Replica of Mandalay Mahamuni Buddha to be available for worship within this year in Myawaddy

It is known that a replica of the Mandalay Mahamuni Buddha, which is 19 feet tall, will be available for worship within this year in Myawaddy, a border town between Myanmar and Thailand. It is known that the replica of the Mandalay Mahamuni Buddha, which will be enshrined in the grand Gandakuti temple being constructed in the Myanmar style within the compound of the Thatta-ngar Sayadaw monastery at the head of Puinlin-e-myain village, near the Seinle-myain long-distance bus terminal in the border town of Myawaddy, will be transported from Mandalay to Myawaddy on October 10, 2026. The construction of the Gandakuti temple, where the replica of the Mandalay Mahamuni Buddha will be enshrined, began with a foundation stone laying ceremony led by Sayadaw U Thatta-ngar on December 10, 2023. It is known that approximately 60 million kyats will be spent on the construction of the Gandakuti temple and the Mahamuni Buddha statue, and the family of the Yatana building materials shop in Ward 3 of Myawaddy town has donated the necessary cement for the construction. As Myawaddy is a border town, it is intended to bring peace of mind to pilgrims from near and far, as well as international tourists, and it will be possible to worship 84,000 Buddha images within the Gandakuti temple, said donor U Naing Maung Zaw. The Gandakuti temple, construction of which began in 2023, is now 80% complete, and the grand Buddha statue will be transported and enshrined on October 10, with the Gandakuti temple's spire topping ceremony scheduled for December 2026.