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Mahamuni Buddha Temple

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Mahamuni Buddha Temple
File:Mahamuni Pagoda.JPG
Mahamuni Pagoda enshrined with Mahamuni Buddha Image
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
Location
LocationMandalay, Myanmar
Geographic coordinates21°57′07″N 96°04′43″E / 21.95187°N 96.07862°E / 21.95187; 96.07862
Architecture
TypeArakan
A statue of Maha Muni Buddha or Maha Myat Muni Paya or Rakhine Paya or Payagyi enshrined in a temple/pagoda at Mandalay

The Mahamuni Buddha Temple (Template:Lang-my, also called the Mahamuni Pagoda) is located in Mandalay, Myanmar. The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage), also known as the Maha Myat Muni Paya, Rakhine Paya, Payagyi and Candasara, is deified in this temple, which is an iconic idol highly venerated in Myanmar; it is an expression of representing Buddha's life. It is a major Buddhist pilgrimage site. The Mahamuni Buddha image was originally from Rakhine State(Arakan). Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha images made during the lifetime of the Buddha; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar.[1][2][3][4][5]

According to the legend, the Buddha, during his life time, visited the city of Dhanyawadi in 554 BC (First century AD is also mentioned).[2] King Sanda Thuriya requested the Buddha to leave an image of Him. After casting the Great Image, Mahamuni Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.[5]

Legend

The legend related to the Mahamuni Buddha image is that Gautama Buddha during his travels on the Proselytization mission to spread Buddhism visited Dhanyawadi (in the northern Rakhine region of Myanmar). During the 26th anniversary of the King, who was a staunch Buddhist, the Buddha accompanied by Shin Arahan and 500 disciples landed at Salagiri mountain peak near Khaukrah town. The King of Rakhine Kingdom along with his Chief Queen Sandra Mala (with her retinue of 1600 ladies in waiting), and entourage of ministers, generals and officials paid homage to Buddha. They heard the teachings of Buddha with devotion and rapt attention. They were deeply moved. When Buddha wanted to return to his Thawuthi (Sravasti), the King appealed to Buddha to leave his image for people to worship. For this purpose, Buddha then sat under a Bodhi tree for a week of meditation, when Sakka (in Pāli, is the ruler of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven in Buddhist cosmology) supported by his assistant Vissakamma, moulded a life-like image of Buddha with the ornaments donated by the king and his people. It is also said that Sakka and Vissakamma (also spelt Vishvakarman) created a separate pavilion for Buddha to live and enjoy during these seven days. On looking at his own life-like image, Buddha was pleased and "imbued the image with his spiritual essence", or "enlivened and consecrated" the image, named it as "Candasara" which would last for five thousand years, as his representative.[5][6][7]

Historian Juliane Schober has very succinctly explained this legend and the cult worship that 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." [8]

Another legend narrated in the Arakanese chronicle relates to the nine phenomenon that occurred when the image was consecrated in the temple and continued thereafter. These were: Holy water used for washing the image would not overflow the collecting vessels; the water from the tank that was used for washing Buddha's head would retain its quality throughout the year; six coloured rays appeared when the devotees worshipped the image in the evenings; the rays faded in the presence of non-believers; the space in the temple would automatically accommodate any number of devotees; the leaves of trees would tilt in the direction of the Buddha image; birds would not fly over the temple; and the stone guardians at the entrance would sense the presence of evil doers and prevent them from entering the temple.[9]

Another legend narrated is linked to the six Khmer bronze statues (three lions – with heads substituted later in Burmese style, a three-headed elephant-Airavata in Sanskrit language – and two warriors, also mentioned as images of Hindu god Shiva), which are installed in the temple in the northern end of the courtyard. These statues were originally at the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia. Devotees believe that the statues have healing qualities. Hence, they rub a particular ailing part of the body against the statues to get cured of the disease in that part of the body.[1][2][5]

History

In the ancient history of Arakan, King Anawratha of Pagan (r. 1044–1077) tried to take possession of this image and move it to Pagan but was not successful.[8] In 1784, the Burmese under the military leadership of Crown Prince Thado Minsaw of Konbaung dynasty conquered the Kingdom of Mrauk-U.[10] The religious relics of the kingdom were confiscated as war booty from Rakhine, most notably the Mahamuni Buddha image, and taken into Upper Burma. There it was installed and worshipped in the Mahamuni temple or Pagoda at Amarapura, outside the capital. The Mahamuni image, which was of a large size, was cut in to sections, shifted to Upper Burma, then reassembled and housed in the new temple. Now, it is part of the Mandalay city; Mandalay city became the capital of the region under King Mindon (r. 1853–1878) and his son Thibaw (r. 1878–1885) of the Konbaung Dynasty (1752–1885). Subsequently, after the end of the royal dynastic rule, under the British rule (when they annexed Upper Burma in 1885), and even now the deep veneration of the Mahamuni image has continued among pilgrims of the region; the Rakhine, Mon and Burmans constitute the main pilgrims.[1][2][11][12]

However, the Mahamnuni image, the Mandalay pagoda where it is enshrined and its precincts, which became a religious hub of Mandalay, suffered damage due to fire in 1879 and again in 1884.[13] In the fire that broke out during reign of King Thibaw, the seven-tiered spire on the brick temple, devotional halls, causeways and others were burnt down. However, the Mahamuni image was saved. During the fire gold recovered was made into a robe that adorns the image now. In 1887, Minister Kinwun Mingyi U Kaung took charge of the management and in 1896 constructed the present temple around the original shrine built by King Bodawpaya that housed the Mahamuni image.[6]

Several bronze statues that line the courtyard of the temple have a long history of migration as war loot. They were Khmer statues found at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and were taken to Ayutthaya in 1431 by the Siamese. In 1564, the Burmese king Bayinnaung conquered Ayutthaya Kingdom, and took them to Bago (Pegu). In 1599, King Razagyi of Mrauk-U sacked Bago and brought them to Mrauk U. Finally, Thado Minsaw took them to Amarapura in 1785. According to local belief, many more of these statues were brought from Arakan. However, King Thibaw got many of them melted to cast cannons for fortification of his palace. Six of the statues in the temple complex are a major attraction for their purported healing qualities.[1][2]

Architecture

Main Temple/Pagoda

The Mahamuni temple or Pagoda is a complex of structures. It is located on a branch road from Mandalay to the southwest. The road was originally brick paved and constructed from the Royal Palace of King Bodawpaya to the eastern gate of the temple; remnants of which are still seen here.[2] A teaching monastery, known as 'Thudhamma', is a major one among the many monasteries which adjoin the Pagoda, where 400 monks reside. It has arcades and a central shrine. A large swathe of grass lawn surrounds the temple and the monastery. The arcades leading to the main shrine have many shopping kiosks (dealing with religious paraphernalia such as incense, candles, rosaries, flowers, robes, sandals etc.), and also restaurants and tea shops. The sanctum sanctorum where the large Mahamuni image is deified is a small chamber.[13] The sanctum has roof covering made up of seven pya-that. The ceiling has finely made mosaic covering. There are 252 columns that form the arcades. These pillars are also gilded and carved. The roof and sides of the arcade depict fine frescoes.[14]

Full front view of the idol of Maha Muni Buddha
A side view of the Idol of Maha Muni
Backside view of the Maha Muni's head
Mahamuni image

The Mahamuni Buddha image installed in the small chamber is seated on a throne in a divine posture (known as the Bhumisparsha Mudra – symbolising Buddha vanquishing Mara). The legs are crossed with feet turned inwards. This mudra is also defined as a ritual gesture since the "right hand touches the ground as a witness of his past deeds". The image, erected on a pedestal of 6 ft height, is 12 ft 7 inches tall. Its shoulders measure 6 ft and its waist measures 9.5 ft. It is draped in royal costumes with "Brahmanic cords and regalia crossing his chest". The image is crowned, which is bejewelled with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. Though the left hand is comparatively smaller than the right hand and normal, the over all impression of the image is of "incongruity" vis-a-vis the torso and the base of the image. The image is caste in bronze and weighs 6.5 tonnes. The left hand appears imprecise, unusually large, and is seen resting in the lap with upturned palm. The Gold leaf is regularly applied to the face of the Mahamuni Buddha by devotees. Only men are allowed to approach the deity and apply the gold leaf coat. Consequent to the frequent gold leaf application the coating (thickness 15 cm) has attained an irregular outline. However, it is also noted that the right hand, crown and other iconographic characteristics of royalty are free of gold leaf covering, which gives an impression that these were later day additions to the original image of the Mahamuni.[2][4][13][15] In 1884, when the pagoda was burnt down, 200 lbs of gold was recovered from the site, which represents the continued historical veneration and perpetuation of the cult of Mahamuni.[14]

A large number of 'inscription stones' collected by the King Bodawpaya are seen in a long gallery at the southeastern corner of the temple courtyard. These inscriptions have been collected from many regions of the country; some are of gilded marble and others are made in sandstones.[1][2][15]

There is also a large water tank in southeast direction of the temple where fish and turtles are fed with rice cakes by the large number of pilgrims who visit the temple every day.[14]

Adjacent to the Buddha temple is the Mahamuni Museum, which contains displays of Buddhism throughout Asia.

Daily rituals

In February 17, 1988, the present Ven Sayadaw Buddhanta Panya Vamsa of south Htilin monastery, and Pitaka Kyaung initiated the ritual of daily face washing of the deity at dawn. As per this ritual, every morning at 4 am or 4.30 am, monks wash the face and teeth of the Buddha image. It is an elaborate ritual performed over an hour by a senior monk dressed in monastic attire assisted by a few helpers who are dressed in white clothes wearing a formal cap (an indication of royalty). As soon as the drums are struck at 4AM, the senior monk residing in the adjoining monastery enters the sanctum and starts the formal face washing ritual with a succession of fresh towels. He then performs the act of cleaning the Mahamuni's teeth with a large brush followed by one more sequence of cleaning with fresh towels. Then, sandalwood paste is applied on the image and cleaned again with towels. The towels are offered by devotees, and after the ceremony the same are returned to the devotees, which they keep, with reverence, in their home shrines. The image is then sprinkled with scented water, and on special occasions such as Sabbath day, the image is covered by a special orange stoll around its shoulders, by the presiding monk. The image is fanned by the monk with his assistants following it with larger fans, which have insignia of "high civil status". A large congregation of devotees witness the rituals; some men sit in the front enclosure while others including women and children sit in the middle and rear end of the foyer. Devotees offer food and other items brought by them on a tray to the deity and chant prayers while the rituals are being performed.[2][16]

During the days of Monarchic rule, offerings were made daily to the deity in a formal way by carrying food and other offerings covered by a Royal white umbrella in a procession from the palace, escorted by a Minister, as an honour due to a sovereign head of the state.[6][14]

During the winter season, the image is covered by a cloak of the monastic order.[2]

Festival

A major annual festival known as the 'Mahamuni Paya pwe' ('pwe' means: "festival") is held in early February (at the end of Buddhist Lent) that draws a very large number of pilgrims to the shrine. In order to control the large influx of pilgrims during the festive season, guards are posted near the main image of Buddha and video images are also displayed at many places in the temple precincts where devotees could offer prayers to the deity.[2] The festival is held to celebrate the history of the pagoda. During this festival, apart from the daily rituals, recitation of the Patthana (" Book of Conditional Relations" – a philosophical text which Buddha recounted to his mother in a teaching session in Tavitamsa heaven), the sacred scripture in Pali language is a special feature, which continues for several days. Monks recite from the scriptures, in groups of two or three. The festivities also include various forms of entertainment programmes such as dance, music, theatre etc., and are also a social event when families and friends gather to greet each other.[17]

Theft of jewels

In 1996, the military rulers in Myanmar undertook renovation work on the Mahamuni Buddha temple/pagoda. During this period, the Mahamuni Buddha image, considered a symbol of Arakan national identity was damaged in 1997, under very strange circumstances. A hole had appeared in the belly of the Mahauni Buddha image. The reason was attributed to a belief that a jewels were implanted in the navel of the image and that they were stolen by drilling a hole in the image.[18] At that time it was rumoured that a military officer had prevailed upon a monk to open the temple in the night. A senior monk started enquiring into the matter and he convened a meeting of all the senior monks from major monasteries to discuss the matter. When the meeting was in progress, attention was diverted to a purported rape incident committed by a Muslim man on a Buddhist girl. This incident flared up into a major counter action against the Muslims by the Buddhists, spearheaded by some of the monks. It turned out that the Buddhist girl had not been raped at all and all the action of the monks was a stage-managed act by the military authorities. As a result of this confrontation between two religious groups, the main issue of the mysterious hole appearing in the belly of the Mahamuni was ignored. The hole was repaired. However, the mystery remains as to whether any jewellery existed and was really taken out from the Buddha image at all. To scotch any further discussions on the matter, even the annual examination of the monks, which was scheduled to be held during this time, was also postponed by the military rulers.[18]

  • Mahamuni pagoda painted green
    Mahamuni pagoda painted green
  • A corridor in the Mahamuni Pagoda
    A corridor in the Mahamuni Pagoda
  • Sacred fish and tortoise pond near the Mahamuni Pagoda
    Sacred fish and tortoise pond near the Mahamuni Pagoda
  • Prayer bells at Mahamuni Pagoda
    Prayer bells at Mahamuni Pagoda
  • Freshly painted Mahamuni Pagoda
    Freshly painted Mahamuni Pagoda

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Keown, Damien (2003). A dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press US. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0198605609. Retrieved 2010-03-24. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Reid, Robert (2005). Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay. Lonely Planet. p. 234. ISBN 1740596951. Retrieved 2010-03-22. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Schober, Juliane (2002). Sacred biography in the Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 259–273. ISBN 8120818121. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  4. ^ a b "Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay". Asia explorers. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  5. ^ a b c d "Places of Peace and Power". Sacredsites.com. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  6. ^ a b c Aung, Myo. Upper Myanmar Mandalay Pyin Oo Lwin Sagaing Monywa Mingun Mogok Shwebo. Books on Asia. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9799749290858. Retrieved 2010-03-24. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Schober p.268
  8. ^ a b Schober p.260
  9. ^ Schober p.269
  10. ^ Thant Myint-U (2006). The River of Lost Footsteps--Histories of Burma. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. p. 109-110. ISBN 978-0-374-16342-6, 0-374-16342-1. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  11. ^ Schober p.260-261
  12. ^ Fink, Christina (2001). Living silence: Burma under military rule. Zed Books. pp. 218–219. ISBN 85649926X. Retrieved 2010-03-24. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: length (help)
  13. ^ a b c Schober p.263
  14. ^ a b c d Schober p.267
  15. ^ a b "Mahamuni Pagoda". Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  16. ^ Schober p.264
  17. ^ Schober p.272
  18. ^ a b Fink p.219
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