Mahamuni Buddha Temple

Most highly revered Buddha image of Burma
The Mahamuni Pagoda or Mahamuni Buddha temple is one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Burma.

The temple houses the Mahamuni Buddha image, the most highly revered Buddha image in the country. The pagoda was built in 1785 by King Bodawpaya of the Konbaung dynasty after the Mahamuni image was captured during the invasion of the Arakan Kingdom.

Several shops around the temple sell offerings for the Mahamuni Buddha image such as incense sticks, candles and flowers.

The Mahamuni museum on the temple grounds tells about the history of Buddhism. The museum displays information about the various places in the life of the Buddha, from His birth place in Nepal, the site where He reached enlightenment and the site of His passing into final Nirvana. There are also maps that explain about the spread of Buddhism across Asia during the last 25 centuries.

History of Mahamuni Buddha Temple

According to legend, the Gautama Buddha visited Dhanyawadi, the capital city of Arakan during his travels on a Proselytization mission to spread Buddhism. During the 26th anniversary of the King at the time, a devout Buddhist, the Buddha accompanied by Shin Ananda and 500 disciples landed at Salagiri mountain peak near Khaukrah town. The King of Arakan, along with his Chief Queen Sandra Mala (with her retinue of 1,600 ladies in waiting), and an entourage of ministers, generals and officials, paid homage to the Buddha. They were deeply moved by his teachings and upon his departure to Thawuthi (Sravasti), the King insisted that he leave his image for people to worship.[8] For this purpose, the Buddha then sat under a Bodhi tree for a week of meditation. During this time Sakka (in Pāli, the ruler of the Tavatimsa [in sanskrit called [Trāyastriṃśa]] one of the heavens in Buddhist cosmology, supported by his assistant Vissakamma, moulded a lifelike image of the Buddha using ornaments donated by the king and his people.[8] It is also said that Sakka and Vissakamma (or Vishvakarman) created a separate pavilion for the Buddha to live and enjoy during these seven days. After looking at his own lifelike image, believed at the time to have been his only true-likeness,[9] Buddha was pleased and "imbued the image with his spiritual essence", or "enlivened and consecrated" the image, naming it "Candasara". He also stated that the image would last for five thousand years as his representative.

Historian Juliane Schober has very succinctly explained this legend and the cult worship that has evolved around the "living" double image of Mahamuni Buddha:

The rich and complex mythology associated with this image includes episodes that parallel other stories about the Buddha...The rituals and myths of Mahamuni thus accomplish two aims simultaneously: they place local contexts and actors within a universal Buddhist cosmology, and they locate a continuing biography of the Buddha in the Buddhist politics of Arakan and Upper Burma. Theravada politics characteristically extended the biographical mode of recreating the Buddha's presence and associated with it the power of kings and other patrons of this image. The veneration of this Buddha image is thus informed by local conceptions of religious patronage in sociopolitical domains

The Mahamuni Buddha image
The Mahamuni image is enshrined in a small chamber topped with a seven tiered Pyatthat Burmese style roof.

The Mahamuni, which means the Great Image is seated on a very ornate 1.80 meters high pedestal. The image in the Bhumisparsha Mudra posture is 3.80 meters high and weighs about 6½ tons.

To pay respect to the Buddha image, male devotees apply gold leaf to the image, which is called shwe cha in Burmese. As a result, the Mahamuni Buddha is covered with a thick layer of gold leaf of about 15 centimeters, which has distorted the shape of the image. Several old photos of the image in the temple show the difference in the outline of the image between about a century ago and now.

The Mahamuni Buddha image is wearing a crown set with precious stones like diamonds and rubies.

The Buddha image washing ritual
Every morning at around 4 am the Buddha image ritual is performed. Witnessed by a great number of Buddhist devotees, the men up front, the women behind a rope, a very senior monk of the Mahamuni temple assisted by a number of helpers washes the face of the images and brushes the teeth. The ritual is performed in great detail and takes considerable time.
The legend of the Mahamuni Buddha image
The origins of the Mahamuni Buddha image lie in the Rakhine state of Western Burma. According to legend, the Buddha once visited the town of Dhanyawadi, at the time the capital of the Arakan Kingdom.

The King of Arakan who was very impressed by the teachings of the Buddha requested an image of the Buddha to be made. After the King and the wealthy people of Arakan donated gold and other valuables, a lifelike image of the Buddha was cast. According to legend the Buddha consecrated and enlivened the image, after which people called it the Mahamuni Living Image.

In 1784 Arakan was invaded by Prince Thado Minsaw of the Konbaung dynasty. When Arakan was defeated, the Prince brought the Mahamuni image back to Amarapura, which was the capital at the time. Later the image was moved to its current location in Mandalay.

Khmer bronze images in the temple
The temple’s courtyard contains 6 large bronze images that were taken from Angkor Wat in Cambodia was war loot in the 15th century. One image is of the mythological three headed elephant Airavata (known as Erawan in Thailand), three are bronze lions. Two warrior statues that stood guard in Angkor are believed to have healing qualities. People believe that rubbing a part of the statue’s body will cure ailments in the corresponding part of the sick person’s body.

How to get to the Mahamuni Pagoda
The Mahamuni Pagoda is located between 82nd street and 84th street. Best way to get there is by private taxi or rickshaw, which will cost around US$ 2 for a rickshaw and US$ 4 for a taxi from downtown Mandalay.

Opening hours
The temple grounds are open daily from 6 am until 8 pm.
Since this is the most highly revered Buddha image in the country, the temple grounds can get busy, especially on Buddhist holidays. During the Mahamuni Pagoda festival held annually in February thousands of Buddhist devotees come to pay their respect to the Mahamuni Buddha.

Entrance fee
Entrance fee is US$ 4 per person.

Mahamuni Buddha Temple, Mandalay

• Address: Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)
• Opened: 1785