Great Bell of Dhammazedi

The Great Bell of Dhammazedi is believed to be the largest bell of the world. According to local chronicles, it was cast in the 15th century by the notable Mon monarch, Dhammazediand was located in Shwedagon Pagoda of Yangon, Burma. In 1602 Portuguese warlord and mercenary, Philip de Brito removed the Dhammazedi bell from the Shwedagon Pagoda and carried it through the Bago River to his stronghold of Thanlyin (also known as Syriam). However, the ship carrying the bell supposedly sank into Rangoon river and the bell was not recovered since then. De Brito himself was impaled on a wooden stake when Burmese forces under Anaukpetlun recaptured the town in September 1613.

The bell itself was said to be twelve cubits high and eight cubits wide. The metal used for the bell included silver and gold as well as copper and tin. The bell is also said to have been encrusted with emeralds and sapphires [cite web|url=http://www.russianbells.com/interest/biggest.html|title=The World's Three Largest Bells|publisher=Blagovest Bells|accessdate=2008-07-30] It is believed to have weighed around 300 tonnes. During the time the bell was started to be cast, an astrologer to the King Dhammazedi advised the king to postpone the date since he believed it was astrologically at the time of "Crocodile Constellation" and there would not be any sound. After the bell had finished, it gave unpleasant sound.

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