King Thu Ri Ya Sak Ka of Dynyawaddy kingdom and king Athor Ka, were simultaneous kings. King Athor Ka ruled his country from BC 326 to BC 286. King Thu Ri Ya Sak Ka ruled Dynyawaddy from BC 316 to BC 272. King Athor Ka sent monk Shin Bar Ku La and monk Shin Maha Teik Tha bringing Buddha relics to king Thu Ri Ya Sak Ka to build the pagodas in the prophetic places of Buddha in Dynyawaddy. The two monks gave him the Buddha relics and the replica of Sandamuni Buddha image which Buddha cast by himself while he was alive. According to the two monk’s instruciton, he built 248 pagodas int he prophetic places of Buddha who visited Rakhine. The pagodas were as high as the bull. The successive kings of Rakhine reconstructed them into the larger pagodas by encasing the original pagodas.
After building the pagodas, king Thu Ri Ya Sak Ka cast the image similar to Sandamuni Buddha image of India in the nine leftover jewels of casting Manamuni Buddha image. That Buddha image was named Sandamuni because it was cast like Sandamuni Buddha image of India. The king worshipped the Buddha image by building the stone cave for it in the east of the palace. The successive kings of Dynyawaddy period worshipped the Buddha image like Mahamuni Buddha image. The successive kings of Vesali period also worshipped it. And then, king Min Saw Mon moved the capital of Rakhine from the city of Laungkyat to Mraukoo. He built five pagodas around the city of Mraukoo as city-settlement pagodas. Moreover, he took Sandamuni Buddha image worshipeed by the successive kings of Rakhine to Mraukoo. The stone Buddha image was put in the original place of Sandamuni Buddha image. That stone Buddha image is also called Sandamuni Buddha image. Nowadays, that Buddha image is near Taungoo village. King Min Saw Mon worshipped Sandamuni Buddha image making the cave on Barkual hill in which Arahat Ashin Bar Ku La stood and prophesied that Mraukoo would be founded. The British occupied Rakhine state after the first Anglo-Myanmar war. In such time, the British took away the bronzeware such as bronze Buddha images, the bronze bells and the bronze gongs from Rakhine state. And then, some townselders hid some Buddha images and other valuable bronzeware. Those townselders hid Sandamuni Buddha image as well by taking it sneakily from Barkual hill at night. Nobody knew where Sandamuni Buddha image was hidden after those townselders had been dead.
One day, Ashin Sak Ka Pa La found the porcelain eye on the Buddha throne when he made obeisance to Buddha image in the ordination hall. When he observed the Buddha images, monk Sak Ka Pa La found absolutely that the Buddha image whose eye had fallen off, was a bronze image covering with cement. He told the presiding monks Agga Maha Pan Di Ta and Bad Dan Ta Pan Deik Ta humbly about that. And then, the cement of the Buddha image was broken off from the image leading by monk Ashin Sak Ka Pa La at 2:40 PM on Thursday in June in 1988. Since then, the impressive and marvellous Buddha image has been seen. When Buddha image was polished repairing the hole of the Buddha image damaged by the cement, it became glittery that no one can satisfy for making obeisance to it.
The distance of the two knees is 4 feet 2 inches broad and the image is 4 feet 2 inches high from the bottom to the forelock. The image was cats for the king to worship in accordance with the book of metal beauty architecture. Sandamuni is a wonderful Buddha image because if the Buddha image is worshipped 10 feet away from the image, it looks like the perfect man who sits cross-legged.
Sandamuni is not the Buddha image which was made of bronze only, but is made of five jewels. Some Buddha images were cast in copper instead of gold, but Sandamuni Buddha images was case in the proportionate metal-mixing method, therefore, Buddha image is glittering like gold. Sandamuni is a proportional Buddha image because it was cast in accordance with the book of metal beauty architecture.
The eyelids of the image are put downwards. Casting with the lines on the eyelids, is artistic. The curved eyebrows and the straight nose look like a human being. The smiling lips are an artistic work of the sculptor. Casting the image with a circular face and without the forehead frame, is Rakhine’s own artistic works. The nose is so proportional to the face that the worshippers cannot be bored with seeing it. Seeing a hollow on the chin, looks like a human being exactly. The two ears are long and the ears’ bores are wide. That is Rakhine’s artistic work. The neck is straight and making three lines in the neck is a sign of wearing the yellow robe. Rakhine scholars say that seeing the broad chest and the nipples are due to wearing the thin yellow robe. The two arms of the image are strong like the elephant trunk. The image has a waist appropriate to the chest.
The Buddha image is the form of cross-legged position in which the right leg is put on the left leg. By overturning the right palm, it is put on the right knee. The fingers are put downwards, but they don’t touch Buddha throne. Such gesture of Buddha image is called Pasinkata mudra. Pasinkata mudra means Buddha is sitting calmly for worshipping of human beings, Devas and Hrahmas. Distincitvely, the Buddha image has the long and short fingers like the ordinary people. The upturned left palm is put on the right sole of the image. The acid is held with the index finger and the thumb. Such characteristics refers to that Buddha is an unrivalled wise person in the universe.
The background figures of the image, are eight series of the history of Buddha copied from Vesali period. Rakhine people used to sculpt the four series of the Buddha history, eight series of the Buddha history and ten series of the Buddha history since the ancient Vesali period.
The right side figures of the image
1. Giving brith to the future Buddha from mother Mar Yar Day Wi.
2. Desending from the celestial realm to the human abode after Buddha had expounded Abidamma doctrine during the four months of lent.
3. Preaching Dhammacakkya doctrine by Buddha for the five monks in Migadawone forest.
The left side figures of the image
4. Expounding Dhamma for king Valalayya elephant while Buddha was dwelling alone for the four months of lent in Vilalayya forest as he couldn’t solve the conflict among the monks.
5. Preaching Dhamma for Nalageeri elephant by Buddha when Daywadat sent it to kill Buddha with its feet.
6. Practising his supernatural power by Buddha.
7. The topmost figure is gaining Mahaparinibbanna of Buddha.
8. Buddha image represents that Buddha won over Mara for Bawdi tree and the jewelled throne and brought about Buddhahood by attaining omniscience.
Nine wonderful thins of Sandamuni Buddha image
1. The brightness of Buddha image doesn’t fade out even though it lasts for long time by irradiating once.
2. If the distinctive events will occur in the country, the right eye of the image becomes red.
3. It is always cold if the Buddha image is touched with hand either in the summer or in the winter.
4. The shade of lotus flower appearing in the chest, cannot be spoiled by any ways.
5. If the Buddha image is paid obeisance once, the desire to make obeisance over and over again, appears.
6. The Buddha image brights up in both day and night.
7. The persons who observe nine precepts for nine days by contemplating the attributes of Buddha with beads before the image, will fulfill their wishes and they well be free from danger.
8. After worshipping the image once, if anyone contemplates the Buddha image with the bead, the image appears in his mind.
9. The pilgrims nearby and remote areas who intend to worship the image, can get to the image easily without any disturbances.
Reference
1. Rakhine Touristy Stupas, 2008 by Htay Win
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