No damage or unusual state was found at Maravijaya Buddha Image but other religious edifices have seen some extent of damage.

 

CHAIRMAN of the State Administration Council Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Senior Gen­eral Min Aung Hlaing yesterday morning inspected the damage to the Maravijaya Buddha Image which is the tallest sitting marble Buddha image worldwide and other religious buildings in the precinct of the Buddha Park in Dekkhinathiri Township of Nay Pyi Taw.

 

At the office of the Image Board of Trustees, Chairman of the Board U Thant Swe, Union Minister for Energy U Ko Ko Lwin and Director of Military En­gineers Maj-Gen Zaw Naing Oo, Union Minister for Construction U Myo Thant and officials report­ed to the Senior General on daily and monthly checking the datum points and measurements of the Image and the throne, no change in datum points of these struc­tures after the earthquake struck on 28 March, no unusual state of the image and the throne, some damaged parts at the terrace, Gandakuti chamber and slabs as well as some religious buildings, and repair process, systematic checking the structures of the Image in the shocks of earth­quake with the use of modern technology to set records, sys­tematic repair of some damaged parts and preventive measures for future earthquakes.

 

In his response to the re­ports, the Senior General said that from the very beginning of the construction of the Mara­vijaya Buddha Image, careful planning and modern engineer­ing techniques were employed to ensure its long-term durability, resilience against strong winds, earthquake resistance, and pro­tection from natural disasters. Hence, despite the occurrence of a severe earthquake, he con­tinued that the image and its terrace did not experience any tilting, subsidence, or structur­al fractures. So, he added that officials have to oversee the re­pairing of only minor damages and systematically repair and maintain the structures as nec­essary.

 

The Senior General cordial­ly greeted the pilgrims at the Buddha image. He inspected the precinct of the image and the passage of the Gandakuti chamber and maintenance of some damaged parts. He then beat the bell of the image.

 

The Senior General also looked into damaged parts of Aggadhipati Sasana Beikman and gave necessary guidance to officials.

 

In a meeting with the chair and members of the Image Board of Trustees, the Senior General said that the severe earthquake posed a significant challenge for engineers and engineering technologies. During such an ex­tremely intense and rare earth­quake, it is a great source of pride that the Maravijaya Buddha Image and its grand platform did not experience any tilting, subsidence, or cracks in their attached parts, and that damage to other religious structures was minimal. Hence, it is necessary to systematically maintain the Image and religious buildings for their long-term existence.

 

The Maravijaya Buddha Image was sculpted in separate sections using CNC machines in a step-by-step carving process. Modern engineering techniques were applied to ensure the struc­tural integrity of the image dur­ing the assembly of its parts. To ensure the long-term durability of the sacred Buddha image, the foundation was designed to withstand up to 20,000 tonnes. It was also engineered to endure wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour from severe storms, withstand earthquakes of up to 8.8 magnitude—the highest recorded seismic activity in My­anmar – and remain unaffected by lightning strikes. The entire construction was meticulously calculated and executed from an engineering perspective to en­sure its resilience and longevity. The connection of the large rocks of the Buddha Image was carried out using a combination of tradi­tional methods and modern en­gineering techniques. The Mar­avijaya Buddha Image, standing 63 feet tall with an 18 feet high throne, reaching a total height of 81 feet, was successfully built and enshrined as the world’s largest Buddha image in conformity with the architectural style of the Ya­danabon era, blended with mod­ern construction techniques to create a magnificent and awe-in­spiring structure. Remarkably, despite experiencing a powerful earthquake, the statue sustained no damage, demonstrating an impressive feat of engineering excellence. — MNA/TTA