Sule (ဆူးလေ)

Burmese. Name of an ancient pagoda, which today is located on a roundabout in the centre of downtown Yangon. According to legend, this temple dates from the time of the Buddha (mid-6th century BC) and thus predates even the majestic Shwedagon Pagoda (fig.) of which construction is said to have started in the 5th century AD. The legend states that the Sule Pagoda stands on the place where once a powerful nat named Sularata, i.e. the nat of Sule, resided. This nat was so old that he was the only one who could remember, and thus reveal to the others, the site where three previous buddhas in the past had buried some sacred relics. Sule is a landmark edifice and its octagonal Mon-style zedi is believed to enshrine a strand of hair of the Buddha. See MAP. 回