Tourist Guide To Mrauk-U

The abandoned city and  hundreds of temples and pagodas  at Mrauk U (also spelt Mrauk Oo and pronounced ‘Mrow Oo’ or ‘Myow Oo’, depending on Rakhine or Burmese pronunciation) lie across rolling northern Rakhine State hilltops and form an awe-inspiring sight, whilst providing an experience quite unlike anything else in Myanmar. From the 15th to 18th centuries, Mrauk U was the capital of a  mighty Arakan kingdom , frequently visited by foreign traders (including Portugese and Dutch), and this is reflected in the grandeur and scope of the structures dotted around its vicinity. But after the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1826, the British moved the regional trading centre down the Kaladan river to  Sittwe , and Mrauk U went  into decline . Today part of its allure lies in its isolation from the rest of the country; the lack of development; and that (for the moment) you are more likely to bump into a cow or a goat than into another tourist. The temples and pagodas The mon

In 1433 A.D., King Mon Saw Mwam established Mrauk-U, the capital of last Arakan Kingdom. Around 16th and 17th centuries, Mrauk-U was a main trade region with foreign countries and was frequently visited by foreign traders - Portuguese and Dutch. Foreigners recorded Mrauk-U as "Golden City of Arakan".  Mrauk-U, an ancient capital of Arakan Kingdom, is a hidden archaeological site in western Myanmar. There are hundreds of pagodas and temples in Mrauk-U. Mrauk-U had been flourished from 1430 A.D to 1785 A.D when the Burmese king conquered the Kingdom.  http://mrauku.blogspot.com/ Photo: Rakhaing-ah-ngwei-ah-thet Photo: Rakhaing-ah-ngwei-ah-thet

Today, on 13th Auguest, 2015, at about 5:00 pm, an ancient stone inscription was found in Kyauktaw Township, which is about twenty seven miles north of Mrauk-U and about six miles east of an old city of Dhanyawaddy, the earliest city in Arakan. The photos were uploaded to Facebook social media by some Facebook users and were sharing them. Photo Credit to : Tin Aung Yan Aungkyaw Ssm San Moe

Five miles west of the Mahamuni Heights lies Thay-lar-giri (Selagiri), Kyauktaw hill range where locates Kyauktaw pagoda Tradition has it that the site on which the pagoda has been erected is the very site where Lord Buddha on this journey to Rakhine Dynyawaddy set foot first and preordained for future erection of famous pagodas and temples enshrining the sacred relics. In 1923, a stone sculpture of fift century A.D. depicting Lord Buddha preaching Dhamma Sakya, wheel of Dharma, to King Sanda Thuriya was unearthed. It is now  exhibited in Mrauk-U museum. West of the hill range flows Kuladan (kisapanadi) river on the other side of which Kyauktaw town. This is the town visitor from Sittway will come across before proceeding to Mahamuni. The town locates about seventy-five miles unpstream from Sittway along the river. At present, Kisapanadi Bridge has been built to cross the river making traveling easier. Credit:  Aung, Myar. Famous Monuments of Mrauk-U (Useful Reference for T

The road to Mahamuni from Mrauk-U passes through and halves Vesali. Taking this road, the south wall of Vesali can be seen at the distance of four and half miles from Mrauk-U. Just in front of the wall is a hill on which Thaunggyat-taw pagoda stands. At the top of the ridge extending the southwest of Thaunggyat-taw pagoda is a stupa from where a stone inscription containing Ye Dhamma verse was found in May, 1965.  In 1957, the stone inscription of Niticandra's queen was recovered from a ruined stupa at Unhissaka hill north of Thaung-gyat-taw pagoda. In that year, Viracandra's inscription was found at a ruined stupa on a hill north of Unhissaka hill. The letters in these inscriptions closely resemble to those used before six-century. The names of Niticandra and Viracandra are inscribed on Anandacandra inscriptions. 

by San Tha Aung Anandacandra inscriptions on Shitethaung Pillar in Mrauk-U describe King Dven Candra as the father founder of Vesali. Not only nine Candra Kings but also sixteen kings descended from Dven Candra and other kings ruled over the country with Vesali as the Capital. Situation and Structure    Vesali was the Capital when Candra dynasty reigned over the country. It lies five miles north of Mrauk-U. The city walls and palace site can be clearly observed in photographs taken from aerial view. By studying these photographs and the article 'Rakhine Capital' written by Prof. Daw Thin Kyi (Journal of Myanmar Research Society Vol 52 Part 2, 1970, December) and through field-works, the structure of Vesali will be described as follow. To the west of Vesali runs Rann-Chaung, a tributary of Kaladan River. Lying e