Mrauk U

Mrauk U

class=notpageimage|

Mrauk U

Mrauk U (Burmese: မြောက်‌ဦးမြို့; MLCTS: mrauk u: mrui.) is an archaeologically important town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It lies east of the Kaladan River, and is surrounded by hills in the north and south.

In 1431, King Min Saw Mon established Mrauk U as the capital of the last unified Arakanese Kingdom. The city eventually reached a size of 120,000 in the mid sixteenth century. The city traded with Portugal, the Netherlands, Ava, Pegu, Arabia, Persia and India. Items traded include rice, cotton, rubies, elephants, slaves, horses, ivory, cowrie and spices.

At its zenith, Mrauk U controlled half of Bangladesh, including Dhaka and Chittagong, modern day Rakhine State and the western part of Lower Burma. During that period, its kings minted coins inscribed in Arakanese (similar to the Burmese language), Kufic and Bengali. As they prospered, they built many pagodas and temples, many of which remain today. The most notable are the Shite-thaung Temple (Temple of 80,000 Images or Temple of Victory), Htukkanthein Temple (Htukkan Ordination Hall), the Koe-thaung (Temple of 90,000 Images) and the Five Mahn pagodas.

The area around Mrauk U ranks second in the production of rice in Myanmar, after the Ayeyarwaddy Delta.

Today, Mrauk U is a major archaeological and tourist site. It is about two days journey from Yangon, or 3-5 hours boat ride from Sittwe.

Temples in Mrauk U

There are a large number of pagodas, temples and religious buildings around Mrauk U, built since its founding in 1431 by Min Saw Mon. The following are some of the famous and note-worthy religious buildings in and around the town.

• Shite-thaung Temple
• Htukkanthein Temple
• Koe-thaung Temple
• Andaw-thein Ordination Hall
• Le-myet-hna Temple
• Five Mahn Pagodas
  • Mingala-Mahn-Aung Pagoda
  • Ratna-Mahn-Aung Pagoda
  • Sakya-Mahn-Aung Pagoda
  • Lawka-Mahn-Aung Pagoda
  • Zina-Mahn-Aung Pagoda
• Sanda Muni Temple
• Bandoola Kyaung Monastery

Although Mrauk U is a primarily Buddhist site, there are several religious buildings of other faiths. The most notable would be the old Santikan Mosque, built during Min Saw Mon's reign, in the southeast of the town.

Gallery

• Tourism Billboard
  Tourism Billboard
• 
  Ruins of Portuguese Trade Office
• 
  Shite-thaung Temple from Htaukkanthein Temple
• 
  Carvings inside the third chamber

See also

• Rakhine State
• Sittwe

References

• The Land of the Great Image - Being Experiences of Friar Manrique in Arakan by Maurice Collis
• Burma's Lost Kingdoms - Splendours of Arakan by Pamela Gutman