Mahamuni Buddha Temple
Maha Muni Buddha Temple | |
---|---|
Myanmar (Burma) | |
Geographic coordinates | 21°57′6.73″N 96°4′43.03″E / 21.9518694°N 96.0786194°E |
Architecture | |
Founder | King Bodawpaya |
Completed | 1785 (rebuilt, after 1884 fire) |
The Mahamuni Buddha Temple (
Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the
History
Origins
According to legend, the
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.[12]
Another legend narrated in the Arakanese chronicle relates to the nine phenomena that occurred when the image was consecrated in the temple and continued to occur after the Buddha had departed. These nine phenomena were: holy water used for washing the image would not overflow the collecting vessels; the water from the tank that was used for washing the 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.[13]
Image history
In the ancient history of Arakan, King
Several old bronze statues that line the courtyard of the temple have a long history as war loot. They were originally
Another legend narrated is linked to the six Khmer bronze statues (three lions–with heads substituted later in Burmese style, a three-headed elephant known as Airavata, and two warriors in the form of 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.[21] Devotees believe that the statues have healing qualities to rub a particular part of the body against the statues to cure themselves of various ailments and diseases.[1][2][6] Today, they are a major attraction because of their purported healing qualities.[1][2]
Damage
The Mahamuni image and its precincts suffered damage from fires in 1879 and 1884.[26] In the fire that broke out during the reign of King Thibaw, the seven-tiered spire on the brick temple, devotional halls, causeways and others were burnt down, although the Great Image itself was saved. Gold recovered after the fire was made into a robe that currently adorns the image. In 1887, Minister Kinwun Mingyi U Kaung took charge of the site and in 1896 constructed the present temple around the original shrine built by King Bodawpaya.[10]
In 1996, the
Architecture
Main Temple/Pagoda
The Mahamuni Temple or
Mahamuni image
The Mahamuni Buddha image is housed in a small gandhakuṭi chamber, seated on a throne in a divine posture known as the Bhumisparsa Mudra. This posture or mudra symbolises Buddha's vanquishing of Mara). The legs are crossed with feet turned inwards, and the right hand touches the ground ritualistically, as a witness of his past deeds.[10] The image is cast in bronze and weighs 6.5 tonnes and is erected on a 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) high pedestal and reaches a height of 3.82 metres (12.5 ft).[10][26] Its shoulders measure 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) and its waist measures 2.9 metres (9.5 ft).[10][26] It is draped in royal costumes with "Brahmanic cords (salwe) and regalia crossing his chest".[26] The image is crowned, bejewelled with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. The left hand appears imprecise, unusually large, and is seen resting in the lap with an upturned palm.
Gold leaves are regularly applied to the face of the Mahamuni Buddha by male devotees. Consequent to the frequent application of gold leaves, the coating of gold (thickness 15 centimetres (5.9 in)) has given a shapeless contour to the Mahamuni image. 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 additions to the original image of the Mahamuni.[1][5][26][29] In 1884, when the pagoda was burnt down, 91 kilograms (201 lb) of gold was recovered from the site, which represents the continued historical veneration and perpetuation of the cult of Mahamuni.[8]
Other features
A large number of 'inscription stones' collected by King Bodawpaya are seen in a long gallery in the southeastern corner of the temple courtyard. These inscriptions, some of which are made from gilded marble and sandstone, have been collected from many regions of the country.[1][2][29] There is also a large water tank in the 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.[8] Adjacent to the Buddha temple is the Mahamuni Museum, which contains displays of Buddhism throughout Asia.
Daily rituals
On 17 February 1988, the present Sayadaw Bhaddanta Paññavaṃsa of Htilin Monastery and Pitaka Kyaung initiated the ritual of daily face washing of the deity at dawn. This ritual commences every morning at 4 am or 4:30 am when monks wash the face and brush the teeth of the Buddha image.[1] It is an elaborate ritual performed for over an hour by a senior monk dressed in monastic attire, assisted by several lay helpers, dressed in white and wearing formal headdress. As soon as the drums are struck, the senior monk residing in the adjoining monastery enters the sanctum and starts the formal face washing ritual with a succession of fresh towels, offered by devotees. 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.[26] After this, sandalwood paste is applied to the image and it is again cleaned with towels and finally sprinkled with scented water. After the ceremony is completed, the used towels are returned to the devotees who keep these towels with reverence in their home shrines.[10]
On special occasions, such as Uposatha day, an orange stole is placed around its shoulders by the presiding monk and is fanned.[30] A major 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.[1] During the winter season, the image is covered by a cloak of the monastic order.[1][30]
During the reign of Burmese monarchs, offerings were made daily to the Great Image in a formal way. Food and other offerings, sheltered by a Royal white umbrella, were taken in a procession from the palace, escorted by a Minister, as an honour due to a sovereign head of the state.[8][10]
Festival
A major annual
Gallery
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Devotees before the Great Image defied in a small sanctum sanctorum.
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A corridor in the Mahamuni Pagoda.
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Shopping arcade in Eastern Approach.
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Prayer bells at the entrance to Mahamuni Pagoda.
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Historical pictures of Mahamuni on display
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Northeast pavilion
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Western Approach in (1900)
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Turtle pond in (1900)
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Eastern Approach in (1900)
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Corridor in (1900)
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Market in Mahamuni Buddha Temple
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The women's area
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Worshippers adding gold leaf to the statue
See also
Notes
- ^ ISBN 978-1-74059-695-4. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ )
- ^ Johnston, p.1351
- ISBN 978-81-208-1812-5. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ a b "Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay". Asia explorers. Archived from the original on 2010-01-05. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b c d "Places of Peace and Power". Sacredsites.com. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ a b The Buddhist art of ancient Arakan: an eastern border state beyond ancient India, east of Vanga and Samatata. Volume 43, Issue 4 of Burmese cultural microfilm collection, Daw Saw Saw. 1979. p. 4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Schober, p.267
- ^ O'Reilly, p.32
- ^ )
- ^ Schober, p.268
- ^ Schober, p.260
- ^ Schober, p.269
- ^ Schober p.260
- ISBN 978-0-374-16342-6.
- ^ Schober p.266
- ^ Eliot, p.685
- ^ Shulman, p.84
- ^ Schober, p.260-261
- ISBN 978-1-85649-926-2. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- ^ a b Abbott, p.33
- ^ Vella, p.145
- ^ a b c d e Greenwood, p.128
- ^ Harvey, G.E. (1925). "Toungoo Dynasty: IIIrd Siege of Ayuthia". History of Burma. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. p. 168.
- ^ Tan, p.310
- ^ a b c d e f g Schober, p.263
- ^ a b c d e f g Fink, p.219
- JSTOR 619905.
...epitomized by tiered roofs, the pya-that found in both royal and religious architecture. It comes from the Sanskrit prasada, a palatial building often with multiple roofs.
- ^ a b "Mahamuni Pagoda". Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- ^ a b Schober, p.264
- ^ a b c Schober, p.272
References
- Abbott, Gerry (1998). The traveller's history of Burma. Orchid Press. )
- Aung, Myo; H.Kraft. Upper Myanmar Mandalay Pyin Oo Lwin Sagaing Monywa Mingun Mogok Shwebo. Books on Asia. pp. 4–5. )
- Eliot, Joshua (1993). Thailand, Indochina & Burma handbook. Trade & Travel Publications. )
- Fink, Christina (2001). Living silence: Burma under military rule. Zed Books. pp. 218–219. ISBN 978-1-85649-926-2. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
- Greenwood, Nicholas (1993). Guide to Burma. Bradt Travel Guides.
- Johnston, William M. (2000). Encyclopedia of Monasticism, Volume 1. Fitzroy Dearborn. ISBN 978-1-57958-090-2.
- Keown, Damien (2003). A dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press US. pp. 164–165. )
- O'Reilly, Dougald J. W. (2007). Early civilizations of Southeast Asia, Archaeology of Southeast Asia. Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects Series, Rowman Altamira. ISBN 978-0-7591-0279-8.
- Reid, Robert; Michael Grosberg (2005). Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay. Lonely Planet. p. 234. ISBN 978-1-74059-695-4. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- Schober, Juliane (2002). Sacred biography in the Buddhist traditions of South and Southeast Asia. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 259–273. ISBN 978-81-208-1812-5. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
- Shulman, Frank Joseph (1986). Burma: an annotated bibliographical guide to international doctoral dissertation research, 1898-1985. University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-8191-5459-0.
- Tan, Teck Meng (1996). Business opportunities in Myanmar. Nanyang Technological University. )
- Thant Myint-U (2006). The River of Lost Footsteps--Histories of Burma. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 109–110. ISBN 978-0-374-16342-6.
- Vella, Walter Francis (1957). Siam under Rama III, 1824-1851. J.J. Augustin.
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