Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing paid homage to Chairman of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee Presiding Nayaka of Bhamo Monastery Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Abhidhaja Agga Maha Saddhammajotika Dr Bhaddanta Kumara Bhivamsa Bhamo Sayadaw at Bhamo Monastery in Mahaaungmye Township of Mandalay Region yesterday.
The Senior General offered eight kinds of prerequisites, cash for nine prerequisites, 100 bags of rice, 10 bags of gram, 100 visses of edible oil, nutritious foodstuffs and medicines donated by families of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) to Bhamo Sayadaw. Members of the State Administration Council and Union ministers also donated alms to members of the Sangha.
The Senior General supplicated efforts for building Maravijaya Buddha Image in the Buddha Park of Dekkhinathiri Township in Nay Pyi Taw, the building of the Buddha image with the aim of showing the firmly flourishing of Theravada Buddha Sasana of Myanmar to the world, ensuring peace and stability of the nation, helping the region develop through visits of the local and foreign travellers to the Buddha image and contributing to the development of the country, plans underway to create chance for visitors to pay homage to the Buddha image as well as to view the Pitaka stone inscription, posting of stone inscriptions on Pitaka treatises, efforts made for translating and publishing the Tri Pitaka treatises in Pali to English under the supervision of five Ovadacariya Sayadaws in line with the advice of former Rector of International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University Agga Maha Pandita Abhidhaja Agga Maha Saddhammajotika Bhaddanta Ashin Silananda Bhivamsa, and arrangements for carving the stone inscriptions on Tri Pitaka treatises in Pali and English to the Sayadaw with the use of layout plans, stone inscription chamber and sample of stone plaques.
At Maha Wizitayon Monastery in Chanayethazan Township, the Senior General and party paid homage to Presiding Nayaka of the monastery Abhidhaja Maha Rattha Guru Bhaddanta Vicarinda Bhivamsa. The Senior General offered eight kinds of prerequisites, cash for nine prerequisites, 20 bags of rice, five bags of gram, 50 visses of edible oil, foodstuffs and medicines donated by families of the Tatmadaw (Army, Navy and Air) to the Sayadaw. He then asked after the health condition of the Sayadaw and instructed officials to make arrangements for the Sayadaw.
The Senior General also paid homage to the Buddha image at Maha Lawkamarazein Kuthodaw Pagoda and donated cash to the fund.
In visiting the pagoda, the Senior General stressed the need to systematically maintain the pagoda for the convenience of pilgrims as the pagoda was built by King Mindon. Ancient works of doors must be maintained as much as the original. It is necessary to place tiles on the platform of the pagoda and the circular road of the park. Stone inscription chambers should be cleaned and the chamber and stone plaques must be recorded.
The pagoda was built by King Mindon who came onto the throne in 1852. There are 729 stone plaques at the pagoda and these inscriptions were carved in 1868. Each stone plaque is kept in the chamber until present. In 2013, these plaques were recognized as the Worlds’ Largest Book by UNESCO. It is necessary to systematic preservation of Kuthodaw Pagoda and UNESCO’s heritage stone plaques in successive eras. —MNA
