MRAUK U |
|
ANDAW PAYA |
Smaller eight-sided monument with a similar linear
layout as Shittaung. The original construction of the shrine is ascribed
to King Minhlaraza in 1521. Sixteen zedis are aligned in a square-cornered
U shape around the southern, northern and western platforms. |
DUKKANTHIEN |
Said to have been constructed by order of King Minphalaung
in 1571, Dukkanthein stands on a bluff 100 meters to the northeast of
Shittaung. A loose translation of the name is 'ordination hall that spiritually
reinforces the town'. |
LUANGBANPYAUK PAYA |
Built in 1525 by order of King Minkhaungraza, it
is locally known as the Plate Pagoda, because a wall in front of the structure
is embedded with plate-like tiles in bright yellow, red, white, and blue. |
MAHAMUNI |
Originally built by King Bodawpaya in 1784 when a
road paved with bricks was constructed from his palace to the paya's eastern
gate. The centerpiece of the shrine is the highly venerated Mahamuni image
that was transported to Myanmar from Mrauk U in Rakhaing in 1784. |
PALACE RUINS |
Walls and gateways of sandstone blocks and earth
are all that's left of the Mrauk U royal palace, constructed in 1430.
A museum within the old palace walls contains a good collection of religious
sculptures and other artifacts unearthed around Mrauk U. |
PITAKA TAIK |
Built in 1591 under King Minphalaung as a repository
for the Tripitaka (Buddhist canon), and one of the few Mrauk U-period
libraries that have survived. |
SAKYAMANAUNG PAYA |
This graceful zedi was erected in 1629 under King
Thirithudhammaraza and at this point in the development of Mrauk U architecture;
the stupa was modified into a more vertical and highly ornate form, an
obvious absorption of Bamar and Shan styles, by way of Bagan and Ava.
|
SHITTAUNG |
The most complex and well preserved of the surviving
Mrauk U temples, Shittaung was constructed in 1535 by King Minbin, the
most powerful of the Rakhaing kings. The name means 'Shrine of the 80,000
images', a reference to the number of holy images found inside. |
WETHALI |
According to Rakhaing chronicle, Wethali was founded
in 327 AD by King Mahataing Chandra. Archaeologists believe that this
kingdom lasted until the 8th century. Of the oval-shaped city boundaries
that remain, only parts of the moat and walls are still visible amid the
rice paddies.d |
YADANAPON PAYA |
This is the largest stupa in the area and stands just
north of Andaw Paya. Damaged by WWII bombing, only the bottom 'bell' portion
and base remain standing. According to local chronicles, the mammoth stupa
was sponsored by Mrauk U's Queen Shin Htway in 1612. |
