One of my
favorite places I’ve visited in the Mandalay region was an area in Sagaing
called Mingun. To get here I had to take
an hour-long ferry up north on the Ayeyarwady River. There aren’t really any official ports in
Mandalay but I left from an area called the Gaw Wein Jetty and the ferryboat
drivers just get close to the land and then throw a plank to the land and you
walk across it. Two workers are also
holding a piece of wood to provide support too.
It’s a quick ride to Mingun and we are told you can see river dolphins
on occasion but I had no such luck. The
ferryboat operators were a small family who were really nice and had very small
children who were quite photogenic too.
Although a
relatively small area, there is much to see here and it’s completely worth
visiting. Once we arrived the first
thing I noticed were ox drawn taxi carts.
I’ve seen taxi carts powered by people, engines, horses, and donkeys but
never by ox before. I didn’t take the ox
taxi in the beginning but did at the end of the tour since we were running
behind schedule. It wasn’t exactly
smooth but it was quite fun and really cheap since it wasn’t that far. I didn’t have time to see everything here
since I was on a tight schedule but a half-day is all you need to thoroughly
enjoy this area.
By far, the
biggest attraction in the Mingun area is the Unfinished Pagoda and there’s no
way you can miss this. This herculean
effort was directed by King Bodawpaya in 1790 and constructed with mostly slave
labor and prisoners of war. As of now,
the base stands at 50 meters high and if completed would have been 150 meters
tall or nearly 500 feet and rivaled the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. No one really knows why the project was not
completed. The financial drain and
opportunity costs imposed on the state are some theories as well as bad
superstitions and prophecies are others.
As of now this project holds the record of being the largest pile of
bricks in the world.
There are 4
sides to the base and each has steps leading to a portal inside the
pagoda. Along the surrounding walkways
you can see many of the drainage pipes in the shape of a crocodile’s head too. This is where most of the vendors hang out
and sell their goods. There are obvious
cracks in the pagoda as evidence of the earthquake that occurred in 1839. The main portal still has a functioning
shrine inside with a Buddha inside.
Although there was a monk inside when I was there I’m not sure I’d call
this place a religious or spiritual center.
It takes just about 10 minutes to walk around the entire Unfinished
Pagoda and also off to the side of the main portal you’ll see a staircase that
will take you to the top. Unfortunately,
there was a metal gate preventing people from getting to the top and my tour
guide said it just wasn’t safe up there so that had to close it off.
Another quick
and interesting site to see in Mingun is the Mingun Bell. King Bodawpaya’s philosophy of going big or
going home also applies to having a gigantic bell to go with his pagoda. Only minutes away from the Unfinished Pagoda
this bell weighs in at 90,000 tons and is the second largest ringing bell in
the world. It was cast in 1808 and the
1839 earthquake destroyed its support system and was grounded until it was
raised in its current position in 1896.
There are big pieces of wood hanging around to give the bell a good ring
so give it your best shot!
Although the
Unfinished Pagoda is quite a site to see the main attraction in Mingun was the Hsinbyume
Pagoda. You can’t miss this because it’s
all white in color and so uniquely designed.
Also known as the Mya Theindan Pagoda it was built in 1816 by Prince
Bagyidaw, the successor to the throne of King Bodawpaya. The Hsinbyume Pagoda was finally completed
just three years before the Prince ascended the throne in 1819 and became the
King of the Kobaung dynasty. This
beautiful project was dedicated to his first wife, Princess Hsinbyume, which
translates as the White Elephant Princess who died during childbirth. I’m
starting to see some similarities with the rulers in this area to those during
the construction of the Taj Mahal. That
too was built at great expense to the public and dedicated to a deceased
wife.
The
design and architecture of the Hsinbyume Pagoda is completely radical and
different from the other structures I’ve seen in Myanmar. The base of the structure are shaped like
circular terraces and represent the 7 mountain ranges surrounding Mount Meru,
the center of the universe in Buddhist cosmology. To me it reminded me of a fancy and designer
wedding cake but impressive nonetheless.
The pagoda on the top was built after the Chulamanee Pagoda in the
center of the universe on top of Mount Meru.
There are staircases that allow you to go to the top of the structure
and get a great view of the surrounding area and river. There is no shortage of white paint used here
so where sunglasses for the glare. There
are plenty of spots to take great photos too
This is a religious
center so remember to remove your shoes upon entering and to dress
appropriately. The grounds are open
during regular daylight hours and the price to enter this archaeological zone
is under $5. Make sure you have a wide
lens to get the entire complex in your picture frame. There are vendors selling souvenirs to food
everywhere so don’t get pressured into buying anything.
Happy
traveling!
