 In 1996, the military rulers in Burma undertook renovation work on the Mahamuni Pagoda. During this period, the Mahamuni Buddha image was damaged in 1997 when a hole appeared in the belly of the Great Image. It was believed that thieves had drilled the hole in an attempt to steal jewels believed to be secreted within the image. It was reported that a military officer had requested to open the temple in the night, resulting in a meeting of all the senior monks from major monasteries in the area to discuss the matter. Whilst the meeting was in progress, attention was diverted to a purported rape incident committed by a Muslim man on a Buddhist girl. A major riot broke out but it turned out afterward that the Buddhist girl had not been raped at all. It was a coverup to divert attention away from the Buddha so it could be repaired. However, the mystery remains as to whether any jewellery did exist and was actually removed from the Great Image at all.
