About
Mandalay
Mandalay, the last capital of the Myanmar Kingdom, is located in central Myanmar
668 km north of Yangon. It was built in 1857 by King Mindon. The city is rich in monasteries, pagodas
and Myanmar arts and architecture.
Mandalay is an important centre for the arts and visitors can shop for
handicrafts made in ivory,
wood, marble, stone, gold embroidery and tapestry. There are also bronze
statues and silverware available for sale.
How
to get
there
Mandalay International Airport
is the
gateway. Mandalay
is only
over an
hour’s flight
from Yangon.
Myanmar Airways,
Yangon Airways
and Air
Mandalay operate
daily flights.
By road,
it takes
about 12
hours by
Express coaches;
and about
14 hours
by train.
The prominent tour sites in Mandalay are as follows :
-
Mandalay Hill , 230
metres in elevation ,commands a magnificent view of the city and
surrounding countryside.
-
Mandalay Palace is worth
to visit. The palace walls,
the four gates and the moat still stand today as evidence of the
majestic Palace.
-
The Mahamuni Pagoda was built by King Bodawpaya in 1784 and
the famous Mahamuni Buddha
Image brought from Rakhine State.
-
The Kuthodaw Pagoda, popularly
known as "The World's Biggest Book", was built by King Mindon in
1857. The Pagoda is surrounded by 729 upright stone slabs on which are
inscribed the entire Buddhist scriptures.
Mandalay's Surrounding
Sagaing, once
an ancient
capital, lies
21 km
southwest of
Mandalay, beside
the Ayeyarwaddy
River. The
Sagaing Hills,
dotted with
pagodas and
over 500
monasteries and
Kaung Hmudaw
Pagoda (a copy of the Machaet Pagoda in Sri Lanka) are
worth visiting.
Amarapura, the capital of Konbaung Dynasty, is 11 km south
of Mandalay. Places of
interest include U Bein Bridge across the Taungthaman Lake and Cotton and
Silk Weaving Cottage Industry.
Mingun, located about 11km upriver from Mandalay on the
western bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River, is a town well-known for its 90 ton
Mingun Bell, the largest ringing bell in the world.
Pyin-Oo-Lwin (Maymyo) is a popular hill-station about 69 km
away from Mandalay. It is well-known for its colonial – style houses.
Delightfully cool and pleasant the whole year round, the 175
hectare National Kandawgyi Garden, Goteik Viaduct and Peik Chin Myaung
Caves are places of interest.