Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Modern · Buddhist · Myanmar

Botataung Pagoda

Yangon, Yangon · 16.7684°, 96.1720°

Gautama Buddha (hair and body relics)Modern
Sacred since
1948 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
rebuilt from 1948 after 1943 bombing
Modern

History & significance

A riverside pagoda in Yangon, destroyed by Allied bombing on 8 November 1943 and rebuilt from 4 January 1948, the day of Myanmar's independence. Clearing the ruins uncovered a relic chamber whose contents, including what is venerated as a hair of the Buddha, are now displayed inside the hollow, walk-through stupa.

Sthala katha — the legend

Its name, meaning a thousand military officers, is said to come from the thousand officers who formed a guard of honour when relics of the Buddha were brought here from India more than two thousand years ago.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Modern