NSS – July 17

Vice-President Myint Swe, former President Thein Sein and others visited the Mara Vijaya Buddha Image on 16th July. Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Senior General Min Aung Hlaing presented and explained about the completion of the pagoda to the visitors.

The Mara Vijaya Buddha Image is established to show the world that Theravada Buddhism is firmly flourishing in Myanmar, to show Myanmar is the center of Theravada Buddhism, to bring peace and prosperity to the country, to gain regional development by bringing local and foreign pilgrims to the Buddha Image and to support the development of the country. 

The Mara Vijaya Buddha Image is constructed based on the Yadanabon era style Bumi Phatha Mudra sitting marble after step-by-step implementation projects from excavating the giant stones, the Chairman of the State Administration Council said. 

He continued that stones for the statue and the throne were transported in part 1, 2, 3 and 4 through waterway and land routes. Those transportations were said to be the world heaviest carriages. 

The stones transportations were commenced on 3rd July, 2020; and a total of nine journeys were involved in the waterway transportation process for a total of 8158 tons of stone. It is acknowledged that carrying such a heavy marble stone is a recorded work in waterway transportation.  

In addition, in land route transportation for the Buddha Image construction, a total of 7632 tons were carried by seven times.

 At the time being, the construction of the Mara Vijaya Buddha Image is almost 100 percent finished. The Grand Ceremony of reciting Anaykaja will be convened on upcoming 1st August. The Mara Vijaya Buddha Image will be the highest sitting Buddha statue in the world.  

Former CIC Senior General Than Shwe transferred the giant marble stone to the current Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the Myanmar Military in 2017 in order to construct the Mara Vijaya Buddha Image.