Mandalay

One of the sons of King Alaungsithu, prince Minshinsaw was immediately detained by his father as he had insulted his father’s Indian queen. But he was given back his revenues and his retinue. And then he was sent to live at Htuntonputet, east of where Mandalay now is. He governed his field in state, building the Shwekyimin pagoda. As he constructed the Aungbinle and Tamokso Lakes with a system of irrigation channels, the farmers in his state were harvesting three crops a year.

King Mindon (1853 – 1873) told the chief commissioner of British that “Myozedi” (It means the Myanmar’s name for a victim buried alive under the foundation of a great building in order to provide a guardian spirit.) custom had not been followed at the foundation of Mandalay in 1875. But he used to offer fruits and flowers in the palace to a ‘Myozedi’ spirit. Mandalay built in 1875, differs little from Bagan, being larger city. No sooner did the new royal city plan arrange, and then a royal order came out to remove all buildings from Amarapura to Mandalay. When the British invaded into Mandalay, the best houses in Mandalay were all possession of the Chinese and Indian merchants. Most of Myanmar in the city in that time was able to build wooden buildings.

Being taken from Rakhine to Mandalay in 1785, Mahamuni image still exists in Mandalay. Mandalay Hill is always occupied for spotting particularly sacred. Under the Myanmar kings, Mandalay is larger than Yangon and an infinitely more picturesque one. Although Yangon has passed it in population, it is also now the second largest city in Myanmar. There are a few images on the Mandalay Hill. The standing image, profusely glittering all over, was pointing with steadfast finger full at the glittering centre spire of the palace. A hundred yards from the foot of sacred hill in a tall brick building is a great marble Buddha, probably the biggest monolith in the world. The sitting figure of Buddha must be quite twenty five feet high, and scores tons of weight. The many wonderful things are round the foot of Mandalay Hill.

Mandalay lies two miles away from the Ayeyarwaddy River. Especially interesting building is the ‘Atumashi’ (incomparable monastery). It is the great, oblong lofty-terraced shaped monastery of Mindon, actually plain white, but within splendid with a gorgeously electorate shrine, purple and scarlet, and gold hangings and velvet carpets. But unhappily, it was burnt in 1893.

You must visit to Mandalay to see one of the really gorgeous ecclesiastical buildings. It is ‘Kyaungtawgyi’ (the royal monastery) which is the most striking collection of edifices of their kind to be seen in the world. At the foot of Mandalay Hill, just outside the eastern gate of the city, it extends over an area of a good many acres. Every building in it is magnificent of the Myanmar traditional arts. The huge posts are gilt all over, or covered with a red lacquer; the gables represent all kinds of fantastic and grotesque figures. The wood carving is particularly fine.

The palace of Mandalay lies in the centre of the square shaped city. There are twelve gates to the city; three on each side at about sixty feet from the walls, a deep moat runs all around; about fifty yards broad, covering in many places with the lotus. Young trees line the sides and the water in the moat runs down into the little streams. In Mandalay one of the most interesting monasteries for visitors is Thiho Taik (Sri Lanka monastery). The Thiho Taik library is a model in its way. Many of these monasteries in Mandalay are adorned with fresco painting in the halls.

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