Chinte

Chinthe is the Burmese word for lion. Two chinthe guard the entrance to the Shwedagon Pagoda. These are usually very stylized statues, which may be partially due to the fact that lions were never native to Myanmar, but only to nearby Sri Lanka and India. They are made of stone, covered with stucco, and studded with colored glass. Parts of the statues, such as the mane and claws, have also been covered in gold.

Chinthe became the guardians of many pagodas because of a legend. Princess Suppadevi was abducted from her home in the Vanga Kingdom by a Chinthe who had fallen in love with her. The princess was forced to marry the chinthe because she had no hope of escaping him. One day, news reached them that the princess's father was seriously ill. Thereupon, she begged her husband to be allowed to visit her family. She was granted permission and used this opportunity to escape. The Chinthe was so enraged by this that he wreaked havoc all over the country. In the meantime, the princess gave birth to a son. When he grew up, he went out to kill the Chinthe. Only when he returned with its head did his mother reveal to him that he had killed his father. The prince was deeply affected by this revelation, and had the statues erected as guardians of the pagodas in memory of his father.

Today two Chinthe are still guarding each of the four entrances at the cardinal points of the Shwedagon Pagoda, towering over visitors with their impressive size. Anyone wishing to explore the pagoda must walk barefoot from here on and leave their shoes at one of the designated stalls. It is not allowed to enter the area with shoes. Behind each entrance is an entrance hall with a covered staircase leading towards the stupa. The walls of the hall are decorated with carved and painted scenes from Buddhist canon. There are also a number of stalls where vendors sell images of the Buddha, children's toys, and books, while others offer objects for prayers such as flowers and small umbrellas to the devotees.