Mandalay was the capital city of the last reigning dynasty of Konbaung Kings. It is now the second capital and center of Myanmar's art, cultures and Buddhist learning. The exquisite tapestry works, stone sculpture, the traditional art of gold leaf home industry are worth a visit. Mandalay can boast of the largest standing during the reign of the benevolent King Mindon, he had commanded the experts to chisel the entire scriptures of Tipitaka on 729 stone slabs in 1857. The mammoth book still serves as reference to the learners in Buddhist teachings.
Other places of interest are the Mahamuni Holy Image, the Mandalay Hill, and the Sagaing Hill where Buddhist Sangha and nuns lead a peaceful secluded life of meditation.
History
Mandalay was founded by King Mindon in 1857. Most of the monuments there including the Mandalay Palace, the city walls, pagodas and monasteries were built in that year or soon after. King Mindon planned the building of the new capital in 1857 and it was formally inaugurated in 1859.
The fortified city is in the form of a square, each side of which is ten furlongs in length, a battlemented wall of brick and mud mortar has a total height of 25 feet and is backed by an earthen rampart. There are 12 gates, three on each side, at equal distances from each other. They are surmounted by pyatthats or pavilions of wood. These total 48 in number. The moat surrounding the city is approximately 225 feet wide and 11 feet deep. Four bridges spanning the moat lead to the main gates. The palace thus occupied the central spot in the city.
The palace, with magnificent woodcarving embellishing it, was destroyed by fire during World War 11. However, the Lion Throne survived the war and is now exhibited at the national museum in Yangon.
Today, Myat-Nan-San-Kyaw Golden Palace in Mandalay has been reconstructed; a monument of historical value, the glory of the Myanmar people -- embellished and renovated -- is a testimony to the ancient culture.
The city was named after the Mandalay Hill, which is situated at the northeast corner of the present city. The hill has for long been a holy mount and it is believed that Lord Buddha prophesied that a great city, metropolis of Buddhism, would be founded at its foot. It was King Mindon who fulfilled the prophecy.
Mandalay, as the centre of Myanmar culture, was outstanding in the past; it holds the stage now; and it will continue to be a place of pride in the future.
Location
Mandalay is situated on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River in central Myanmar. It is the second largest city in Myanmar. Towards the east, there are the blue Shan mountain ranges, which give the city a physical dignity. To the west there is Myanmar's life stream, the mighty Ayeyarwady flowing by.
How to get there
Mandalay is linked by air, rail, road and river with Yangon and other principal towns of Myanmar. One could choose any one of the four modes of transportation one prefers. It takes only an hour to fly from Yangon to Mandalay and if one travels by train or car, it takes 12 to 14 hours.
Sightseeing
When in Mandalay, one should not miss, among others, the Myat-Nan-San-Kyaw Palace, the Mandalay Hill, Kuthodaw Pagoda, Eindawya Pagoda and Mahamuni Pagoda. One should also visit the recently built Zay-gyo market and various department stores. Mandalay, while retaining its reputation as the home of ancient Myanmar culture and civilization is, today, fast moving to become a busy modern and industrial city as well.
Besides the Mandalay hill, the palace wall, and the palace, which is newly built, many other places in Mandalay attract tourists. Visiting the Great Maha Muni Pagoda is among them a top priority, which lies to the south of Mandalay. This pagoda was so named after the holy image, "Maha Muni" housed therein. Originally, this holy image belonged to Myohaung (a town in Rakhine State, the western coastal region of Myanmar).
In 1784, King Bodawpaya (a son of King Alaungpaya who founded the Kon-Baung dynasty) got the image brought by his son to the then royal capital at Amarapura. It has been 210 years, therefore, since the holy image first arrived at the central Myanmar. To the Buddhists in Myanmar, this richly gilded Maha Muni image is not a mere representation of the Lord Buddha but is an icon which is regarded as sacred itself. And the image is also considered to be the greatest in Myanmar next to the Shwe Dagon.
Another celebrated pagoda is the Kyauk Tawgyi situated near the southern approach to the Mandalay hill. It was built in the reign of King Mindon. Also at this pagoda, there is a huge marble image of Buddha, which was carved out of a single block of marble. Situated to the east is the Kuthodaw pagoda modeled on the Shwe Zigon at Nyaung Oo. In the precincts of this pagoda, there are 729 monoliths on which the entire teachings of Buddha can be seen as edited and approved by the fifth Buddhist Synod.
The Atumashi Kyaung (which literally means the inimitable monastery) also is worth seeing. Actually, it is just the ruins partly survived the fire in 1890. However, the remains seen nowadays obviously show that the Atumashi Kyaung must have been indeed an inimitable one in former times.
Zegyo Market
This Market is the most famous shopping centre in Mandalay, where you can buy innumerable items of consumer's goods, household appliances, etc. made in China, India and Thailand. Besides, fine handicrafts and jewellery of Myanmar origin are also available. Zegyo Market is situated in the downtown area.
Phatahe Bazaar
For those who are keen on collecting souvenirs, Phayagyi bazaar is much to the purpose. In fact, this bazaar stocks the articles exclusively concerning the services of worship and prayer to the Lord Buddha. This Bazaar is located near the Great Maha Muni Pagoda.
Nyaung Pin Bazaar
This is the largest grocery and green grocery in Mandalay. There are a variety of food stuffs produced from the Shan States in this Bazaar.
Chinatown
An evening in Mandalay can be spent shopping round the Chinatown. In so doing, you can also taste the exotic delicacies of the region.
Where to stay in Mandalay!
Moreover, such places as the Eindawya pagoda, the Set Kya Thiha pagoda, the Shwe Nandaw monastery, the old Watch Tower, King Mindon's tomb, etc. should also be visited in Mandalay. In addition, the old royal capitals prior to the city of Mandalay (Amarapura, Innwa, Sagaing) should also be visited during your stay in Mandalay. And you should not either leave Pyin Oo Lwin (May Myo) unvisited, for it may well be the most pleasant place in Myanmar and even in South East Asia, perhaps. It is situated 69 km to the east of Mandalay, over 1,100 metres in elevation. In the colonial days, Pyin Oo Lwin used to be the summer resort of the Governor.
The routes from Mandalay to surrounding areas.
Not the beauty queen of a beauty contest by the fairer gender. It is the floral museum in an open field at a hill station town called Pyin Oo Lwin (formerly May Myo) in Mandalay Division that the title of this vignette refers to.
Well known at home and abroad as Botanical Gardens, this man-made arborea of a large extent and exquisite verdant beauty lies to the extreme north of Pyin Oo Lwin town, about two miles' distance from Purcell Tower (clock Tower) downtown, occupying a wide area of 240 acres. The Botanical garden receives its water source from the nearby Lake known now as Kandaw Gyi (Great Royal Lake) which is also a man-made lake.
History of both the garden and the lake dates back to the first two decades of the last century, the 20th. During the First World War (1914-1919) the digging of the Lake was begun. When the natural springs in the upper reaches of the Botanical Garden were found sprouting incessantly, the town authorities decided to dam the crystal clear spring water for some useful purpose.
The Botanical Garden was first founded in the year 1915-16 by one British botanist named Mr. Roger who began collecting local plants and trees and cultivating them on 30 acres of land at the present site. It was only in 1919 that the Government gave official sanction to it. The original area of the Botanical Garden was 170 acres of land and 70 acres of water totalling 240 acres. With a constant supply of sufficient spring water from the great lake nearby, the plan of the Garden was laid out on the design of Kew Gardens in England. In 1920 the Forest Department issued a notification No. 207 which declared the Botanical Garden as a forest reserve and placed it under the custody of the Department. In several plots were planted 4840 trees mostly pine varieties, 575 different floral species and many exotic fruit, flower and shade trees from abroad that were acclimatized to grow in the Garden. Besides, vast meadows and several seasonal flower beds were arranged and hundreds of wild orchids from different parts of the country were collected and displayed in the Orchid Green House in the garden. The garden thus became one of the world class botanical gardens.
Where to stay in Pyin Oo Lwin!
About a 7-hour drive north of Mandalay Mogoke is famous in the world for producing the best ruby and sapphire gems of the first grade. It also produces many semi-precious stones equally scintillating and covered by gem lovers. Located at 3,840 ft in picturesque natural surroundings, Mogoke also enjoys a temperate climate. Visitors may observe the mining techniques by which these precious stones are taken from the alluvial limestone gravel and may also shop at the many gemstone markets.
Admission Fee US$ per head
| Mandalay Hill |
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| Mahamuni Pagoda |
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| Mandalay Palace |
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| Innwa |
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Sagaing lies 21 km southwest of Mandalay on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River. Sagaing became a capital of an independent Shan kingdom around 1315 after the fall of Bagan had thrown central Myanmar into chaos. Its period of importance was short for in 1364 the founder's grandson, Thado Minbya, moved his capital across the river to Inwa. For four brief years from 1760 to 1764 Sagaing was once again the capital. Today, Sagaing is known as a meditation centre. Myanmars, ail over the country would visit Sagaing for the purpose of religious retreat.
Sagaing Hill
It is known as a religious retreat where over 600 monasteries for monks and nuns are located for Buddhistic studies and meditation. The Padamyazedi dates from 1300 while the Onhmin Thonze or thirty caves pagoda has many Buddha images in a crescent shaped colonnade. Mural paintings can be seen in the Tilawkaguru cave temple, which was built around 1672. The Pa Ba Gyaung is typical of the many monasteries on the hillside. And at the nearby village of Ywahtaung you can see silver workers producing bowls and other silver items by traditional methods.
Inwa Bridge
The road to Sagaing crosses the river on the sixteen span Inwa Bridge that is well over a km long. Opened in 1934 the bridge was put out of action by the British in 1942 when they demolished two spans in order to deny the bridge to the advancing Japanese. Not until 1954 was the bridge repaired and put back into operation. There's a toll to take cars across the bridge, which also carries the rail line. Inwa Bridge used to be the longest-bridge in Myanmar until the emergence of Thanlyin Bridge in 1993.
Kaunghmudaw Pagoda
Sagaing Kaung Hmu Daw Pagoda, which literally means " Pagoda of Royal Merit at Sagaing ". But its official Pali name is "Rajamanicula". Built by King Tha Lun (A.D. 1629 –1642) of Nyaung Yan dynasty (A.D 1599 – 1752) in the year A. D. 1636 in commemoration of the reestablishment of Inwa as capital, the pagoda is the monument of historic importance as well as an object of veneration of the Buddhist masses because it enshrines the Tooth Relic of the Buddha brought from Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Unfortunately its grotesque shape has stretched the imagination of some story tellers to fabricate a silly etiological tale – when the royal architects asked King Tha Lun what shape he would like to build, the chief queen who was present nearby suddenly exposed her rounded breast for model! When and who cooked up this sacrilegious make believe is unknown, and some unlicensed tourist guides are telling their clients that it is the " breast pagoda"!
Situated about 11 km south of Mandalay, Amarapura is an ancient capital of the Konbaung Dynasty. The modern town of Amarapura is often referred to as Taungmyo "the southern city" to distinguish It from Mandalay, the northern city. The old name means "city of immortality" but Amarapura's period, as capital was brief. Amarapura was founded as his new capital by Bodawpaya in 1783, soon after he ascended to the throne. In 1823 Bagyidaw moved back to Inwa. In 1841 Amarapura again became the capital but in 1857 Mindon decided to make Mandalay the capital and the changeover was completed in 1860. There are several interesting sltes to be seen. Amarapura was also the slte for the first British embassy in Myanmar in 1795. Amarapura is noted for silk and cotton weaving and bronze easting.
Patodawgyi Pagoda
Built by Bagyidaw in 1820 this well preserved pagoda stood outside the old city walls. The lower terraces have marble slabs illustrating scenes from the Jataka. You'll have a fine view over the surrounding countryside from the upper terrace. An inscription stone, within the temple precincts, details the history of the pagoda's construction.
U Bein's Bridge
South of the Patodawgyi Pagoda the shallow Taungthaman Lake is crossed by a huge teak bridge. During the dry season the bridge crosses dry land. U Bein was the "mayor" at the time of the shift from Inwa and he wisely salvaged material from the deserted Inwa Palace to build this km long footbridge. It has stood the test of time for two centuries.
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