Alanpya Pagoda (Burmese: အလံပြစေတီ; also known as Signal Pagoda) is a 98.33-foot-tall (29.97 m) Burmese pagoda located on Alanpya Hill, on the southern part of Dhammarakhita Hill, in Yangon, Myanmar.[1] The pagoda is south of Maha Wizaya Pagoda.
Names
Alanpya Pagoda is known by a number of various names. During British rule in Burma, the pagoda acquired its present-day name, Signal Pagoda (Alanpya Zedi in Burmese), because it was used as a signal station for vessels coming up Yangon River.[2] It was also known as McCreagh's Pagoda, after Brigadier McCreagh, and as Sale's Pagoda, after Lieutenant Robert Sale, who was stationed there during the First Anglo-Burmese War.[2] The pagoda has also been known as Sandawkyo Pagoda (ဆံတော်ကြိုစေတီ), Gurkha Pagoda, and Tattoo Pagoda (တပ်ဦးစေတီ), as well as by its Mon language name, Kyaik Hapaw Cih (ကျာ်ထပှ်ထစှေ်, /caik həpɔh cih/).[1]
History
According to the Shwedagon Chronicle, the pagoda pre-dates Shwedagon Pagoda, and was built on the site of a pavilion honoring the arrival of the Buddha's hair relics.[1] The pagoda was toppled in 1348 and subsequently renovated by King Razadarit.[1] In 1452, Queen Shin Sawbu gilded the entire pagoda, which was reconstructed by King Bayinnaung in 1564.[1] The pagoda was rebuilt yet again in 1775 by Min Letwe, King Hsinbyushin's minister.[1] The pagoda's site subsequently became a military encampment for British forces following the First Anglo-Burmese War.[1] The pagoda's present hti (umbrella) was donated in November 1910.[1]
