Andaw Thein Pagoda

While Buddha was resting on the top of Tanttawmu mountain, he prophesied, “Dear Anan Da, I had ever been the kings of human beings and the kings of animals many times in my previous lives in the city of Dawrawaddy. Among them, I had ever been a king of rattlesnake in a previous live of mine in Pathura mountain where is in the north-east of this mountain I stand, therefore, the pagoda called Andaw, will be built enshrining my molar relic after I had attained Parinibbanna.”

This pagoda is situated on the top of Andaw mountain where is in the left river bank of Thandwe river and one mile far from Thandwe. The governor Za Choke of the city of Dawrawaddy, built the pagoda enshrining the molar relic in 762 AD according to Buddha’s porphecy. Rakhine successive kings such as king Maha Soe, king Ra Zar Gyi and king San Da Thu Dham Ma, renovated it. The residents of Thandwe and Andaw villagers renovated the pagoda again in 1870 AD.

The form of Andaw pagoda is octagonal in shape at the base. The pagoda measures 46 feet high and 244 feet in circumference. The upper part of the bell-shaped deom is conical. The whole pagoda doesn’t have any decorations and the pagoda court is also narrow. There is the small bell in the north-east of the pagoda court and the stone slab which is 15 feet in circumference, is at the eastern cliff of the mountain outside the pagoda court. That stone slab is a part of the umbrella of the ancient pagoda. The square-formed hole was made at the centre of the stone slab. Each side of the hole in the form of square, is 2 feet 2 inches in length. The square-formed hole of the stone slab, was used for the inner central pillar of the pagoda.

There is a prayer hall at the base of the mountain. The Buddha image which is made of bricks and cement, is dwelling in the prayer hall. U Shwe Bu, the lieutenant general of Myanmar force, built the prayer hall in the peace of the ancient religious edifice in the early 19th century. The design of the prayer hall is strange because the design of the common Buddhist building and the design of the islamic mosque, are mixed up. The prayer hall is called Pharahla. There is a corridor to enter the hall in the form of square, and the ceiling was made in the form of dome.