(WAki International Group Media Center 5th of August) Venerable Aggamahasaddhammajotikadhaja Baddanta Kittivara (Sayadaw U Kittivara), the King of Relic and the Chief Abbott of Thein Taung Teik Thit Temple the founder of Relic Musuem, has passed away at 11.45pm on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. He was 74.
Sayadaw U Kittivara was born on 13 October 1947 in Paukpinthar Village, Meikthila division, in central Myanmar. He entered the Wantawpyi Monastery in a remote village in Burma at the age of ten. He received his higher ordination as a Buddhist monk at the age of twenty at the Wantawpyi Monastery, under the preceptor, U Jagara, the leader of Koethaungpyi Pali University. He studied and learnt the Buddhist scriptures under the famous monk Sayadaw Wantawphy in Wantwin township and Sayadaw Saintaugng in Taunggyi township.
In 1979, Sayadaw became the Abbott of Thein Taung Teik Thit Temple (Parami Temple), South Okkalapa, Myanmar. Sayadaw followed the footstep of his Master, Venerable Suriya who collected the relics of the Buddha and His Disciples. Sayadaw had been travelling around the country, collecting, preserving, and re-enshrining the relics of Lord Buddha and Arahants.
In 1984, Sayadaw opened the Relic Musuem at his monastery with the intention to keep the Relics in one place for Buddhist devotes to be able to pay homage to the Buddha’s relics and Buddha’s disciples relics. The monastery is well-known locally as well as overseas. There are many Buddhist devotes from all around the world such as Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Nepal, Indonesia and Malaysia come to pay respect to the Relics.
In year 2019 July 9th, Sayadaw U Kittivara attended the opening of Waki Relic Museum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and established as an International Relic Center. He was generosity presented 2,000kg of 2,500 years precious buddha relics and arahants relics to be enshrining in Waki Relic Museum.
In addition, Sayadaw U Kittivara had travelled to many foreign countries such as Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Singapore for promote and propagate the Buddhism. In order to give more devotes 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,China and Malaysia for enshrinement.
Throughout his life, Sayadaw had constructed many stupas and renovated ancient monasteries around the country. Venerable Sayadaw U Kittivara had been received the title of “Aggamahasaddhammajotika-dhaja" by the government of the Union of Myanmar in 2020 due to his efforts to promote Buddhism.
