Buddhas
enlightenment. In Burma, the kings traditionally built a pagoda in their honor to stand as a relic
of their rule. For example, Ne Win built the Maha Wizaya Pagoda in his honor. The construction
of the pagoda and cave were a part of U Nus attempt to establish Buddhism as the official
religion of Burma, thereby creating a Buddhist state.
The Kaba Aye pagoda is open daily from 6 am to 8 pm, with an admission fee of $5. In addition
to the Burmese who make religious pilgrimages, the pagoda attracts domestic as well as foreign
tourists. The Kaba Aye Pagoda compound is large and is intended to be peaceful and quiet for
the tourists, monks and devotees who visit.