TheMahamuni Buddha Temple (Burmese:မဟာမုနိရှင်တော်မြတ်ကြီး,Burmese pronunciation:[məhàmṵnḭpʰəjádʑí]) is aBuddhist temple and majorpilgrimage site, located southwest ofMandalay, Myanmar (Burma).^[1] TheMahamuni Image (lit. 'The Great Sage') is enshrined in this temple, and originally came fromArakan.^[2] It is highly venerated inBurma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.^[3]

Maha Muni Buddha Temple
Mahamuni Buddha at the temple
Religion
Affiliation	TheravadaBuddhism
Location
Country	Mandalay,Mandalay Region, Myanmar (Burma)
Geographic coordinates	21°57′6.73″N96°4′43.03″E / 21.9518694°N 96.0786194°E /21.9518694; 96.0786194
Architecture
Founder	KingBodawpaya
Completed	1785 (rebuilt, after 1884 fire)

Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of theBuddha made during his lifetime; two were inIndia, two inparadise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Image inMyanmar.^{[4][1][2][5][6][7]} Legend holds that the Buddha himself visited theDhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BC.^[1]King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image be cast of him. Once complete, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image took on his exact likeness.^[7]

According to legend, theGautama Buddha visitedDhanyawadi, the capital city ofArakan during his travels on a missionary mission to spread Buddhism.^[8] During the 26th anniversary of the King at the time, a devout Buddhist, the Buddha accompanied byShin Ananda and 500 disciples^[8] landed at Salagiri mountain peak near Khaukrah town.^[9] The King of Arakan, along with his Chief Queen Sandra Mala (with herretinue of 1,600 ladies in waiting), and an entourage of ministers, generals and officials, paid homage to the Buddha.^[9] 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.^[9] For this purpose, the Buddha then sat under aBodhi tree for a week ofmeditation.^[9] During this timeSakka (inPāli, the ruler of theTavatimsa, insanskrit calledTrāyastriṃśa) one of the heavens inBuddhist cosmology, supported by his assistantVissakamma (or Vishvakarman), moulded a lifelike image of the Buddha using ornaments donated by the king and his people.^[9] It is also said that Sakka and Vissakamma created a separatepavilion for the Buddha to live and enjoy during these seven days.^[9] After looking at his own lifelike image, believed at the time to have been his only true-likeness,^[10] Buddha was pleased and "imbued the image with his spiritual essence", or "enlivened and consecrated" the image, naming it "Candasara".^[2] He also stated that the image would last for five thousand years as his representative.^[7][11][12]

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.^[13]

Another legend narrated in the Arakanese chronicle relates to the ninephenomena 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.^[14]

In the ancient history of Arakan, KingAnawratha ofPagan (r. 1044–1077) attempted to move the image toBagan, without success.^[15] In 1784, theBurmese under the military leadership of Crown PrinceThado Minsaw ofKonbaung dynasty conquered the Kingdom ofMrauk U.^[16] The religious relics of the kingdom, including the Mahamuni Buddha image, were confiscated and installed in the Mahamuni temple orpagoda atAmarapura. Amarapura, located within modern-dayMandalay District, had recently become the new royal capital just two years prior. As the Mahamuni image was too large to transport as a whole, it was cut into sections and later reassembled and housed in the new temple.^[17]Mandalay became the capital under KingMindon (r. 1853–1878).^[18] It was also the capital under his sonThibaw (r. 1878–1885) of theKonbaung Dynasty (1752–1885). When the British annexed Upper Burma in 1885 to prevent the French from dominating it, monarchic rule ended.^[19] However, veneration of the Mahamuni image has continued, and is visited andworshipped by many pilgrims, mainlyRakhine,Mon andBurmans peoples.^{[1][2][20][21]}

Several old bronze statues that line the courtyard of the temple have a long history as war loot. They were originallyKhmer statues, found atAngkor Wat inCambodia, and were taken toAyutthaya in 1431 by theSiamese.^[22][23][24] In 1564, the Burmese kingBayinnaung conqueredAyutthaya and took thirty such statues toBago.^[24][25][26] In 1599, KingRazagri ofMrauk U invaded Bago and brought the statues toMrauk U.^[1][24] Finally, Thado Minsaw took them toAmarapura in 1785.^[24] According to local belief, many more of these statues were brought from Arakan.^[1] However, King Thibaw melted many of them to cast cannons for fortification of his palace.^[1][24] Of the thirty statuesBayinnaung brought from Siam, only six remain today, and are displayed in the temple complex.

Another legend narrated is linked to the sixKhmerbronze statues (three lions–with heads substituted later in Burmese style, a three-headed elephant known asAiravata, and two warriors in the form ofShiva), which are installed in the temple in the northern end of the courtyard. These statues were originally at theAngkor Wat temple complex inCambodia.^[22] 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][7] Today, they are a major attraction because of their purported healing qualities.^[1][2]

The Mahamuni image and its precincts suffered damage from fires in 1879 and 1884.^[27] In the fire that broke out during the reign of KingThibaw, 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, MinisterKinwun Mingyi U Kaung took charge of the site and in 1896 constructed the present temple around the original shrine built by KingBodawpaya.^[11]

In 1996, theState Law and Order Restoration Council, the military rulers inBurma, undertook renovation work on the Mahamuni Pagoda. During this period, the Mahamuni Buddha image was damaged in 1997 when a hole appeared in the belly of the Great Image.^[28] It was believed that thieves had drilled the hole in an attempt to steal jewels believed to be secreted within the image.^[28] It was reported that a military officer had requested to open the temple in the night, resulting in a meeting of all the senior monks from major monasteries in the area to discuss the matter.^[28] Whilst the meeting was in progress, attention was diverted to a purported rape incident committed by a Muslim man on a Buddhist girl.^[28] A major riot broke out but it turned out that the Buddhist girl had not been raped at all.^[28] It was a coverup to divert attention away from the Buddha so it could be repaired.^[28] The question remains as to whether any jewelry did exist and was actually removed from the Great Image.^[28]

On March 28, 2025, a7.7 magnitude earthquake occurred in Myanmar, significantly damaging the temple.^[29]

The Mahamuni Temple orPagoda is a complex of structures located along a road fromMandalay leading to the southwest. It was originally located on A brick paved road which was constructed from the Royal Palace of KingBodawpaya to the eastern gate of the temple, although only remnants of this road can still be seen.^[1] A major teachingmonastery of some 400 monks of theThudhamma Nikaya (order), is one among the many monasteries which are adjacent to the Pagoda. The temple has a central shrine and is framed by an extensive grass lawn. The arcades leading to the main shrine have many kiosks, selling religiousparaphernalia such as incense, candles, rosaries, flowers, robes, sandals etc., and various restaurants and tea shops. Thesanctum sanctorum, where the large Mahamuni image is deified, is a small chamber and has a roof covering made up of sevenpyatthat meaning tiered roofs (derivative of theSanskrit wordprasada).^[27][30] The ceiling has an ornate mosaic covering. The arcades are supported by 252 gilded and carved columns adorned with finefrescoes.^[9]

The Mahamuni Buddha image is housed in a smallgandhakuṭi chamber, seated on a throne in a divine posture known as theBhumisparsa Mudra. This posture or mudra symbolises Buddha's vanquishing ofMara). The legs are crossed with feet turned inwards, and the right hand touches the ground ritualistically, as a witness of his past deeds.^[11] The image is cast inbronze 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).^[11][27] Its shoulders measure 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) and its waist measures 2.9 metres (9.5 ft).^[11][27] It is draped in royal costumes with "Brahmanic cords (salwe) and regalia crossing his chest".^[27] The image is crowned, bejewelled withdiamonds,rubies andsapphires. 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][6][27][31]} 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.^[9]

A large number of 'inscription stones' collected by KingBodawpaya are seen in a long gallery in the southeastern corner of the temple courtyard. Theseinscriptions, some of which are made from gilded marble andsandstone, have been collected from many regions of the country.^[1][2][31] There is also a large water tank in the southeast direction of the temple where fish and turtles are fed withrice cakes by the large number of pilgrims who visit the temple every day.^[9] Adjacent to the Buddha temple is the Mahamuni Museum, which contains displays of Buddhism throughoutAsia.

On 17 February 1988, the presentSayadawBhaddanta Paññavaṃsa ofHtilin Monastery and Pitaka Kyaung initiated the ritual of dailyface washing of the deity at dawn. This ritual commences every morning at 4 am or 4:30 am whenmonks 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.^[27] 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.^[11]

On special occasions, such asUposatha day, an orange stole is placed around its shoulders by the presiding monk and is fanned.^[32] 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][32]

During the reign of Burmesemonarchs, 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 asovereign head of the state.^[9][11]

A major annualpagoda festival known as the 'Mahamuni Paya Pwe' ('pwe' meaning "festival") is held in early February, at the end of theBuddhist Lent to celebrate the history of the pagoda. During this festival, aside from the daily rituals, thePaṭṭhāna from a "Book of Conditional Relations" inAbhidhamma Piṭaka is recited.^[33] This book is a philosophical text which Buddha recounted to his mother in a sermon inTavatimsa heaven and is a sacred scripture in thePali language.^[33] The Pattana recitation 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 there is also a social event, allowing families and friends gather to greet each other.^[33] Given that large crowds of pilgrims are attracted during the festive season, guards are posted near the Great Image and video cameras are placed in many parts of the temple precincts to protect it.^[1]

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  Devotees before the Great Image defied in a smallsanctum 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
•  
  Worshippers adding gold leaf to the statue

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