U Pannya Jota Mahathera

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U Pannya Jota (Birth name: U Saw Hla, Bengali: উচহ্লা) was born in Bandarban, East Pakistan, on December 22, 1955 to father Hla Thowai Prue and mother Aung Mra Ching. His grandfather, Kyaw Zaw Than, was King of the Royal Bohmong family.

At the age of six or seven, he began to attend school in

University

Left: U Saw Hla (Ven. U Pannya Jota Thera) in eye-catching heroic pose near Raj Pukur at Bandarban in 1975. Right: Mr. U Saw Hla (Ven. U Pannya Jota Thera) was performing as a singer (third from right) during Cultural Show at Dhaka, on 16th of December 1980

During university, Jota led several organizations in promoting education among the students. He also joined many organizations that worked for the promotion of indigenous cultural heritage. He performed traditional songs at functions and composed many popular

U Pannya Jota was not only a practitioner, but a Buddhist scholar as well, publishing many books on Buddhist topics. His books were highly successful among Bangladeshi Buddhist readers.

Establishment

U Pannya Jota built several temples inside and outside of Bangladesh. These are some of his temples built by him. Some are under construction.^{[citation needed]}

• Zin Mara Jayi Dhatu Zadi | Bandarban, Bangladesh. (Reconstruction, more than 250 years old)
• Khyaungwa Kyaung Raja Vihara (Chief priest) | Bandarban, Bangladesh.
• Pannya Passanara Buddhist Monastery | Bandarban, Bangladesh.
• Buddha Dhatu Naundawgree Zadi | Bandarban, Bangladesh.
• Maha Shuka Chutongbrae Buddha Dhatu Jadi | Bandarban, Bangladesh.
• Rama Naundawgree Pagoda | Bandarban, Bangladesh.
• Rama Zadi | Bandarban, Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh Buddhist Monastery |
  Yangoon, Myanmar
  .
• Bangladesh Buddhist Monastery |
  Arakan State, Myanmar
  .

• Kyaukmalaung Zadi | Bandarban, Bangladesh. (under construction)
• The Holy Jaghat Santi Sukha Zadi | Chimbuk, Bandarban, Bangladesh. (under construction)
• Buddha Gaya Temple |
  Buddha Gaya, India
  .(under construction)

One of the most famous temples founded by U Pannya Jota is the Buddha Dhatu Jadi. Also known as the Bandarban Golden Temple, the temple features a golden bell set on a dragon statue along with the second biggest Buddhist statue in Bangladesh. The Buddha's dhatu (relic), which is enshrined in the temple, was a gift given to Ven. U Pannya Jota Mahathera in 1994 by the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee of Myanmar. The dhatu of Golden Temple is believed to provide peace and contentment for mankind.

Rama Zadi

Rama Zadi is the largest and tallest Buddhist temple of Bangladesh, which is located in Hoda Babur Ghona area of Rohangchhari Upazila Road, 3 km away from the

Participation

U Pannya Jota attended the following conferences in order to promote the exchange of ideas and maintain international connections with Buddhist countries.

• The World Buddhist Summit, Yangon, Myanmar 2004.^[4][5]
• UN Day of Vesak, Bangkok, Thailand, 2007.
• UN Day of Vesak, Hanoi, Vietnam, 2008.^[6]
• World Religions Conference, Seoul, 2015.^[7][8]

Social welfare

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All of his organizations were for the purpose of social welfare. He built schools and learning centers especially for children and monks. His aim was to educate the young generation of the society, because he believed that the future lies in the hands of the youth. Consequently, he thought the cause of tyranny and conflicts in the society is due to education: people with improper education were the ones creating problems in society in his eyes. They would do foolish things, because they hadn't been taught otherwise. The most venerable of his aims was to build an educated society by providing secular and religious studies to all.
He also hoped that the children in his institutions would be examples and contributors to society. In his documentary, he said that he wanted to provide education for poor children whose parents were not able to pay education fees to send their children to schools. He also mentioned that some of these children are far from remote and hill areas of Chittagong Hill Tracts where there is limited accessibility to modern schools and facilities. Listed below are some of his social institutions for children.

• Sasana Vaddhana Pariyatti Kyaung (Religious school)
• Be Happy Learning Centre (Orphanage & Free school)
• Kyaukmalaung Girl Hostel (Orphanage & Free school) (under construction)

References

External links

• U Pannya Jota Mahathera on
  Facebook
• Check in at Buddha Dhatu Jadi and Rama Zadi on Facebook
• Dhamma Speech by U Pannya Jota Mahathera on YouTube

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Key figures Moggaliputta-Tissa Mahinda Sanghamitta Tissa Buddhaghoṣa Buddhadatta Dhammapāla Parakramabahu I Sāriputta Thera Anawrahta Ram Khamhaeng Sumangala Thera Anagarika Dharmapala Mongkut Vajirananavarorasa Ledi Sayadaw U Nu U Nārada Mahasi Sayadaw U Ba Khin S. N. Goenka Mun Bhuridatta Ajahn Chah Maha Ghosananda Kripasaran Mahapragya Pragyananda K. Sri Dhammananda Narada Mahathera Asoka Weeraratna Walpola Rahula Jayatilleke Kalupahana U Dhammaloka Nyanatiloka Nanamoli Nyanaponika Bhikkhu Bodhi Ajahn Sumedho Ajahn Brahm Analayo Varanggana Vanavichayen Dhammananda Bhikkhuni Ayya Tathaaloka Ayya Khema Kee Nanayon Dipa Ma
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