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Exploring Mandalay
Myanmar

Mandalay, the capital of Upper Burma, is located 600 km north of Yangon, on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River. As the second largest city in Myanmar, Mandalay has slightly over 800,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of Upper Burma that was immortalized in Rudyard Kipling's The Road to Mandalay, the 1887 poem that refers to the Ayeyarwady. In a country where the cities are a thousand years old or more, Mandalay is surprisingly young in comparison - "just" over 150 years old.


Mandalay Hill offers scenic views of Mandalay City spread out below it.
Mandalay Hill offers scenic views of Mandalay City spread out below it.


Mandalay was founded by King Mindom in 1857. He did so to fulfill an ancient Buddhist prophecy (and as often happens with monarchs, to his own glory). There was a legend that Gautama Buddha visited Mandalay Hill with his disciple Ananda, and proclaimed that 2400 years after his death, a great city for Buddhist teaching will be founded at the foot of the hill.

The ever pious Mindon thought he could achieve enlightenment by making true of that prophecy. So, in 1861, Mindon disposed of his half-brother Pagan Min as the Konbaung king. Taking over the throne, he moved his capital - literally uprooting most of his palace as well as 150,000 of his subjects - from Amarapura 20 km away, and move them to Mandalay. Here, he built his Royal Palace at the foot of Mandalay Hill and worked towards realising the "Golden City" of Buddhist teachings.

King Mindon's dream, unfortunately, came to a fast ending after he died in 1878. Taking over the reign was the tyrannic King Thibaw and his imperious wife Supyalat. During their terror reign, they liquidated many of their own friends and relatives to prevent any challenge to their rule. There was a smallpox epidemic. On the advise of astrologers, they had many of their own subjects and foreigners killed. Their excesses resulted in an invasion by the British, and they occupied Upper Burma in 1885. Mandalay, with all its beautiful palaces, became known by the now unknown name of Fort Dufferin.





Atumashi Kyaung Monastery



Atumashi Kyaung Monastery

Kuthodaw Pagoda



Kuthodaw Paya

Maha Myat Muni Paya



Maha Myat Muni Paya

Mandalay Hill



Mandalay Hill

Mandalay Royal Palace



Mandalay Royal Palace

Shwenandaw Kyaung Monastery



Shwenandaw Kyang Monastery

   Places of interest in the vicinity of Mandalay

Amarapura



Amarapura

U Bein Bridge, Amarapura



U Bein Bridge

Mahagandhayon Monastery, Amarapura



Mahagandhayon Monastery, Amarapura

Ayeyarwady River



Ayeyarwady River

Inwa Bridge



Inwa Bridge

Mingun



Mingun

Mantara Gyi Pagoda



Mantara Gyi Pagoda

Mingun Bell



Mingun Bell

Mya Theindan Pagoda



Mya Theindan Pagoda

Sagaing



Sagaing

Myanmar sights

Exploring the places of interest in Myanmar

Let AsiaExplorers take you to the many wonderful sights in Myanmar. The sights are grouped according to cities, so that you can use this guide when you explore them in person. Click enter to view.

Sights of Myanmar






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