The South African Peace Pagoda

Since 1941 the Venerable Sayadaw UThilaWunta, a 90-year-old eminent Buddhist monk from Burma, has pursued his lifetime mission of radiating peace and harmony by building more than 500 peace pagodas in Burma and 25 in other continents. He had long wanted to build one in Africa and this finally happened in November 2000.

The basic structure of te pagoda (also known as astupal) is a square foundation symbolising the Earth element. Thirteen tapering steps towards enlightenment represent the Fire element while the dome serves as the receptacle for the relics of the Buddha. In this case 29 were brought from Burma by Sayadaw and sealed in the dome. A carved patterened umbrella symbolises the element of Air and this is crowned by a large crystal symbolising Ether, which was also brought from Burma by the monks.

The end product is a seven meter tall gold Peace Pagoda, crowned with a crystal and copper umbrella, which radiates peace and hormany. The pagoda's Crystal draws in the Earth's energy which then flows down through the copper pipe. The energy continues to flow downward until it meets the very high frequency crystals, which are included in the sacred relics brought by the Burmese Monks. It is these sacred crystals, which convert the Earth's energy into the vibration of peace and harmony allowing the Pagoda to become a place of healing and inspiration.

The South African Peace Pagoda was consecrated at sunrise on December 7 2000, with Sayadaw UThilaWunta's dream complete and his mission for peace and harmony in the world underway. We consider it an honour to be able to share The South African Peace Pagoda with our visitors.