Buddhist Maha Vihara

About Buddhist Maha Vihara The Buddhist Maha Vihara (BMV) was founded in 1894 by the Sasana Abhiwurdhi Wardhana Society (SAWS), the oldest registered Buddhist Society in the Klang Valley. The SAWS bears a unique distinction of being the 5th Society in the Registry of Societies, Selangor. The SAWS eventually became one of the 22 Societies and the only Buddhist Society that were exempted from registration of the Societies Regulation, 1894 of Selangor. From its very inception till today, the Vihara has been managed by the Sinhala Buddhist community but always financially supported by the Chinese and Indian communities. The first structure of the Vihara was the Main Shrine room, completed in early 20th Century. The donors for the Shrine Room, as recorded in the Selangor Government Gazette 1896, pg. 408 are clearly the Chinese and Indian community and among the main donors were: Kapitan Yeap Quang Seng, Towkay Loke Yew, K. Tambusamy Pillay, R. Doraisamy Pillay, Loke Chow Kit, San Peng and Son, Lim Tua Taw, etc. . . The Vihara was always the focal point to mobilize the Buddhists community. The large gathering to protest and stop the screening the then controversial film “Light of Asia” in 1927 in Malaysia was also held at the Vihara, and so was one of the mass gathering and signature campaigns in the 1960s to lobby the government to declare Wesak as a national holiday. Monks A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, whilst always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many religions and in philosophy. DATUK KIRINDE DHAMMARATANA NAYAKA MAHA THERO Ven. Datuk Kirinde Dhammaratana Thero the Chief Incumbent of Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is known throughout Malaysia and internationally for his outstanding services to the Buddha Sasana. His efforts in the promotion of religious knowledge, social interaction and cultural understanding amongst Malaysians are highly commendable.