Maravijaya Buddha Image: The remarkable journey of constructing Buddha Park

A ceremony was held on Sunday to explain the establishment of the Maravijaya Buddha Image, which is being constructed in DeckkhinaThiri Township of Union Territory Nay Pyi Taw. This Buddha Image will be the tallest among sitting Buddha Images in the world that are carved out of stone.

The ceremony was attended by Chairman of the State Administration Council, Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chief of General Staff (Army, Navy, Air) General MaungMaung Aye, Union Ministers, Senior Military Officers, Nay Pyi Taw Command Commander and officials, Religious Title Recipient donors, donors from partner companies, and invited guests.

In his explanation, the Prime Minister stated that the Buddha Image is being carved with four aims: to showcase the flourishing of Theravada Buddha Sasana to the world, shape Myanmar as a focal point of Theravada Buddhism, ensure the prosperity of the State, and promote peace and prosperity worldwide.

He reiterated that the marble stone, donated to the former Head of State Senior General ThanShwe (Retired), was handed over to the Tatmadaw for the establishment of the pagoda in late 2017. After meticulous engineering calculations and preparations, excavation of the enormous stone began in October 2018. In March 2019, the stone, measuring 65 ft high, 50.4 ft long, and 20 ft in volume, had been put into draft shape. The Prime Minister further explained the phased process of transporting the enormous stone through river and land routes, choosing the land plot for building the pagoda, receiving guidance from the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Sayadaws, constructing related religious edifices, inscribing religious scriptures in Pali and Romanized languages, and arrangements for publishing these Tripitaka books and encoding them into tablets.

He mentioned that these Tripitaka books will be donated to the Religious Departments of countries that practice Buddhism. The Prime Minister also outlined the construction process of Buddha Park, convenient arrangements for pilgrims, and the greening and beautification tasks, along with a long-term maintenance plan. He acknowledged that the journey of constructing this Buddha Image was not without its challenges.

Those involved in this remarkable journey, including the Sayadaws, engineers, and all concerned individuals, have been conferred with titles and medals in recognition of their contributions. During the ceremony, attendees made donations totaling 17.415 billion kyats from 377 donors to contribute to the construction process of the Maravijaya Buddha Image. The Prime Minister accepted the donations and expressed his gratitude.

After the ceremony, attendees viewed the miniature models of Maravijaya Buddha Image and Buddha Park as well as the religious scripture books written in Pali and Romanized languages and the Tablets that encoded these scriptures. The attendees later took a tour around the Buddha Park.