Mingun Village
A sizable Burmese village on the west
bank of Ayarwaddy River, 11km north of Mandalay
is Mingun, which can be reached easily by
an hour & half pleasant and interesting
boat ride. If fact, half of the enjoyment
to this trip is the boat ride on Ayarwaddy
River whether to see the busy bustling port
or to observe life on Myanmar’s throbbing
artery. Although Mingun never been a royal
city, it is significant in its own right
and has many interesting sights.
Mingun Pahtodawgyi
 The
first look from a distance on the river,
its appearance is that of a large mound,
nothing more. But as you go closer, you
will amaze the gigantic size of King Bodawpaya’s
Mingun pagoda, which is also dubbed as “the
world’s biggest pile of bricks”. This pagoda
was built between 1790 and 1800 and the
construction work halted due to a prophecy:
“if this pagoda would finish, the great
country will be ruined”; although there
had been many other reasons for the king
to stop it underway. The one third of intended
height, 50m and the width of 72m each side
with deep cracks caused by 1838 earthquake
is still considered as sacred and visitors
are requested to remove the foot wares before
going up the partial rubble top providing
stunning views of the river and the surround
plains. The two huge but collapsed guardian
lions stand facing the river as the king
intended the eastside as the main entrance.
The miniature pagoda, scale down to 5-m
can be seen in the south of Mingun paya
and said to be the king’s working model.
Mingun Bell
The pride of Mingun, if not for Mandalay
or even for the entire nation, as it is
always refers as “The World Largest (Intact)
Bell”! King Bodawpaya had it casted in 1808
on an island of Ayarwaddy River to dedicate
to his gigantic pagoda. Having 90-tonnes,
it is claimed to be the largest hung, un-cracked,
working bell in the world, although there
is a bell in Moscow, which is three times
larger than Mingun bell but cracked. Originally,
it was supported with huge teak posts but
now replaced with the steels frames after
the 1838 earthquake.
Myatheindan Pagoda
 This
pagoda reflects an imaginary architecture
of Buddhist heaven (Tavastistamasa). King
Bagyidaw built this striking pagoda in 1816
as a remembrance of his favorite and most
beloved queen Sinbyume, who died shortly
after delivering a child. The king had to
sell out his 100,000ks worth emerald stone
so the name of the pagoda (Mya = Emerald,
Theindan = 100000) or it is also called
as Sinbyume, the name of the queen.
Settawya Pagoda
Built right on the riverbank, this gracefully
attractive terraces guarded with mystical
figures, is a good spot for the photo enthusiastic,
while the main temple, built in 1811, houses
a footprint of Buddha.
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