 In the ancient history of Arakan , King <unk> of Pagan ( r . 1044 – 1077 ) attempted to move the image to Pagan , without success . In 1784 , the Burmese under the military leadership of Crown Prince <unk> <unk> of Konbaung dynasty conquered the Kingdom of Mrauk U. The religious relics of the kingdom , including the Mahamuni Buddha image , were confiscated and installed in the Mahamuni temple or Pagoda at <unk> , on the outskirts of the old capital of Mandalay . As the Mahamuni image was too large to transport as a whole , it was cut into sections and later reassembled and housed in the new temple . Mandalay became the capital under King <unk> ( r . 1853 – 1878 ) . It was also the capital under his son Thibaw ( r . 1878 – 1885 ) of the Konbaung Dynasty ( 1752 – 1885 ) . When the British annexed Upper Burma in 1885 to prevent the French from dominating it , monarchic rule ended . However , veneration of the Mahamuni image has continued , and is visited and idolised by many pilgrims , mainly Rakhine , Mon and <unk> peoples . 
