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RAKHINE STATE:
Rakhine, once known as Arakan, lies on the long and
narrow western coast of Myanmar, divided by high
mountain ranges from the mainland called Rakhine Yoma.
This long and narrow state with many islands and
unspoilt beaches faces the Bay of Bengal. Highlights are
Mrauk Oo and Ngapali Beach.
How to get there:
There are daily fights from Yangon to Sittwe and daily
flights from Yangon, Heho and Bagan to Thandwe (Ngapali
Beach). Private express coaches are running from Yangon
via Pyay to Thandwe, but the road from Pyay to Thandwe
is not good and it takes at least 16 hours to get there.
Sittwe:
Is the capital of the state and a seaport with a rich
hinterland producing crops, fish and Rakhine Longyis. Though
Sittwe itself has few places of interest, a popular tourist
destination in the Rakhine State, Mrauk Oo, can be reached
only via Sittwe.
What to see:
Buddhist Museum:
This modest two-story museum is the best place in
Myanmar to view Rakhine Style Buddha images. The
collection here represents a rare instance of historical
preservation. Most of the images are under a meter in
height with the royal attire common to Rakhine Buddhas
Images. The majority dates to the Mrauk Oo period, while
a few date as far back as the Wethali era and are made
of bronze, silver, quartz or alabaster. There are also
some Indian Buddha images and Hindu deities on display,
a few Thai and Japanese Buddha statues, silver coins
from the Mrauk Oo era, clay pipes, terracotta votive
tablets and engraved astrological charts.
Mrauk Oo:
Capital of the Rakhine Kingdom, which flourished from
the 15th to 18th century, is noted for its fort-like
temples and pagodas of stone and brick, and for its
statuary and relief, which are distinctive. About 8 km
north of Mrauk Oo is the archaeological site of Wethali,
another ancient capital dating back to the 4th century.
How to get there:
By private chartered boat on the Kiccepanadi River
(appr. 5-6 hours). You can also drive by car from Sittwe via
Ponnakyun and Kyauktaw to Mrauk Oo, but the road is very bad
(December 20, 2007) and it takes at least 6 hours.
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Mrauk Oo market
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What to see:
Shitthaung Temple:
Shitthaung or "temple of the 80,000 Buddhas" was built
by one of the most powerful kings of the Mrauk-Oo
Dynasty, called by the people, Minbargyi. King Minbin
who reigned from 1513 to 1553 built this fortress-temple
after repulsing a Portuguese attack on the City of Mrauk
Oo.
The skill and art displayed in its construction and
ornamentation are remarkable. Besides, you may observe
here about the maze-like layout of this pagoda. In the
accounts of this curious plan, some foreigners remarked
that the Shitthaung Temple was built alike a fortress.
The real purpose of the temple was for prayer, some
rituals of initiation, and some of the King's
ceremonies, which were usually held secretly. It was
constructed six feet thick of solid sandstone and like
"rock cave tunnel". No mortar was used in the
construction and stones were connected with stone
brackets. It is believed that 84,000 of the Buddha's
relics with the same number of the Lord's images are
enshrined in it. People who entered the tunnels of the
temple felt that they were actually inside an endless
tunnel.
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Shitthaung Temple
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Dukkanthein Temple:
The Dukkan (or Htukkan) temple stands on a hill, 30 feet
high, having a flat surface like that of a drum. King
Minphalaung built the pagoda in 1571 A.D. Like the
Shitthaung and the Andaw shrines, Dukkanthein was built
of hewn sandstones and layers of bricks over the roof.
It measures 190 feet from north to south and 200 feet
from east to west. It is reached by stone stairways, 8'
broad, situated on the east and south.
These stairways measuring 106 feet are built of
massive stonewalls on the north, east and south. The
west one which is slightly convex is connected to an
oblong chamber.
The temple entrance on the east side, closer to the
south-east corner, leads to a long vaulted passage which
spirals up in two tiers till it reaches the central
chamber. The superstructure, a bell-shaped dome on
receding terraces, is similar to the one on Shitthaung,
but here a tall square arch is provided on the east side
to admit light into the central chamber. The inner
chambers and passages of the temple are constructed with
well fitting and cemented stones. The pagoda is
well-known for the stone sculptures in the vaulted
passages, es¬pecially the figures of seated ladies, with
different styles of coiffure, in the manner of offering
lotus buds to the Buddha. Traditionally it is said that
there are sixty-four kinds of hairstyle and all the
figures are of the wives of noblemen. Besides, on both
sides of the entire passage, niches of 1½ feet broad, 1
foot deep, and 2 feet high are dug at regular intervals
of 20 feet in the wall and each contains a stone image
of the Buddha in sitting posture. There are one hundred
and forty-six niches along the passage.
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Dukkanthein Temple |
Koethaung Temple:
The name means 90,000 and probably signified the number
of Buddha images it was supposed to contain. It was
built by King Min Taikkha, the son of King Min Bin who
built the Shitthaung or temple of 80,000 images, so the
son exceeded the father by 10,000! It is the biggest
temple in the Mrauk Oo area. Like the Shitthaung, this
temple is also a massive fortress-like structure built
with stone walls and terraces. There are 108 smaller
pagodas surrounding it, all made of sandstone. With a
winding corridor it is like a cave tunnel which you have
to traverse until you reach the central chamber. The
inner gallery has collapsed and is no longer accessible.
There is an octagonal pagoda in the middle surrounded by
over one hundred smaller pagodas. Unlike some of the
other temples, not only sandstone, but bricks were also
used.
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Koethaung Temple |
Laymyetnha Pagoda:
Was built by the first king of Mrauk Oo Dynasty in
1430 A.D. It is one of the five pagodas built at the
beginning of the establishment of the city. It is a
square structure, with a long protruding portal towards
each cardinal point. The interior room is octagonal. In
the center of the latter there is an octahedral column
intended to support the circular tower erected over the
center of the roof. Over each of the four corners of the
terrace a smaller circular stupa was built. Each side of
the square of the shrine measures 55'; the portals are
13' broad and protrude 17' into the platform.
The central tower is circular and has the shape of a
dome, with a circumference of 80 feet at the base and is
70 feet high. There are 28 Buddha images as mentioned in
the Sambuddha scripture.
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Laymyetnha Pagoda |
NÖRDLICHER SHAN STAAT:
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Pitakataik:
Situated close to Htupayon Pagoda and south of Shinkite
wall was built by King Mong Phalaung. It was square in
plan with an entrance passage to the east like others
pagoda in Mrauk Oo. Built entirely with stone, the outer
walls are decorated with ornate floral and geometric
design. It is said that there were 33 Pitakataiks, built
in Mrauk Oo. The little library or Pitaka-taik, the
Repository for the Buddhist scriptures was built in 1591
also by King Min Phalaung. It measures only 14 feet from
east to west, 10 feet from north to south and is only 9
feet in height. Built entirely of stone there are lovely
designs on the outer walls making it look like a tiny
jeweled casket shaped like a blooming lotus. There were
48 libraries in Mrauk Oo, but only this one is
preserved, though it is sometimes obscured by thickets
of bushes and partly covered by moss and weeds which
flourish in the 200" of annual rainfall in the region.
This library is reputed to have housed 30 sets of the
Buddhist Tipitaka which King Narapatigyi (1638-1645)
received from Sri Lanka. Unfortunately it acquired an
unpleasant appellation due to its dark windowless
interior.
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Pitakataik
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Ratanabon Pagoda:
Was built by Minkhamaung and his chief queen Shin Htway
in A.D 1612. The main edifice is circular at the base,
measures 365 in circumference, and is constructed of
huge blocks of sandstone; it rises in a number of
concentric tiers, of which the upper portion recedes
from the one lying beneath it, to a height of about 200
feet. The uppermost portion has fallen down. During the
Second World War, a bomb hit the Ratanabon Pagoda, and a
half of the main structure was damaged. There are no
entrances, niches, arches, nor ornamentation of any
kind, not even an image could be found. At a distance of
eight feet from the central stupa rises a brick wall 4'
high and 2' thick, which encompasses the pagoda in
circle; then follows a row of 24 small circular pagodas,
built of brick. They are now all in ruin. This pagoda
resembles a huge bell. The whole structure is enclosed
by an octagonal wall 8-10' thick, with an entrance at
the south. A lion made of sandstone protects each of the
four corners of the outer pagoda walls.
The temple court is in ruin. The building is
impressive by its massiveness. Its architecture pattern
resembles an ordinary pagoda, like Sanchi in India. But
the bareness of decorative designs and the absence of
structural ornamentations characterize it as peculiarly
Rakhine. Traditionally it is believed that the pagoda
was built for the purpose of acquiring or securing
treasures, both mundane and spiritual. (Ratana means
"treasure", "bon" means to gather, to accumulate.)
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Ratanabon Pagoda |
Sakkyar Man Aung Pagoda:
King Sri Suddhamma Raja built the Sakkyar Man Aung
Pagoda in A.D 1693. It is located in the south of
Yadanar Man Aung Pagoda. This Pagoda is known to be one
of the five most revered pagodas in Mrauk Oo. The pagoda
was built with stones instead of bricks. The
architecture of the pagoda is in the form of lotus
flower. There are 12 small pagodas surrounding the main
Sakkyar Man Aung Pagoda. The dimension of the Pagoda is
240 feet and the height is about 114 feet.
There are two statues of Orges guarding the pagoda. The
sculptural arts of these two images are of rare artists.
Also there are two statues of Nats, paying respect to
Buddha.
Zine Man Aung Pagoda:
Is located on top of the Pandein Taung hill andwas built
and donated by King Sanda Thuddhamma during A.D 1652.
The structure of the pagoda is octagonal in shape. At
the base, there is a mouse with two bodies and a head.
On the higher level, there are two more mice.
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Zine Man Aung Pagoda |
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Wethali (Vesali) a city of traders:
The ancient city of Wethali was founded by King Dvan
Sandra in 327 A.D. It is about 8 km to the north of
Mrauk Oo. By jeep it takes about half an hour from Mrauk
Oo to Wethali. The Great Wethali Payagyi, the 17 feet
high Buddha image is said to be made from a single piece
of boulder. Chronicles say that it was donated by Queen
Thupaba-Devi, the Chief Queen of King Maha Taing Candra,
the founder of Vesali. This ancient Buddha image in the
Bhumi-sparsa or Earth-touching Mudra, is one of the
oldest Buddha images in the whole country, but
unfortunately the original features have been largely
lost due to later renovation.
Old brick walls of the city can still be traced and the
archaeological department has excavated five sites so
far. Stone sculptures, coins and many stone artifacts
were unearthed and are now in display at Mrauk Oo museum
and some monasteries at Mrauk Oo.
Dating from 327 to 1018 A.D, Vesali is pre-Bagan and
contemporaneous with Pyu cities like Beithano and Hanlin
in central Myanmar. Excavations carried out in 1980 to
1984 revealed some Buddhist religious buildings, one
probably an ordination hall or sima, and also parts of
the city wall and sandstone inscriptions. The Ananda
Candra pillar inscription now housed in the Shit-thaung
Pagoda of Mrauk Oo was originally from Vesali and
records about twenty Kings who ruled there. Vesali is
undoubtedly one of the earliest Buddhist cities in
Myanmar. There are also some ancient Vishnu Images of
6th century within the Wethali village. Visitors go up
the 510 feet mound near the old Abaungdaw moat to
Thaung-gyatt-taw (or frontlet Relic) Pagoda for a
panoramic view of the old city now covered by forest
trees with a couple of village lying in between some
farm land.
Mahamuni Shrine (Dyannyawadi):
According to Rakhine chronicles, Lord Buddha in his life
time visited the city of Dhannyawadi (Grain Blessed) in
554 B.C. The Rakhine king Sandar Suriya (Sun Moon)
requested Lord Buddha to leave the image of him. This
Buddhist shrine is one of the most revered sites in the
whole country as the Maha Muni Buddha Image is believed
to have been cast in bronze and five kinds of precious
metals by Sakka or Indra the Lord of the Celestial
Realm. After casting the Great Image Maha Muni (Great
Sage) Lord Buddha breathed upon it which resembled the
exact likeness of the Blessed One. Maha Muni was
worshipped by Rakhine kings for centuries and regarded
as a protector of the country. In 1784 A.D, Rakhineland
was conquered by King Bodaw Paya and the Great Image was
carried across the Rakhine Yoma to Amarapura (now
Mandalay).
In the main shrine on the topmost level are three
very old stone images of Buddha. The central image four
feet, two inches high is known as Maha Muni's brother.
The shrine is a peaceful, quiet place about 10 km east
of Kyauktaw town and about 40 km north of Mrauk Oo. It
is on a small hillock called Sirigutta surrounded by
three low walls on three successive terraces, the main
shrine built on the highest platform. On the lowest
platform is an old library built by king Minkhari in AD
1439; it is a rare example of a library from this early
period Also a large tank dug by king Sandasuriya can be
seen in the vicinity. In the year 1900, a rich man from
Akyab (Sittwe), U Rai Kyaw Thu cast an image and
installed it at the former place of the Great Image. Up
to this day, Maha Muni site has become the most
venerated site in Myanmar and the former glory has again
been restored due to the new highway linking Yangon and
Sittwe. Mahamuni Site now can be reached by car either
from Sittwe or Mrauk Oo. Throughout the year, pilgrims
flocked to visit from all parts of Rakhine State as well
as devotees from different parts of Myanmar. There is a
small museum near the shrine which displays some oldest
stone.
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Ngapali Beach:
Situated about 7 km away from Thandwe (Sandoway).Ngapali
is famous for its natural and unspotted beauty up to
this day. The beach stretches about 3 km with soft white
sand fringed by coconut palms. It serves as the best
ground for sunbathing and recreation such as beach
strolling, cycling and so on. Unlike today's beaches of
Asia, it is free of noisy beachside bars, crowded people
and hawkers persuading you to buy their things. There
are only natural scenic beauty of the blue sea, white
sand and the lovely sun. The sea is cobalt blue, without
any dangerous marine animals and clean. |
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Ngapali Beach |
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