Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sagaing
1760
Inwa (Ava)
1764
Amarapura
1783
Inwa (Ava)
1823
Amarapura (following the 1838 earthquake)
1841
Mandalay
1861
TOP OF CHAPTER
Kyaukse
066 / POPULATION C50,000
Bagan was not the only place to benefit from King Anawrahta's remarkable 11th-century
building spree. According to legend, one of Anawrahta's relic-carrying elephants took a
liking to Webu Hill, above today's Kyaukse. The king took that as a sign to found a city
at its base, starting with an irrigation system created using a stone dam (
kyauk se
). Nearly
a millennium later the attractive small town (around 40 miles south of Mandalay) re-
mains elephant mad. Naive elephant masks and toys are sold at numerous kiosks, white
elephant statues guard the
gigantic golden Buddha
halfway up Webu Hill's north slope,
and a nationally famous
elephant dance
competition forms the centrepiece of Kyaukse's
main festival. Dancing 'elephants' are actually two humans in wonderfully idiosyncratic
elephant costumes. The competition is held one day before Thadingyut full moon (Octo-
ber), but for a day or two beforehand you might see 'elephants' practice-prancing around
town.
