One-day tour in the city
Mandalay Palace-Mandalay Mountain-Gudu Taostupa-Golden Temple-One-day tour in a unique temple
Mandalay Palace
Located in the city, Mandalay Palace is the palace of the last dynasty in Myanmar. The original building was completely destroyed in World War II, but what we are seeing now is that the Myanmar government rebuilt it on the original site in 1989 according to historical materials. The whole palace is square, 3.2km long, surrounded by moats and city walls, with four main doors and eight side doors. There are 14 large and small palaces in the palace, including the living room of the emperor and his concubines, the hall where the emperor and his ministers deliberated, and the bathing room. All the buildings are made of teak, teak is red, and some of them are painted with scenery on the top.
Mandalay Mountain
Mandalay Mountain is located in the north of Mandalay City and northwest of Mandalay Palace. It is the highest mountain in Mandalay, with a height of 236 meters. According to legend, more than 2, years ago, Sakyamuni preached Dharma here, and after attracting countless believers, he gradually became famous. Mountaineering will go through more than 17 steps, covered with roofs, and there are large and small temples along the way. A temple halfway up the mountain enshrines three Buddhist bones. About two-thirds of the way, there stands a gilded statue of Shiyatafo, with a big palace with fingers. At the top of the mountain is an Indian temple, with square columns connected to the arched roof, forming a long corridor around it. All the walls and columns are covered with glass and shine in the sun. The wall in the middle of the temple also says, "People who want to live long should be sheltered by the shade of Mandalay Mountain". Standing on the top of the mountain overlooks the whole city of Mandalay, and it is also an excellent place to watch the sunrise and sunset.
Gudu Taofo Pagoda
The Pagoda is between Mandalay Mountain and Mandalay Palace, not far from Muny Temple in Shanda. It is also a group of white pagodas with a gourd shape on the top. The pagoda was built in 1857, and its full name is Maharaja Maharaja Pagoda, which is also called "the largest merit pagoda in the world" by the Burmese people. The ancient Taota is very famous because when it was built, the King of Mindong summoned 2,4 eminent monks from all over Indo-China Peninsula to complete the fifth revision meeting of Buddhist scriptures here. These revised Buddhist scriptures were carved in Pali on 729 marble tablets, and later generations built small white pagodas on the periphery of each tablet, which were neatly arranged and quite spectacular. These classics are known as "the largest books in the world" because of their complete contents and large scale (it is said that if a person reads eight hours a day, it will take one and a half years to finish reading these classics).
Golden Monastery
is located in the south of Gudu Taofo Pagoda. This is Mantong's bedroom and where he died. The whole building was originally in the palace, but because its successor was afraid of the death of King Mingdong, the whole building was moved to its present position and became a monastery. Because it used to be the bedroom of Mantong, the whole building is much more delicate and complicated than ordinary temples. The whole building has three floors, and the bottom is supported by hundreds of teak columns, forming an overhead chassis, which is conducive to ventilation and moisture prevention. The main hall on the first floor, surrounded by a circle of wooden cloisters; Two layers stacked one after another, surrounded by four eaves. The pillars on the outer wall of the main hall are all beautifully carved, dense and dazzling; The interior walls and roof are painted with golden wall paint, hence the name "Golden Hall".
Unique monastery
, located on the west side of the Golden Temple, was built by King Myeongdong and Mandalay Palace at the same time. The original buildings were all teak, which was called the most beautiful building in Mandalay until it was burned down in 189. Most of what we see now was rebuilt by the Burmese government in 1966 with cement. Although it is not as luxurious as teak, it still retains the original architectural prototype. The main entrance needs to climb more than ten steps, and then go to the cloister outside the main hall. The whole building is dominated by white walls, with golden wood carvings on the doors, windows and roofs. Seen from a distance, it looks like a cathedral in Europe. The interior of the Ursa Major Hall is mainly a place for chanting Buddhist scriptures. Basically, there is nothing but pillars, which looks like an indoor basketball court.
One-day tour in the suburbs
Dayan Temple in Mohegan-Mingong Ancient City-Shijie Mountain-Inwa Ancient City-Uban Bridge
Mahagen Dayan Monastery
Located in Amarapura, the ancient city, near Uban Bridge, the monastery is the most important Buddhist college in Myanmar. In a Buddhist family in Myanmar, every man must become a monk once in his life, or more, ranging from weeks to years, or even for life. Although the Mahakan Daiyoji was built only 5 years ago, thousands of monks have been practicing here for a long time.
The most famous temple is the "Thousand Monks Meal" held at 1: 3 every morning. Myanmar is a Hinayana Buddhist country, and monks strictly practice "no food in the afternoon" and "begging for food in a bowl". The first meal is 4 o'clock, the second meal starts begging along the street around 1 o'clock, and I will return to the temple to finish my meal before 12 o'clock. Thousands of monks lined up neatly in two rows, barefoot, looking three feet ahead, not left or right, arms wrapped in robes quietly, moving slowly in silence and order. In the yard, local believers began to distribute food to them. When a monk drags a bowl to pick up food, he can show his right arm, and then go to the canteen or go back to the dormitory to eat. The monks' food was all provided by local believers, and the whole process was quiet without any language communication. Now the monks in this temple don't have to go out for alms, and believers from all over the country will take turns to bring materials to the monks to cook as a practice.
Ming Gong Ancient City
Ming Gong Ancient City is located in the upper reaches of Irrawaddy River, 11 kilometers north of Mandalay. Compared with the other three ancient cities, it is the farthest from the urban area. This ancient city was built by Portopaye, the sixth emperor of Kampong Dynasty, in order to publicize his great achievements (repairing relations with the Qing Dynasty, owning real Buddha statues and welcoming back several Khmer bronze Buddha statues that once belonged to his own country).
Sagaing Mountain
Surrounded by mountains, pagodas are scattered in it, but it still makes people feel very quiet, so many monks come here to practice, which makes it an important Buddhist shrine in Myanmar. The mountain road of Shishan is steep. Climbing the stairs, you can see all kinds of pagodas, big and small. It is said that there are more than 5 pagodas and temples on the mountain, and as many as 6, monks practice. On the way, you can always meet monks who are resting or chanting. There is a semi-circular temple in the Mid-Levels. More than 3 statues of Buddha with the same shape sit in an arc, and the outer wall is covered with scriptures.
Inva Ancient City
Ubuntu Bridge
Ubuntu Bridge is located in the ancient city of Amarapura. Founded in 1856, it is 12 meters long. It is also one of the longest wooden bridges in the world. The whole bridge is made of the most famous teak in Myanmar, and it can still be used normally after many years. The bridge was built because East Taman Lake is a seasonal lake. When the lake rises in rainy season, it will flood the surrounding areas. In order to solve the traffic difficulties, Mindong Wang built the bridge. Burmese also call Ubuntu Bridge "Lover Bridge". They believe that when two lovers come here to pray earnestly, they can achieve the harmony and mutual respect required by the Six Spirits, and their love will last longer. At night, you can take a boat and watch the sunset on the river in the distance. The afterglow is sprinkled on the century-old building, which is indescribable quiet.