Another favorite spot in Myanmar was Mingun, located about an hour’s boat ride up the Irawaddy River from Mandalay. Once a royal capital for former King Bodawpaya, Mingun today is a small village.
As we approached, we could see an enormous, partially-completed pagoda begun by the king during the area’s heyday. One hundred thousand of his subjects – many prisoners – worked on it from 1790 to 1810, but – according to our guide – construction was stopped when people began to believe that, should the stupa be completed, the dynasty would fall. The intention was for it to rise 500 feet into the sky, but at the time the work was stopped, only 30% of the work had been completed. Huge cracks in the side were visible from the earthquake in 1838, which shook the area.
Of equal interest were the gigantic lions in front, which have partially crumbled, leaving only their backsides intact. Our guide pointed out pieces of the felines that are now part of people’s homes nearby.
Another old relic in Mingun is the Myatheindan Pagoda built in 1816. Our guide told us that locally, people refer to it as “Myanmar’s Taj Mahal,” not because of a resemblance to the original, but because it was built for love. Apparently, when the wife of King Bodawpaya’s son died in childbirth, the grieving prince had this lovely shrine constructed in her honor.
Finally, while in Mingun, you wouldn’t want to miss the 3rd largest bell in the world. Dedicated to the unfinished pagoda in 1808, the 90 ton bronze bell was made on an island in the Irawaddy. They had to wait for a high tide to float it on a barge via a purpose-built canal to its current location.