Auspicious ceremony to place Maravijaya Buddha Image on top of Yadana Throne held
NAY PYI TAW January 26
A holy and auspicious ceremony to put the Maravijaya Buddha Image on top of the Yadana Throne was held this morning at Buddha Park in Dekkhinathiri Township, Nay Pyi Taw, Union Territory, where the image will be placed.
Present at the ceremony were Sayadaws led by Chairman of State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee Sayadaw Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru Abhidjaja Agga Maha Saddhammajotika Dr Bhaddanta Kumara Biramsa of Bhamo Monastery, Mandalay, and Chancellor of Sitagu International Buddhist Academies Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru Abhidjaja Agga Maha Saddhammajotika Maha Dhammakahtika Bahujanahitadhaja Chairman (Sangha Raja) of Shwekyin Nikaya Sitagu Sayadaw Dr Bhaddanta Nyanissara, Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win and wife Daw Than Than Nwe, the SAC Secretary, the Joint Secretary and members and their wives, Union ministers, the Nay Pyi Taw Council chairman, senior military officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief and their wives, the Nay Pyi Taw Command commander, and distinguished guests.
The ceremony was opened by reciting namotassa three times. Then a song praising the virtues of Maravijaya Buddha Image was sung, conch shell was blown and gongs were beaten three times to mark the auspiciousness and success of the ceremony. Sayadaws then recited parittas. Donors recited Ratana Puja and Sabbasingaha mantras.
Led by Sayadaws, the main donor Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and party took positions near the Yadana Throne. They then sprinkled scented water on Yadana Throne, steel structure supporting the throne, large steel case in which the Image was placed, and gantry crane that would put the Image on the throne.
Master of ceremonies read out Mingala Akhadaw, and at the auspicious time, the Senior General pressed the button to put the Image on the throne with machines.
The task of putting the Image on the throne was carried out phase by phase. Sayadaws recited religious verses to mark the auspiciousness and success of the ceremony.
The Yadana Throne is 18 feet high, 72 feet long and 54 feet wide. The total weight of the large part of the Image which was a combination of sections 1/2/3 is 1,700 tons. It will take about 72 hours for the gantry crane to complete the task of putting the entire large part of the Image on the throne.
Then, the paper on sharing merits gained was read and merits shared with three time recitation of Buddha Sasanam Ciram Titthatu. They performed rituals of golden and silver showers in commoration of successful completion of the gala ceremony.
At the briefing hall, the Senior General and party sought the words of advice from members of the Sangha led by the Bhamo Sayadaw and the Sitagu Sayadaw on carving of the Buddha image, construction of religious edifices in the Buddha park, and arrangement to print Pitakat treatises in Pali and Romanized languages. Led by the Sayadaws, they viewed round progress in construction of the Park, and the Senior General supplicated the facts what the Sayadaws wanted to know and sought the words of advice.
The Maravijaya Buddha image was carved with four objectives to show firm flourishing of Theravada Buddhism of Myanmar to the world, to ensure peace and stability of the State, develop the region with visits of local and international travellers to the Buddha image and contribute to development of the State. The marble rock was checked in X-ray in 2018 to know its measurement, mass and faults for assessing the situation how to carve the height of the image and carving of the throne. Then, the marble rock was carried from Sagyin Hill in Madaya Township to Simeekhon jetty in shipping. Afterwards, it was conveyed to Nay Pyi Taw by modular trailer along the Mandalay-Yangon expressway amid difficulties. On arrival at Nay Pyi Taw, the marble rock was carved by experts with the use of CNC machines and modern machinery day and night.
For the time being, construction tasks are being carried out for a Sasana Beikman to accommodate 1,200 members of the Sangha and congregation at religious ceremonies and other religious edifices in the Buddha Park. In accord with the guidance of venerable Sayadaws, Pitakat treatises in line with the version adopted by the Sixth Buddhist Synod on the marble plaques in Pali and Romanized languages with the use of modern machinery in order to keep the stone plaques.
The already carved inscriptions on Tri Pitakat, Athakahta and Tika treatises were posted in front of the Buddha image.
Arrangements are being made for pilgrims to view the Athakahta and Tika treatises of the Tri Pitakat treatises in the stone inscription chamber. Moreover,
a plan is underway to print the Pitakat treatises in Pali and Romanized languages to be distributed to the monasteries across the world. The ceremony to enshine religious objects into the reliquary in the centre of the jewelled throne of the Buddha image will be held at 8 am on 27 January.