WAKi Relic Museum

HISTORY OF WAKi RELIC MUSEUM

Waki Relic Museum, located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is a private museum founded by Dr. Teo Choo Guan. The museum consists various galleries such as the Buddha and his disciples’ relics gallery, the Buddha Statue gallery, The Amulets gallery, the Tipitaka scripture gallery and blackwood gallery. These gallery halls showcase the splendid history and achievements of Buddhist culture and art, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the depth and greatness of Buddhist culture and art.

During the initial establishment of the museum, the majority of the Buddha statues, amulets and Tipitaka Scripture were gifted by Venerable Chao Khun Thiab, the deputy abbot of Wat Phra Chetuphon (Wat Pho) in Thailand, and displayed under “Waki Relic Center”. Subsequently, The late Sayadaw U Kittivara, the abbot of Parami Temple in Yangon, Myanmar (Founder of the Relic Museum in Myanmar, the King of Relics), entrusted Waki Relic Museum by gifting us a massive collection of precious relics of Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples. On 9th July 2019, the late Sayadaw attended grand opening ceremony at the Waki Relic Musuem, Malaysia. On the auspicious day, he had appointed Waki Relic Musuem as Relic International center for preserving and enshrining the Buddha and His Disciples’ relics.

Furthermore, at the highest level of the museum, the “Dhammagitasala” enshrines majestic Buddha statues and a 450 kg Relic of Buddha and his disciples Pagoda and ten 350 kg of Buddha and his disciples Relic Pagoda. This special place display relics from various countries, allowing devotees to pay homage to relics from around the world, engage in Buddhist practices such as worship, chanting, building pagoda, offering to pagoda, circumambulation, and paying respects to the pagoda.

Waki Relic Museum has a vision of building 84,000 Waki Relic Pagoda to be enshrined in temples around the world, providing opportunities for Buddhists to pay homage to relics of Shakyamuni Buddha and his disciples, thereby establishing a connection with Buddhism, cultivating merits and wisdom, and contributing to the prosperous future of Buddhism for the coming 2500 years.

A Brief Biography of The Most Venerable Sayadaw U Kittivara

King of Relic and the Chief Abbott of Thein Taung Teik Thit Temple the founder of Relic Musuem, Venerable Aggamahasaddhammajotikadhaja Baddanta Kittivara (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 Relics 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, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Malaysia come to pay respect to the Relics every day.

In addition, Sayadaw U Kittivara had travelled to many foreign countries such as Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam 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. In year 2019 July 9th , Sayadaw U Kittivara attended the opening of Waki Relic Musuem in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and he was generosity presented 2,000kg of 2,500 years precious buddha relics and arahants relics to be enshrining in Waki Relic Musuem.

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. Sayadaw U Kittivara has passed away at 11.45pm on Wednesday, July 28, 2021. He was 74.

President of WAKi Relic Museum Dr. Teo Choo Guan

President of WAKi Relics Museum 华琪舍利子博物馆主席 World Peace Ambassador 世界和平大使 M.A (Honorary Master Degree in Buddhist Studies) MCU University 荣誉佛学硕士 World Buddhism Contribution Award, Beijing 世界佛学杰出贡献奖 Pillar of Asoke Award, Thailand 阿育王石柱佛教贡献奖 Gold Phra Pathomched Award, Thailand 佛统塔金奖 International Tara Award, Thailand 国际绿度母奖