Uppatasanti Pagoda is a prominent landmark in the Burmese capital of Naypyidaw

Naypyidaw

Naypyidaw is the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. It is administered as the Naypyidaw Union Territory, as per the 2008 Constitution. On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a greenfield 3.2 km west of Pyinmana, and approximately...

. The pagoda, which houses a Buddha tooth relic from China, is a replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and stands 325 feet tall.

Construction of Uppatasanti Pagoda began on November 12, 2006, with the stake-driving ceremony, and completed in March 2009, built under the guidance of Than Shwe

Than Shwe

Senior General Than Shwe is a Burmese military leader and politician who was chairman of the State Peace and Development Council from 1992 to 2011. During the period, he held key positions of power including commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces and head of Union Solidarity and...

, head of Burma's ruling State Peace and Development Council

State Peace and Development Council

The State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....

. The invitation card for the stake-driving ceremony opened with a phrase "Rajahtani Naypyidaw" (the royal capital where the king resides). The pagoda is 30 cm shorter than the Shwedagon Pagoda.

"Uppatasanti" roughly translates to "protection against calamity". It is the name of a sūtra

Sutra

Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...

 prepared by a monk in the early 16th century. It is to be recited in time of crisis, especially in the face of foreign invasion.

The pagoda precinct also comprises:

• Maha Hsutaungpyae Buddha Image in Maha Pasadabhumi Gandhakuti Chamber
• Four jade Buddha images in the pagoda's hollow cave
• 108 feet high flagstaff
• Bo tree
  Sacred Fig
  The Sacred Fig, Ficus religiosa, or Bo-Tree , Peepal is a species of banyan fig native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, southwest China and Indochina...
  
   Garden with Maha Bo Tree and the images of the 28 Buddhas
• Garden of 108 Sacred Bo Trees
• Marlini Mangala Lake with the chamber of Shin Uppagutta
• Withongama Ordination Hall (thein)
• Cetiyapala Chamber
• Sangha Yama hostels
• Sasana Maha Beikmandaw Building
• Pagoda museum
• Pitakat Building and Religious Archive

According to The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy

This article is about a newsmagazine. For other uses of the term, please see Irrawaddy.For the Second World War battle honour, see Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations...

, 20 people died during a ferris wheel accident at a festival marking the pagoda's consecration in March 2009. The consecration of the pagoda, which involves the hoisting of the htidaw (sacred umbrella, , tʰí dɔ̀) and the seinbudaw (diamond lotus bud , sèiɴ bú dɔ̀), took place on 10 March 2009.