The Mon Buddhist community of Akron, Ohio, recently celebrated the completion of the state’s first authentic pagoda, complete with a Buddhist relic brought from Sri Lanka. The community, predominantly Theravada Buddhists, erected the pagoda over the course of two years as a site for meditation, prayer, and worship. It was completed on the final weekend of August.

The pagoda, or dhatu cetiya, is a traditional shrine in the Theravada Buddhist cultures of South and Southeast Asia, typically covered with a golden outer layer and sacred jewels representing the purity of the goal of Buddhism. The completion ceremony drew together an estimated 300 people from a number of Buddhist and non-Buddhist communities in the area and was demonstrative of the growing Mon community in Akron, as well as representing a new hub in the city for refugees from Southeast Asia.

“We really just want to establish our community here in Akron just so people can see we’re here,” said Htaw Mon, a member of the Akron Mon Community Temple. “This just represents the unity we’re trying to show.” (Akron Beacon Journal)

The ceremony drew people from around the world, including monks from Myanmar, who brought the relic to complete the stupa. Others traveled from around the country to take part in the festivities. After a nearly two-hour ceremony, the work was complete.

The significance of the stupa varied among those present. For some in the Mon community, the crowning of the stupa represented the re-establishment of an ancient tradition, and a symbol of distinction from other Asian refugee communities in the area.