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Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. When it was founded in 1857, the royal city was officially named Yadanabon, the Burmese version of "(city) full of gems".

Mandalay Palace Moat and WallThe whole palace complex was destroyed by fire during the Second World War.

A bastion at the Palace Wall

The palace walls, the four gates and the moat still stand today as evidence of the majestic palace city.

Each side of the square fortress measures 2 km in length, 8 m in high and more than 2 m in average thickness.

The wall and moat of the Mandalay Fort at the city centre.

Mandalay Hill

The Mandalay Hill is situated to the north-east corner of the Mandalay Royal Palace. It lies from north to south, its altitude being 236.5m above sea level and its height going up to 167.64m

King Mindon, who founded the Royal City of Yatanabon, built the Mya Nan San Kyaw, the Royal Palace, on 6th waning day of Kason, M.E 1221 (A.D 1857).

Mandalay Palace Watch Tower

The Royal Palace is surrounded by the rectangular shaped walls, each of which stretches 8.25 kilometres long, and again by the moat which is 68.58m wide and 3.35m deep. Formerly, there existed 114 royal apartments, which, being built on 3.35m high platform, covered 152.4m wide.

Formerly, there existed 114 royal apartments, which, being built on 3.35m high platform, covered 152.4m wide.

Mandalay Palace

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On 17 March, 1945, during the air raid of the British forces against the Japanese, the Royal Palace was ruined into ashes.

With the objective of re-establishing the milestone in Myanmar tradition and ancient times, when Myanmar had their own monarchs, their own royal palace and their own sovereignty, the Royal Palace has been renovated and restored faithfully into its original structure.

The 89 main halls were re-built with reference to the original photographs, pictures, palm-leaf manuscripts with reference to the original photographs, pictures, palm leaf manuscripts about the royal apartments and the miniature model of the royal palace. On 18-9-96, the complete construction of the Mya Nan San Kyaw the Golden Palace was successfully celebrated.

Mandalay City Development Committee has been undertaking the task of removing the pond scum of the moat as the cleaning work of the royal moat, which bears a grace and a pride to the city: 4 large-scale pond scum-removing machines, 3 small pond scum-removing machines and 62 appointed workers remove about seven tons of pound scum per day. Activities such as mowing and making the crash barriers even, replacing the dead plants with new ones, and giving care to the growth of the plants have been routine tasks.

Mandalay Palace

Kandawgyi Lake of Mandalay

Mandalay local bus

The Pyi- Gyi-Mon Royal Barge was a ceremonial boat intended exclusively as conveyance for the king and king alone. He is accompanied only by his aide-de-camp, a ranking general, and a detail of security guards. Even his chief queen is not permitted to travel along with him.

The Pyi Gyi Mon Royal Barge was the type of water vessel taken by the kings of the olden days while touring the country and in celebrating the Annual waterway Parade. An exact replica of the "Pyi-Gyi-Mon", the literal translation of which means the "Great Noble Country", can be seen in the waters of the Mandalay Kan Taw Gyi Lake. The Pyi Gyi Mon Royal Barge is 37.18m long and 14.93m wide. Its deck is .91m high above water. It rests on 215 pillars riveted deep into the water. The garden covers 0.607hectares.

Mahamuni Buddha Temple

The Mahamuni Buddha Temple (also called the Mahamuni Pagoda) is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay.

The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan. It is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.

Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India, two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar.

According to the legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BC. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.

The Mahamuni Buddha image is housed in a small chamber, seated on a throne in a divine posture known as the Bhumisparsa Mudra. The image is cast in bronze and weighs 6.5 tonnes and is erected on a 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) high pedestal and reaches a height of 3.82 metres (12.5 ft). Its shoulders measure 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) and its waist measures 2.9 metres (9.5 ft).

The image is cast in bronze and weighs 6.5 tonnes and is erected on a 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) high pedestal and reaches a height of 3.82 metres (12.5 ft). Its shoulders measure 1.84 metres (6.0 ft) and its waist measures 2.9 metres (9.5 ft).

Khmer bronze at Mahamuni -Triple headed elephant also known as Airavata

Gold leaves are regularly applied to the Mahamuni Buddha by male devotees. Consequent to the frequent application of gold leaves, the coating of gold (thickness 15 centimetres has given a shapeless contour to the Mahamuni image. In 1884, when the pagoda was burnt down, 91 kilograms of gold was recovered from the site, which represents the continued historical veneration and perpetuation of the cult of Mahamuni.

Mandalay is Burma's cultural and religious center of Buddhism, having numerous monasteries and more than 700 pagodas

Text and images: InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound On the road to Mandalay - Peter Dawson; Frank Sinatra