WE Smile Magazine November 2015

FEATURE
A devout Buddhist, King Mindon believed
in a prophecy that Mandalay would
become the capital of Buddhism and
convened the fifth Buddhist Synod
in history—which was the first one
in Burma—in Mandalay. The 84,000
chapters of the Tipitaka were inscribed
into marble slabs which are now placed
around the Kuthodaw Pagoda situated
near the palace. The synod was attended
by 2,400 monks and took 5 months to
complete.
On the other side of the city is where
the Mahamuni Buddha temple is
located. The temple houses the Mahamuni
Buddha Image, which is one of
the five most sacred Buddhist sites in
Myanmar. The crowned Buddha Image
was built in the reign of King Chandra
Suriya of Arakan. When King Bodawpaya
conquered Arakan, he moved the
Buddha Image to Mandalay. It was said
that the conquest and the possession of
the Mahamuni made King Bodawpaya
so confident that he brought troops to
attack Ayutthaya twice, though he was
defeated both times.
Since the locals believe that the
Mahamuni Buddha Image is alive with
the Buddha’s breath, every morning, a
face washing ceremony is held for the
Buddha Image. The ceremony starts with
music to wake the Buddha up, then an
abbot will use tanaka-infused water to
wash the image’s face. Male Buddhists
are allowed to apply gold leaf on the
image and if one has a chance to touch
the image’s surface, he will find that the
Buddha Image’s skin is soft due to the
thick layers of gold leaf. That is why the
Mahamuni Image is also called “the softtextured
Buddha Image.” Each morning
at 4 a.m., devout Buddhists from all over
Myanmar and the world come to queue
up at the temple’s gate in order to be
as close to the Mahamuni as possible. If
you want to observe the local’s way
of life in the morning, this is definitely
the place.
When it comes to Buddhism in
Mandalay, we must mention Mandalay
Hill, the place that gave the name to
the city. As the Buddhist prophecy
goes, the hill is a sacred place due to
its abundance of religious sites, from
the pagoda that houses the Buddhist
relics, the reclining Buddha image, and
the temple at the top of the hill that
houses 4 Buddha Images on 4 sides,
while the temple itself is decorated with
colourful glass. The top of the hill is
also a popular place to view the sunset.
Apart from the majestic panoramic view
of the city and the Ayeyarwady river,
the setting sunlight will cast on the
temple’s surface and the whole building
will glow as if by magic. The sight is
certainly worth more than the 1,000
kyat-ticket for cameras.