Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Shwenandaw Kyaung
Off 14th St • Daily 9am-5pm • Covered by
Mandalay combination ticket
A glorious teak construction, the
Shwenandaw Kyaung
was originally built within the
palace walls asaresidence forKingMindon.Thebuildingwasconverted toamonastery and
moved to its current site east of the palace after Mindon died in it, as it was considered bad
luck by his son, Thibaw; this later saved it from burning alongside the palace's other build-
ings. Nowadays, it's most notable for the elegantly carved Jataka stories in its raised main
hall, whose atmospheric interior glows a dim gold.
Mandalay Palace
Entrance on 66th St • Daily 8am-5pm • Covered by
Mandalay combination ticket
Mandalay is centred on the moated square of land that once hosted the large
royal palace
.
The area has belonged to the military for decades, and the palace itself is long gone, though
a huge replica has been erected. As part of his fulfilment of Buddhist prophecy, King Min-
don had the palace constructed almost immediately after making the city his capital in 1857.
It followed a traditional design informed by links with China - much like Beijing's famed
Forbidden City, it consisted of a geometrically auspicious alignment of buildings set inside
a heavily walled fort and surrounded by a moat. However, only Mindon and his successor,
Thibaw,actuallyruledfromherebeforetheBritishcametotown;almostallremainingbuild-
ings were flattened by Allied bombs in World War II, and what you see today is a 1990s
reconstruction. The whole area is still a functional part of town, though one controlled by
the military and, as such, mostly off-limits to foreigners; you're free to visit the shops and
teahouses just off the main road heading in from the east, but precious little else bar the re-
constructed palace at the centre.
Foreigners may only enter the old palace area from the east gate. Nearby, a sign states
“Tatmadaw and the people, co-operate and crush all those harming the union”, and the army
enhance their already stellar international reputation by insisting that foreign cyclists leave
their vehicles at the gate; tour buses, of course, get to boom straight to the centre.
The palace grounds
Thepalaceitselfismoreimpressive asawholethanforanyparticular part.Aspineofrecon-
structed main halls runs down the centre, with signs stating what each was used for - none
of the details are terribly interesting, though they're occasionally rather bombastic (such as
the cannons which “can crush all enemies”). Starting from the east is the
Mye Nan Audi-
ence Hall
, which contains then-and-now pictures which attest to the accuracy of the remod-
elling. Of the other main halls, the
throne room
is the most handsome; the throne itself is
a richly decorated affair featuring lions and other carved imagery. Elsewhere, many of the
minor structures are empty shells; it's better to head for the
watchtower
to the south of the
complex, for after dragging your way up the spiral staircase you'll have a fantastic view.
