 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 . 
