Candasāra Buddha. One of the most venerated images in south-east Asia, now in the Mahāmuni Paya at Mandalay in Burma. The story of this image is closely connected with the religious and political history of the Arakanese region, since the kings of Pagān, Prome, and Pegu invaded Arakan from the earliest time, often with no other intention than to obtain possession of this sacred image of the Buddha. The importance of this statue is indicated by the belief that this is the only exact image of the Buddha. According to tradition, the image was built during the 51st regnal year of Candrasurya, who ascended the throne of Arakan in 146 bce. Despite this date being much later than the Buddha's death, the legend tells that this bronze statue was cast during a visit of the Buddha to Arakan. The 13 feet-high seated image is still much venerated and the countless worshippers who visit it every day have by now covered it with a thick layer of gold leaf. The image is so popular that the curators have installed video monitors around the Mahāmuni Paya complex so that people can pay their respects to the video image of the Candasāra Buddha.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)