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 purpose of the museum is to preserve and enshrine the relics and offer insight into the history and culture of global Buddhism.

The Musuem began with a collection of Buddha statues and amulets from Thailand. Later on, the late Sayadaw U Kittivara (the King of Relics), the founder and abbot of Parami Temple in Yangon, Myanmar generously presented many different types of 2,500 years precious Buddha an his Disciples’s relics to be enshrined in Waki Relic Musuem. On 9th July 2019, he appointed Waki Relic Musuem as the International Relic Center to continue to enshrine the relics of Buddha and his Disciples to connect Buddhists globally in this new era and are for people to pay homage and recollect the great virtues of the Buddha, as the guardian of the light to the Buddhism.

The museum has various galleries such as the Buddha and his disciples' relic gallery, the Buddha statue gallery, the amulets gallery, the Buddhist scripture gallery, and the Blackwood gallery. Furthermore, at the top level of the museum, the “Dhammagitasala” has enshrined the Buddha statues, one unit 450kg and ten units 350kg of relics of Buddha and his disciples' Pagodas. This enables the devotees to pay homage to the relics and practice the teachings of the Buddha, such as worshipping, chanting, listening to the Dhamma, meditation, offering, and circumambulating the pagoda.

The founder of Waki Relic Musuem, Dr.Teo Choo Guan has the aspiration to offer 84,000 waki relic pagodas to be enshrined in the temple around the world in order to fulfil the wishes of the late Sayadaw on preserve and enshrine the Buddha and His Disciples’ relics for flourish and prolong the Buddhism into another 2,500 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