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Mandalay

City of Burmese Culture

Shwenandaw Kyaung (the Golden Palace)
This large wooden monastery was part of the royal complex of Amarapura the former capital of the Burmese reign, it was subsequently moved in Mandalay to the new Royal Palace built by King Mindon to be eventually dismantled and reconstructed again as a monastery outside the palace walls, escaping in this way to the bombing of World War II and remaining the sole original structure survived from the Royal Palace.
Shwenandaw is the most significant of Mandalay's historic buildings and a wonderful example of the Burmese unique teak architecture and wood-carving art. There are rich ornamental carvings, flame-like decorations define the roof lines and corners, wonderful serpentine dragons, lively figures at dance, mythical animals, flowers and vines on carved teak panels both on the outside and the inside, although many of the exterior panels are replaced by later reproductions. Once gilded and covered with glass mosaics, the main hall has massive teak pillars sustaining the imposing ceiling, to be noted the carving of the nats, spirit beings, worshiping the Buddha image.

Mandalay

Shwenandaw Kyaung (the Golden Palace)

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Kuthodaw
From the Shwenandaw with a short walk in few minutes we reached the nearby Kuthodaw Pagoda complex. Modelled on the style of Shwezigon Pagoda of Nyang U, Bagan, the most prominent feature here are the 729 white pitaka pagodas (holding the scriptures) that surround the main pagoda: each shrine contains a marble slab, inscribed on both sides with the Tipitaka, the sacred texts of Theravada Buddhism .
Sandamuni
From the Kuthodaw pagoda it is possible to reach easily on foot the Sandamuni pagoda. Also here the entire ground is covered with 1749 small white pagodas with Inside stone slabs with the Tripitaka and its commentaries (Tikas) engraved on them. Sandamuni paya is very close the NE corner of the Royal Palace enclosure, a two kilometres walk along the eastern moat that surrounds the palace walls leads to the East Gate (the only entrance open to public).

Mandalay

Kuthodaw pagoda

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The Royal Palace (the centre of the Universe).
The Royal Palace of Mandalay was built in 1866 by King Mindon at the foot of Mandalay Hill moving much of the buildings from Amarapura the former capital. What we see today are the reconstructions done under the current Myanmar government after the palace was completely destructed by the bombing of World War II. Although reconstructed the buildings inside are an example of the unique Burmese architecture, consisting of teak buildings with multiple roofs profusely carved and gilded.
The palace is the last example of the long tradition of royal palaces found throughout Southeast Asia: a group of wooden buildings erected within a perfectly square walled enclosure, surrounded by a wide moat of nearly 2 km long with sides facing the cardinal directions. There are three gates on each of its sides to give a total of twelve, each marked with a sign of the zodiac and four bridges one at each cardinal direction. A perfect geometrical form conceived in the likeness of the heavenly constellations revolving about Mt. Meru, represented by the royal palace lined with the other buildings monasteries and houses along the traditional east-west direction. It is said that King Mindon buried alive 52 local people (13 at each corner) under the wall’s foundation, hoping they would become protector nats.
We cross the large moat at the bridge of the western side and entered the walled enclosure at the eastern gate surmounted by a huge tiered roof tower. Today much of the fort contains barracks that are property of the Burmese army and you have to walk the one km long road before to reach the innermost platform where all the palace buildings are arranged.
At the East end the great Audience Hall is surmounted by the pyatthat (prasada), a seven tiered tower of pyramidal form rising from the throne room placed underneath on the vertical axis, a representation of Mt. Meru, the cosmic mountain. The centre of the hall was occupied by the king on his Lion Throne (now in the Calcutta Museum), who was identified with the Golden Germ (hiraoyagarbha) the cosmogenetic centre of the universe, the emblem of royalty, meant to focus the wisdom of the universe onto the king. This Meru-palace was not located at the geometric centre but is slightly displaced to the East, the direction of the rising sun, recalling the symbolism of the dawn.
Further on in the middle of the sequence leading from the great Audience Hall towards the private women’s apartments at the western end, there is the Glass Palace crowned with a tiered roof and with the interiors completely covered with glass mosaics. There is a strange feeling of sadness in visiting this part of the town, still haunted by all the victims who died here: the last king of the palace, King Theebaw, claimed the throne after having killed 80 relatives. King Theebaw and his Queen Supayalat were in the end deposed at the time of the British annexation of Upper Burma.
Before to leave the palace we climbed the spiral stairs of the wooden watchtower, one of the few original buildings, to get a general overview of the complex.

Mandalay

The Royal Palace

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Shwe In Bin Kyaung
A short taxi ride and we reached Shwe In Bin Kyaung (southwest of Mandalay near the jade market) just on time to catch the light of the sunset. Constructed in 1895 by Chinese merchants Shwe In Bin Kyaung is one of the few survived examples in Myanmar of the preeminently Burmese teak architecture, often seen throughout the country but rarely in such good condition.
Having removed your shoes you cross a well kept gardened area, the monastery consists of a single, long building that rests on a wooden platform, which extends outward from the exterior walls, thus creating a terrace around the entire structure. Massive staircases made of brick and stucco give access to the platform. Above this platform there are two chambers with an elaborately carved triple roof and an elegant spire that simplifies the elaborate plan. At the top is the gilded hti. Inside the poorly lit interiors Buddha images and sacred texts are stored. The exterior walls and the multiple levels of the roof are lavishly decorated with wood carving in high relief depicting Jataka tales, flora, fauna, minor deities and humans.

Mandalay

Shwe In Bin Kyaung

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