The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-27

the nation, and fiat stone takes the
place Of washboard. 1t was wash
day on the Irrawaddy when we started
on our boat ride, and the bank Of the
river looked like flower bed, SO bright
and varied were the eolors Of the tur..
washers, swinging the clothes high
above their heads and beating them
| upon the stones. - (.
Burma is the home Of the pagoda;
one is never out Of sight of them, but
they differ in shape from those seen in
China and Japan. The Burmese pa
CODA is usually circular, tho sometimes
octagonal. The largest Of these is
known as the Shwe Dagon pagoda at
Rangoon. It is solidly built pyra-
outlines and IS sarm ro"a4e by t Of
umbrella" spire Of concentric iron
rings, from which hang little bells
which tinkle when moved by the breeze:
This pagoda has a circumference Of
1856 feet at the base, rises to height
of $40 feet and stands upon terraced
mound which is itself 160 feet above
the level Of the country around; The
upper part of the pagoda is gilded and
its base is surrounded by many elab,,
Buddha. Here the faithful offer their
devotions during the day and evening,
and the vendors of candles, incense and
flowers do thriving business. Here,
also. assemble the lame, the halt and
the blind, to gather their penny tribute
from the passerby. ,s~ .a*
Mandalay is still more literally sup
the Arsash ens sees repeated th the
Of the shwe Dagon, only the beggars
seem more numerous. At this pagoda
there is a filthy pool in which live a
number of sacred turtles. and they must
have charmed lives to live at all In 50
foul place. They rise to the sur
face when food is throw into the water,
but they are 50 slow in their movements
that the kites which hover about the
place generally snatch up, the morsels
before the turtles reach them.
" + + +
Far more beautiful than the Aracon
pagoda is the group known as the 45o
pagodas. This remarkable group,
which actually numbers 1923, stands at
the 9oot of Mandalay hill and was built
by all uncle of King Thebaw. In the
4 center Of the group IS the usual pagoda,
and around it in parallel, rectangular
rows. are small square .pagodas, each
terminating in a graceful tower ana no
"OoI.
sides. These slabs together contain all
the writings Of Buddha, and the smaller
pagodas, viewed from the central one,
present an imposing spectacle. These
r., pagodas are well kept, and all the
buildings are snowy white. I empha
size the fact that these are in good re-
pair, because so many Of the Buddhist
pagodas and monasteries are in a state
of decay. Whether this is due to de-
crease in the zeal of the followers OF
Ruddha or to the fact that the Burmese
king, Thebaw, has for more thar
twenty years been a political prisoner
on the west coast Of India. I do not
know. A writer for one of the Ran
COON newspapers naively describes the
! annexation Of Burma by the English az
Unnecessary, y and this tfnecessity' h.:
, deprived the Buddhist buildings of the
. governmental patronage which they
formerly enjoyed. -
, About six miles above Mandalay
near the Irrawaddy, stands the founda
/ tion Of pagoda which it's builder in
. tended should be the largest in tn
r world. It was begun by King Bodo
{ psya in 1870, after an unsuccessful
campaign against Siam. In his ,d!isap
pointment his mind turned to religion
, the Buddhist says, by the erection O.
} this temple.
, The structure begins with four gal
, leries; the first is 500 feet square, AM
| leach succeeding one is little higher
but fifty feet less in diameter. The1
: the base Of the pagoda proper, abou
$50 feet square, rises to height of l6