(WAki International Media Center 18th of August) Sayadaw U Kittivara was born on 13 October 1947 in Paukpinthar Village, Meikthila division, in central Myanmar. Master was ordained as a novice monk in Burma at the age of ten. He received his higher ordination as a Buddhist monk at the age of Twenty. In 1979, Sayadaw became the Abbott of Thein Taung Teik Thit Temple (Parami Temple), South Okkalapa, Myanmar. In 1984, Sayadaw opened the Relic Musuem at his monastery. In year 2019, Sayadaw U Kittivara opened International Relic Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Sayadaw u Kittivara had passed away at July 28, 2021. He was 74.
According to the Commentary on the Anguttara Nikaya of the Sutta Pitaka, there were two merchants, named Tapussa and Bhallika offered the alms-food to the Lord Buddha in Bodh Gaya, the Buddha passed his eight hair-relics to the brothers. Then the brothers put the relic- hairs in a gold casket and returned to Burma to be enshrined in the stupas. Within 2,600 years, there have been more than hundred thousand stupas built in Burma for devotees to pay homage to the triple gems and enshrined the relics of the Buddha and his Disciples.
Due to the long period of time, many stupas and Cetiya were destroyed by the natural disaster such as Earthquake, Hurricanes and the poor maintenance. In order to propagate the buddha Sasana and enshrined the relics of the Buddha and his disciplines generation to generation, Sayadaw U Kittivara followed the footstep of his two Masters, Venerable Sayadaw Suriya, the Abbott of Wuntawpyae Monastry, Meiktila, Mandalay Division and Venerable Sayadaw Kondana, Abbott of Mahabodhi Relic Monastery, Myingyan, Mandalay Division, who collected and preserved the relics of the Buddha and His Disciples.
Sayadaw practiced Buddhanussati meditation for reflecting the virtues of the Buddha, which guided him to search the Relics。The Buddha has great virtues, realized four noble truths, completed the perfections. The Relics are highly venerated and enshrined for all to pay homage to the Buddha. During the King Mindon dynasty period, there was a monk called Venerable Visuddhacara at Wetlet Township, Shwebo District, who was interested in collecting and paying homage to the Relic. He was fortunate to find the relics with the practice of Buddhanussati meditation.
In those 60 years, Sayadaw U Kittivara had been travelling around the country, collecting, preserving and re-enshrining the relics of Lord Buddha and Arahants. In the early age, Sayadaw collected the Buddha Relics and his disciplines relics in old monasteries or stupas. He also searched and collected the relics that no one worship from villages or mountains on foot or by oxcart. Once, Sayadaw travelled to an old stupa named Moggalana cetiya at the hills of the Northern of Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region, which enshrined the relics of Venerable Moggalana. The relics of Monggalana was brown and the relics were excavated at the place.
After few years, Sayadaw opened the Relics Musuem at his monastery with the intention to keep the Relics in one place to enable Buddhist devotees to pay homage to the Buddha’s relics and Buddha’s disciples relics. Since then, the monastery is well-known locally as well as overseas. There were many senior monks and Buddhist devotees from different countries come to visit and pay homage to the Relics.
Furthermore, many different types of the Buddha relics and His Disciples were found from the collapsed stupas which were then sent to Sayadaw. The Buddha hair-relics, Buddha’s brain relics and the relics of Buddha Disciples were excavated from the collapsed stupas, which had been enshrined in the Museum.
In order to give more devotees who are unable to pay respect Relics at his temple, He had donated and distributed the relics to many countries including Thailand ,Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Malaysia for enshrinement. In year 2020, Sayadaw U Kittivara had generously presented of the buddha relics and Arahants relics to be enshrined in Waki Relic Musuem, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Meanwhile, he appointed Waki Relic Musuem as the International Relics Center to continue carrying on to enshrine the Relics of Buddha and his Disciples to prolong the Buddha Sasana. International Relics Center will build 1,000 Waki relic stupas as gifts to be enshrined, for the temples all around the world and to connect as global Buddhists in this new era. The Waki relic stupas enshrined the Buddha and His Disciples' relics are for people to pay homage and recollect the great virtues of the Buddha, as the guardian of the light to the Buddhism.
Throughout his life, Sayadaw had not only collected and preserved the Relics of Buddha and his Disciples, he also constructed many stupas and renovated ancient monasteries around the country for propagate the Buddhism. Venerable Sayadaw U Kittivara had received the title of “Aggamahasaddhammajotika-dhaja" by the government of the Union of Myanmar in 2020 due to his efforts to promote Buddhism.
