The romantic East: Burma, Assam, & Kashmir - Khamkoo

24 THE ROMANTIC EAST
Buddhas. The sacred relics include the staff of
Kakusanda, the water -filter of Konagamana, a
portion of Kasyapa's robe, and eight hairs from the
head of the Buddha, given with his own hand to
the Burmese envoys.
The base
of the pagoda, from which the goldleaf
put on in 1871 has mostly disappeared, is
entirely surrounded by temples and shrines, most
of them containing brass or marble images of the
Buddha in the act of renouncing
Shwe Dagon has been regilt several
the world. The
times during
the last century, and the gold required to do the
work well is alone worth nearly 10,000, to say
nothing of the labour involved.
The Burmese name for the Buddha is
Gawdama
(or Godama) from the Sanskrit Gautama or Pali
Gotama ;
and from the other Indian name of Sakya
Muni the Japanese get their name of Shaka and
the Chinese get Sa-ka. The latter also call the
Buddha Fo, Foe, Fo-hi in their different dialects,
and the Japanese commonly use the word Butsu.
In Burma the standing Gawdama is called Mat-tatkodaw
;
the seated one, with the right hand over
the knee and the left
held palm upward in the lap,