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Mandalay
Mahamuni Temple Pagoda Buddha
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Mahamuni is the
most venerated temple and pagoda in Mandalay
and among the top 3 in Myanmar. The Mahamuni Buddha
sculpture is a celebrated huge
sitting Buddha called PAYAGYI (THE GREAT
BUDDHA) by the Buddhist devotees with reverence and veneration. |
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This great image (picture below )was brought from
Mrauk U in the Rakhine state during the reign of King
Bodawpaya in 1784 over very difficult terrain
of mountains and
the
Ayeyarwady
River and was enshrined in
Amarapura.
Once the building that housed the
Buddha image caught fire, but the
sculpture was
saved. The sitting Buddha sculpture is
made of alloy and over the centuries id
become heavily
gilded which now looks like its a golden
statue and the gold cover is increasing day by day, in 2011 the estimated is
more than a ton of gold covering the
sculpture.
The crown is studded with
Myanmar precious stones, gems,
rubies,
sapphires, emeralds,
jade,
diamonds, etc. donated by pious
devotees and of a high value. It is
common to donate precious items to religious
objects not only Buddha statues but also at
pagodas, just have a look at the
diamond orb of the
Shwedagon Pagoda. |
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with
legs folded under the body in Bhumi Phatha Mudra and resting on a pedestal,
6 ft-10 in high. Its dimensions taken in 1917 are as follows:-
1. Height 12 ft-7 in
2. The waist 9 ft-6 in
3. The arms 4 ft-11 in
4. Breadth from shoulder to shoulder
6 ft-1 in |
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5. Breadth at base 9 ft- 0 in
Continuous gilding with gold leaves has decidedly changed the said
dimensions and is still growing every day. The gold leafs producers and
seller are doing brisk business every
Mahamuni legend tells
that this
Burma Buddha sculpture is blessed and hallowed by
Buddha himself due to the undying legend
that in their memory. In the Maha
Sakarit year 97, the ruler of Dinnyawaddy Rakhine
(today Arakan)
Kingdom Canda
Thuriya. He was a devout Buddhist and
ardently desired to worship the living
Buddha and listen to his sermons.
He
repeatedly pleaded Buddha to pay a visit
to his state. During the occasion of
his 26th anniversary of his reign,
Buddha, accompanied by Shin Arahan and
500 disciples, came through air and
alighted on the summit of Salagiri Hill
near Kyauktaw town. The Rakhine King was
overwhelmed with delight and he readily
and promptly attended Buddha with his
Chief Queen Sandra Mala (Sandramala)
with her 1600 ladies-in-waiting, and a
retinue of ministers, generals and
officials. They paid homage to Buddha and listened to His erudite teachings.
When Buddha
prepared to return to Thawuthi (Sravasti)
the King |
Mandalay Myanmar |
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supplicated
Buddha, 'My Lord, while you are away to distant lands, performing religious itinerary,
we will have no opportunity to pay homage to you.
For our benefits kindly
leave your image for that purpose'.
Buddha obliged
with the King's request
and immediately called upon two celestial beings, Sakra and Indra |
Turtle and fish pond |
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and
Visva-karman, the celestial architect to mould the Image with the treasures
donated by the King and his people.
Buddha asked them to produce
an image with the very likeness of His body and even the breath of his hair. When the
Image was completed in an instant, Buddha breathed into the Image. Lo and
behold! The Image was exactly like the living Buddha in minute details and
measurements that all the people were awe-struck to see two Buddha sitting
side by side. They could hardly differentiate between the two Lords and made
out who the real living Buddha was, until now devotees believe
this legend to be true. |
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King Bodawpaya of Amarapura happened to see the image of Mahamuni in
his dreams. He sent his son, the Crown Prince, Maha Upara Raja and other two
sons, Prince Saku and Prince Kama to bring Maha Muni Image to his capital.
The mission was achieved, overcoming great hardships on the journey and the
Image reached its destination in 1785. |
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Prayers
Old Lady Prayer |
During the reign of King Thibaw, a fire broke out, devastating seven-tiered
wooden spire on the brick temple and devotional halls and arches of the
causeways and others. However, gold weighing 5450 ticals were recovered and
made into a robe that now adorned the sacred Great Image. In 1887, Minister
Kinwun Mingyi U Kaung took charge of the management of the Great Image. In
1896, Kinwun Mingyi and Western architects constructed the present temple,
encircling the Image building formerly built by King Bodawpaya.
At the Mahamuni Temple
are stone slabs and copies of
inscriptions recorded under the command of King Bodawpaya near the western
entry, one will find six bronze figures, two men, three lions and a
three-headed elephant placed in a square building. These were brought from
Rakhine state together with the GREAT IMAGE. In fact, these statues original
from Cambodia were taken away by Thais during the war they won. Again,
Myanmar King Bayinnaung seized and carried them to his capital, Hanthawaddy,
Bago
during his triumphal return from
Thailand.
In the year 1660, King Razagyi of Rakhine State removed them to his capital, Mraung
U. From there, these figures finally reached their destination to
Amarapura. This is the interesting and exciting story of the figures. People
believe that whatever ailment one suffers, it can be remedied by rubbing the
organic sections of the said statues. For example, if you have stomach
trouble, you rub the navel of the figure. Hence, you will now witness those |
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parts shining
where the people rub most.
There is a big pond of turtles in the south-east of the pagoda. During the
conveyance of the Great Image , many captives were brought along and they
were
settled around the precincts. If you wish
to know the detail of the said
conveyance, you can study the stone
inscription that lie in the north-east
of the shrine
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Mahamuni bronze figures to eliminate
sickness, they were looted from
Ayutthaya during the war. |
Face - Washing Ceremony
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It is a great honor to participate in the
Burma Buddha sculpture ritual of washing the face with fragrant scented
water and cleaning the teeth of the Great Image. In February 17, 1988, the current Ven. Sayadaw Buddhanta Pannya Vamsa of South Htilin monastery, Pitaka Kyaung,
commenced his daily routine of washing and cleaning the face of the
Buddha at dawn.
The washing
and cleaning ceremony starts at early
4.30 a.m. every day. The towels are
offered by lay devotees and after the |
Mahamuni Pagoda in honor of Buddha a
ritual of washing the face |
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ceremony,
the towels are given to the worshippers
to be honored at their home shrines. Only male devotees are permitted to apply
gold leaf on the IMAGE. For female
worshippers, the said kind of donation
is carried out by pagoda officials on
their behalf
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