Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung (, ) is a Buddhist religious complex located in

Monywa Township Monywa is a township in Monywa District in the Sagaing Region of Burma, Myanmar (Burma).

Sagaing Region Sagaing Region (, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east. It is border ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

(Burma). It is known for the Giant Standing Buddha statue, the third tallest in the world, and for the Great Attitudes of U Narãda, who built the monastery. This '' Sāsana'' (religious) site contains thousands of

Buddha statues Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as () in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in an image may be someone else who has obtained B ...

beneath thousands of Bo trees, the Giant

Reclining Buddha A reclining Buddha is an image that represents Buddha lying down and is a major iconographic theme in Buddhist art. It represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the parinirvana. He is lying on his right side, his h ...

Statue, Aung Sekkya

Stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

, and other large Buddha statues. Currently, a Sitting Buddha Statue, which is expected to become the world's largest Sitting Buddha Statue, is in construction. Many Buddhist monks can study the Buddhist '' Pariyatti'' literature at the monastery. Moreover, meditation centres or Vipassãnā centres are opened at this monastic site both for

monks A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

and laypersons.

History

Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung was founded by Maha Bodhi Ta Htaung Sayadaw Ven Nārada on 5 May 1960. He planted thousands of

Bo tree ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, bo tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipala tree or ...

s throughout his life on recalling the Buddha attained beneath the Bo tree in

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautam ...

, India. He started to plant them on a plot, with Nan Oo Sayadaw, the grandson of

King Mindon Mindon Min (, ; 1808 – 1878), born Maung Lwin, was the penultimate king of Burma (Myanmar) from 1853 to 1878. He was one of the most popular and revered kings of Burma because of his role in the Fifth Buddhist Council. Under his half brother ...

, at 8.55 AM on 6 May 1960. Bo trees hold religious significance for Buddhists since it is the tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. Before he reached this monastery, the monastery was just a small one for Khatakkan villagers. Now, the Bodhi Ta Htaung (One Thousand Bo Trees) Auspicious Ground has been extended to a area that has more than 9,000 Bo trees. The monastery is noted in Myanmar and around the world for its many thousands of Bodhi trees.

Laykyun Sekkya statue

Built in 1995, the Laykyun Sekkya Buddha statue is high with thirty one floors, referring to the 31 planes of existence or 31 Realms of Life Cycle according to Buddhist literatures. The mural paintings in every floor for each Realm are very interesting and famous. The pedestal is high. It is the second-tallest Buddha statue in the world after the Spring Temple Buddha in China. Construction of the statue was finished in 2008. On Banda vah mountain in Bodhi Tahtaung monastery, a Sitting Buddha statue is also being built for completing the last desire of Sayadawgyi, U Nārada.

Reclining Buddha Statue

The Reclining Buddha Statue was built on 8 January 1991. It has a length of and a width of . It is hollow inside the statue and the Great Chronicles of Buddha are displayed.

Aung Sekkya Pagoda

Built in 1979, the Aung Sekkya was modeled after the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon. At , the pagoda is about two thirds the size of the Shwedagon. People can walk up the outside stairs or walk through the hollow walkway inside the stupa in to the dome of the stupa.

Leadership

The site is led by a chief abbot known as a ''

sayadaw A sayadaw (, ; , and alternatively spelled ''hsayadaw'', ''sayado'', ''sayāḍo'' or ''sayāḍaw'') is a Burmese Buddhist title used to reference the senior monk or abbot of a monastery. The word is a combination of Sanskrit word "acharya" (te ...

''. The founding abbot, Ven. Narada, died in Mandalay on 22 November 2006. Since his demise, five Chief ''sayadaw''s have succeeded him as the Nāyaka Sayadaws according to his will.

References

{{Buddhist sites in Myanmar Buddhist temples in Myanmar Religious buildings and structures completed in 1960 Buildings and structures in Sagaing Region 19th-century Buddhist temples