Myanmar Travel Guide Where is Mandalay?

Myanmar is our neighbor, and Myanmar is a country with Southeast Asian customs. Mandalay is the second largest city in Myanmar, located in the interior of south-central Myanmar. Several ancient dynasties have established their capitals here in history, so Mandalay's architecture is also very distinctive. When you come to Myanmar, you must visit Mandalay. Come and get your detailed travel guide to Mandalay.

One-day tour to the city

One-day tour to Mandalay Palace - Mandalay Hill - Gudu Tao Pagoda - Golden Temple - unique temples

Mandalay Palace

Mandalay Palace is located in the urban area and is the palace of the last dynasty of Myanmar. The original building was completely destroyed during World War II, but what we see now is that the Myanmar government rebuilt it on the original site in 1989 based on historical data. The entire palace is square, 3.2km long, surrounded by moats and walls, with four main entrances and eight side entrances. There are 104 large and small palaces in the palace, including the living room of the emperor and his concubines, the meeting hall of the emperor and his ministers, and bathing rooms. All the buildings are made of teak, which is red, and some have landscapes painted on the tops.

Mandalay Hill

Mandalay Hill is located in the north of Mandalay City and northwest of Mandalay Palace. It is the highest mountain in Mandalay City, with a height of 236 meters. According to legend, Sakyamuni preached Buddhism here more than 2,000 years ago. After attracting countless believers, he gradually became famous. The mountaineering experience involves more than 1,700 steps, covered with rooftops, and there are temples of various sizes along the way. A temple halfway up the mountain enshrines three Buddha bones. About two-thirds of the way up, stands a gilded statue of Shiyata Buddha pointing towards the Grand Palace. At the top of the mountain is an Indian temple, with square pillars connected to the vaulted roof, forming a long corridor surrounding it. All walls and columns are covered with glass, sparkling in the sunlight. There is also written on the wall in the middle of the temple that "Those who want to live a long life should be protected by the shade of Mandalay Mountain." Standing on the top of the mountain, you can overlook the entire city of Mandalay, and it is also an excellent place to watch the sunrise and sunset.

Kudutaw Pagoda

The pagoda is between Mandalay Hill and Mandalay Palace, not far from Shanda Muni Temple. It is also a group of white pagodas with a gourd shape on the top. The pagoda was built in 1857, and its full name is Maharaja Maharaja Pagoda. It is also called "the largest merit pagoda in the world" by the Burmese people. The reason why Gutao Pagoda is very famous is that when it was built, the King of Mindong convened 2,400 eminent monks from all over the Indochina Peninsula to complete the fifth revision conference of Buddhist scriptures here. These revised Buddhist scriptures were engraved in Pali on 729 cloud stone tablets. Later generations built small white pagodas around each stone tablet, which were neatly arranged and quite spectacular. These scriptures are known as "the largest books in the world" because of their complete content and grand scale (it is said that if a person reads eight hours a day, it will take a year and a half to read these scriptures).

The Golden Monastery

is located directly south of the ancient Du Tao Pagoda. This is Mantong's bedroom and the place where he died. The entire building was originally in the palace, but because his successor was afraid of King Myungtung's death, the entire building was moved to its current location and became a monastery. Because this was once Mantong's palace, the entire building is much more elaborate and complex than ordinary temples. The entire building has three floors, and the bottom is supported by hundreds of teak columns to form an elevated chassis, which is conducive to ventilation and moisture prevention. The main hall on the first floor is surrounded by a wooden corridor; the two floors are stacked one above another and have four eaves on the outside. The pillars on the outer wall of the main hall are equipped with exquisite carvings, which are densely packed and dazzling; the inner walls and roof are painted with golden wall paint, hence the name Golden Palace.

Unique monastery

, located on the west side of the Golden Palace, was built by King Myeongdong at the same time as Mandalay Palace. The original building was made of teak wood and was known as the most beautiful building in Mandalay until it burned down in 1890. Most of what we see now was rebuilt on the original site with cement by the Myanmar government in 1966. Although it is not as luxurious as teak, it still retains the original architectural prototype. You need to climb a dozen steps to the main entrance, and then go to the corridor outside the main hall. The entire building is dominated by white walls, with golden wood carvings on the doors, windows and roof. From a distance, the style looks like a European cathedral. The interior of the Main Hall is mainly a place for chanting sutras and chanting Buddha's name. There is basically nothing but pillars, similar to an indoor basketball court, and it looks empty.

One-day tour to the suburbs

One-day tour to Mahagen Dayan Temple-Mingong Ancient City-Shijie Mountain-Inwa Ancient City-Uban Bridge

Mahagen Dayan Monastery

The monastery is located in the ancient city of Amarapura, near Uban Bridge. It is the most important Buddhist academy in Myanmar. In Burmese Buddhist families, every man must become a monk once in his life, or more, from a few weeks to several years, or even for life. Although Mahagen Dayang Temple was built only 50 years ago, thousands of monks have been practicing here for a long time.

The most famous temple is the "Thousand Monk Dinner" held at 10:30 every morning. Myanmar is a Theravada Buddhist country, and monks strictly practice "not eating in the afternoon" and "begging for food in a bowl." The first meal is at 4 o'clock, the second meal starts begging on the street around 10 o'clock, and we return to the temple to finish our meal before 12 o'clock. Thousands of monks lined up neatly in two rows, barefoot, looking three feet ahead, neither left nor right, their arms quietly wrapped in cassocks, walking slowly forward in silence and order. In the courtyard, local believers began to distribute food to them. When the monk is dragging the bowl to receive the rice, he can expose his right arm, and then go to the cafeteria or return to the dormitory to eat.

All the monks' food was provided by local believers, and the whole process was quiet without any verbal communication. Now the monks in this monastery do not need to go out to beg for alms. Believers from all over the country will take turns bringing materials to the monks to cook as a form of spiritual practice.

Mingun Ancient City

Minggong Ancient City is located on the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy River, 11 kilometers north of Mandalay. Compared with the other three ancient cities, it is the farthest from the urban area. This ancient city was built by Potapaye, the sixth emperor of the Konbang Dynasty, to promote his great achievements (repairing relations with the Qing Dynasty, possessing real Buddha statues, and welcoming back several Khmer bronze Buddha statues that once belonged to his country).

Sagaing Mountain

Surrounded by mountains, pagodas are scattered among them, but it still makes people feel very quiet, so many monks come here to practice, which also makes this place an important tourist attraction in Myanmar. Buddhist holy place. The mountain road in Shishan is very steep. As you climb up the stairs, you can see various pagodas, large and small, along the way. It is said that there are more than 500 pagodas and temples on the mountain, and as many as 6,000 monks practice. Along the way, you can always meet monks who are resting or chanting sutras. There is a semi-circular temple in the middle of the mountain. There are more than 30 Buddha statues with the same appearance sitting in an arc shape, and the outer walls are covered with scriptures.

The ancient city of Inwa

Uban Bridge

Uban Bridge is located in the ancient city of Amarapura. It was built in 1856 and has a total length of 1,200 meters. It is also one of the longest wooden bridges in the world. The entire bridge is made of Myanmar's most famous teak wood and can still be used normally after many years. The bridge was built because Taman Lake is a seasonal lake and when the water rises during the rainy season, it floods the surrounding area. In order to solve transportation difficulties, King Mindong built this bridge. Burmese also call Ubuntu Bridge "Lover's Bridge". They believe that when two people who love each other come here to pray seriously, they can achieve the harmony and mutual respect required by the "Six Spirits", and their love will last longer. You can also take a boat ride in the evening and watch the sunset on the river in the distance. The afterglow shines on the century-old building, creating an indescribable tranquility.