It was on my last day in Mandalay that I decided to visit Mingun. I was to leave for Inle the following day, something I was looking forward to. Mandalay was hot and dusty but in the last few days of being here, I had done pretty well in terms of seeing all the major highlights and then some. I cannot say that I was not exhausted, because some days involved some intense activities (mostly walking uphill to reach the temples). Mingun, for some reason had not featured on my list, despite the fact that on every map I looked at and every poster on the hostel walls, I saw the wave-like white Pagoda and admired it immensely.
In the end, I gave in.
Early in the morning I headed to Mayan Chan jetty for a ferry-ride to Mingun. Strangely, there were only tourists in line for the tickets – it seemed as though the ferry operated only for tourists (I later learnt it was so). The old man who handed out tickets spoke fantastic English. In fact, he knew a lot about every country and had something to say or ask about every country! Clearly I was the only Indian that day and we exchanged a few words in Hindi too. From the way the line of tourists laughed, it was clear that he was the star of the morning.
After a slight delay, I boarded the ferry. It was rather warm but the boat ride was lovely – I really enjoyed the scenic view of the Irrawady river – the dry banks and outlines of distant pagoda-topped hills and its cool breeze. It was interesting a side of Myanmar that showed the locals in a different light. This ferry ride gave me a chance to see something different and I was glad to have decided to do this half-day trip.
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USEFUL INFO An hour of boat ride away from Mandalay is the little town of Mingun. It is located in the Sagaing Region, northwest of Myanmar and is home to several unique spots for what would have been the largest stupa in the world – Mingun Pahtodawgyi, Mingun Bell, the second largest ringing bell in the world and the enchanting Hsinbyume Paya. There are a few passenger boats to Mingun that operates daily from Mandalay. These boats can accommodate 15-20 people, depending on its size. It leaves from Mandalay at 9AM and returns back at 1PM. Boat tickets are sold at the Mayan Chan Jetty for 5,000 kyats per person. |
What you can expect to see in Mingun
We had roughly three hours to explore this little town and return to the ferry.
As soon as I disembarked, I ran into a waiting taxi. After a quick inspection of it, I decided to explore on foot instead – I am all for new experiences but it was hot and time was limited and I figured I’d do better on two feet instead of four!
Please note that once here, you are required to pay another fee of 5,000 kyats at the entrance which is only valid for a one time entry to visit Mingun’s main tourist spots. The main attractions in Mingun can be easily reached by foot. The entire trip can be done in 3 hours max, it really is a small town, so just take your time.
Mingun Pahtodawgyi
Mingun Paya would have been the world’s biggest stupa if it had been completed at 150 meters high. King Bodawpaya ordered more than a thousand of war prisoners to construct this massive stupa in 1790. A prophecy was later on created that the King would die on completion of the structure, so Bodawpaya rapidly lost much of his enthusiasm for the project. He then ordered to slow down the construction of the stupa until he eventually died on 1819 which resulted to the construction being stopped.
Mingun Bell
King Bodawpaya continued with his obsession and was dedicated to construct a gigantic Pagoda, a gigantic bell and a gigantic lion during his reign. He then ordered his people to cast the largest bell to go with his largest stupa in 1808.
Hsinbyume Pagoda
The Hsinbyume Pagoda is a beautiful all white structure on the banks of the Irrawaddy river just North of Mandalay. The pagoda was built in 1816 by Prince Bagyidaw, successor to the throne of King Bodawpaya. The structure was dedicated to his first wife, Princess Hsinbyume, literally translates to White Elephant Princess, who died during child birth.
The pagoda is very different from other pagodas in Myanmar. The architectural design was based on the seven mountain ranges surrounding Mount Meru, the center of the universe in the Buddhist cosmology.
I walked back in silence – it was an extremely hot day. I will add here that by this time I was hoping to escape this side of Myanmar towards the cooler Inle, my destination for the next day.
There was some time to kill – so I sat by the tiny road-side restaurant and ordered lunch. The easiest was to select the meat they had on display and they brought the rest. I was happy that drinking water was free all over Myanmar, including Migun. I helped myself to the water from the earthen pot, filled up my bottle and shuffled back to the ferry in silence.
