Destinations
Mandalay
Mandalay is situated about
600 kilometers north of Yangon on the
Ayeyarwaddy River. It is Myanmar's second
largest city. Located in the Mandalay Division,
it is the Capital. Mandalay is one of the
largest cities in the country. It is also the
major trading and communications center in
northern and central Myanmar and is linked by
rail with other large Myanmar cities. Mandalay
is surrounded by its ancient neighboring cities
as Mingun, Sagaing, Innwa (Ava), and
Amarapura.Mandalay is the historical old
capital, a capital of Myanmar culture, Buddhist
Sasana and Myanmar traditional arts and crafts,
with the life span of one hundred and forty two
years, a city that abounds in historical sites,
cultural memorials and Buddhist
edifices. Accordingly, it is the richest
historical landmark next to Bagan. Despite the
wonderful sound of its name, inviting
associations to an archaic fairy tale kingdom,
Mandalay is neither very old nor particularly
beautiful. But Mandalay was the capital of the
last, independent Burmese kingdom, which in 1886
was finally conquered by British colonial
forces.
Mahar Myat Muni Pagoda
The most notable building in Yangon is the Shwe
Dagon Pagoda, a great cone-shaped Buddhist
monument that crowns a hill about one mile north
of the Cantonment. The pagoda itself is a solid
brick stupa (Buddhist reliquary) that is
completely covered with gold. It rises 326 feet
(99 m) on a hill 168 feet (51 m) above the city.
The perimeter of the base of the Pagoda is 1,420
fee and its height 326 feet above the platform.
The base is surrounded by 64 small pagodas with
four larger, one in the center of each side.
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Kuthodaw Pagoda (World's Largest
Book)
The Kuthodaw Pagoda
or Maha Lawka Marazein Paya is often
called the world’s largest book. It is a
large walled complex situated at the
base of the southeast stairway to
Mandalay Hill and was built by King
Mindon at the same time he was
constructing the Royal Palace. Its
central stupa is modeled on the
Shwezigon at Nyaung U near Bagan.The
Kuthodaw Paya (Pagoda), or Maha Lawka
Marazein Paya, contains what often is
called the world’s largest book. It is a
large walled complex situated at the
base of the southeast stairway to
Mandalay Hill and was built by King
Mindon at the same time he was
constructing the Royal Palace. Its
central stupa is modeled on the
Shwezigon at Nyaung U near Bagan. An
on-site carved tablet indicates that the
pagoda’s height is 187 ft 9 in, high,
while some guide books list it at 100 ft
(30 m). The former includes the platform
in the measurement.
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Mandalay Palace
Mandalay palace was
the first palace to be built in
Mandalay, by King Mindon when he shifted
his capital from Amarapura in 1861, to
fulfill an old prophecy. The site was
chosen with the auspicious omen and
astronomical calculations. The
reflection of the Mandalay on the
eastern moat is a beautiful scene to
behold from the southeastern corner. The
panoramic view of the Palace and the
surrounding areas as far as the Sagaing
Bridge, the Ayeyarwady River and the
hill ranges seen from the Mandalay Hill
during sunset will be an enchanting
experience. The beautiful palace with
many other buildings were destroyed by
fire due to the ravages of been
reconstructed in brick masonry from
photographic records, plans and
drawings.
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Mandalay Hill
Just outside the
North of downtown, Mandalay Hill which
summit is 230 m above the surrounding
plain is the natural watch-tower for the
visitors to watch sunrise or sunset over
the city plains. At the bottom in front
of the southwest entrance are the two
immense statue of Lions guard the holy
hill. |
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Shwenandaw Monastery
The Shwenandaw
monastery is the most significant of
Mandalay’s historic buildings, since
this ‘Golden Palace Monastery’ remains
the sole major survivor of the former
wooden Royal Palace built by King Mindon
in the mid-nineteenth century.The
Shwenandaw is a wonderfully fragile yet
grand example of 19th century myanmar
teak architecture and also a significant
masterpiece of the wood-carver’s art. |
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Atumashi Monastery
The Atumashi Kyaung,
or Incomparable Monastery (Maha
Atulawaiyan Kyaungdawgyi) , was
originally built in 1857 by King Mindon
(1853-1879), who had founded his new
capital of Upper Burma at Mandalay just
a few years earlier in 1855. It was one
of the King’s last great religious
construction project. The original
Atumashi was a magnificent wooden
structure with considerable exterior
stucco and set on a high platform
reached by a formal ceremonial
staircase. Instead of the traditional
“pyatthat” (graduated wooden spires of
decreasing size) and multi-roof design
of traditional monastic buildings, the
Atumashi was a huge grandiose structure
surrounded by five graduated rectangular
terraces. It was considered one of
Southeast Asia’s most magnificent
buildings. |
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Around Mandalay
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