Yangon Township Map Book (2025) is available now !

Bago, Myanmar is said to have been founded in 573 AD by Mon emigrants from Thaton. The city was originally called Hanthawady, which means "Hamsavati" in Pali. According to legend, the princes named the city after seeing a female Hamsa standing on the back of a male Hamsa on an island in a lake. Bago was the capital of the Mon Kingdom from 825 until 1287, when the Mons regained independence from the Mongols. It then served as the capital of the country, a major port, and a prominent Buddhist center. From 1369 to 1539, Bago was the capital of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, which covered all of lower Burma. From 1539 to 1599, it was the capital of the Taungoo Kingdom.