59. マンダレー クド-ドォ・パヤ- The Kuthodaw Pagoda or Royal Merit Pagoda, Mandalay
前回投稿の「シュエナンドー僧院」からも近く、また次回掲載予定の「サンダムニ・パゴダ」とも隣接している「クド-ドォ・パヤ-」には黄金のパゴダを中心に、「世界最大の経典」と言われる仏教の経典を刻んだ729もの石板が納められた白い大理石のパヤーが石板の数だけ並ぶ。ミンドン王がアマラプラからマンダレーに遷都する際に建立させたものだという。時の権力者の力がどんなものであったのか、また当時どれだけの数の優秀な石工がいたのか・・・想像を超えるものがある。
The Kuthodaw pagoda is at the east of the Royal Palace, quite close to Shwenandaw Monestery of my last post and much closer to Sandamuni pagoda which will be in my following post. It comprises of a gilded pagoda, and hundreds of shrines housing inscribed marble slabs with Buddhist teachings. The pagoda is also known as “the world’s largest book”. King Mindon who moved the capital from Amarapura to Mandalay made masons to complete them in only 8 years. It is beyond my imagination what influential power King Mindon had and what a great number of excellent masons they had those days.