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Mandalay မန္တလေးမြို့
Mandalay Location of Mandalay, Burma (Myanmar)
Coordinates: 21°98′N 96°06′E / 22.633, 96.1
Country	Burma
Admin. division	Mandalay Division
District	Mandalay District
Government
- Chairman of Mandalay City Development Committee, Mayor	Brigadier General Phone Zaw Han
Area
- Total	43.6 sq mi (113 km2)
Population (2005)[1]
- Total	961,000
- Ethnicities	Bamar, Burmese Chinese, Shan
- Religions	Buddhism, Christianity, Islam
Website: http://www.goldencity.asia

Mandalay (Burmese: မန္တလေးမြို့; MLCTS: manta.le: mrui.; pronounced [màndəlé mjo̰] in Burmese, IPA: /ˌmændəˈleɪ/ in English) is the second largest city and the last royal capital of Burma (Myanmar), and is the economic and cultural hub of Upper Burma. The city, located 445 miles (716 km) north of Yangon on the right bank of the Irrawaddy river, has a population of nearly 1 million (2.5 million metropolitan area), and is also the capital of Mandalay Division.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Location 2.2 Climate 3 Cityscape 4 Administration 5 Transport 5.1 Air 5.2 River 5.3 Rail 5.4 Roads 5.5 Buses and cars 6 Demographics 7 Culture 7.1 Media 8 Economy 9 Education 10 Mandalay in popular culture 11 References 12 External links

[edit] History

Founded in 1857 by King Mindon^[2], Mandalay was the last capital (1860–1885) of the last independent Burmese Kingdom before colonised by the British after the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885.

Unlike other Burmese towns, Mandalay did not grow from a smaller settlement, although a small village Hti Baunga did exist nearby. Mandalay was set up in an empty area at the foot of 775 ft high (236 m) Mandalay Hill according to a prophecy by the Buddha that a great city, a metropolis of Buddhism, would come into existence in that exact place on the occasion of the 2,400th jubilee of Buddhism.

King Mindon decided to fulfill the prophecy and during his reign in the Kingdom of Amarapura he issued a royal order on January 13, 1857 to establish a new kingdom. The Ceremony of Ascending the Throne was celebrated in July 1858. The former royal city of Amarapura was dismantled and moved by elephants to the new location at the foot of Mandalay Hill. With the ground-breaking ceremony, King Mindon laid the foundation of Mandalay on the 6th waning day of Kason, Burmese Era 1219 (1857). The King laid the foundations of seven edifices: the royal city with the battlemented walls, the moat surrounding it, the Maha Lawka Marazein Stupa (Kuthodaw Pagoda), the higher ordination hall named the Pahtan-haw Shwe Thein, the Atumashi (Incomparable) monastery, the Thudhamma Zayats or public houses for preaching the Doctrine, and the library for the Buddhist scriptures.

The whole royal city was called Lay Kyun Aung Myei (Victorious Land over the Four Islands) and the royal palace, Mya Nan San Kyaw (The Famed Royal Emerald Palace). The new royal capital was called Yadanabon Naypyidaw, the Burmese version of its Pali name Ratanapura which means "The City of Gems". It then became Mandalay after the hill; the name is a derivative of the Pali word "Mandala", which means "a plains land" - Mandalay is said to be as flat as the face of a drum - and also of the Pali word "Mandare", which means "an auspicious land."

Mandalay was captured by the British during the Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885). Reigning King Thibaw and his queen, Supayalat, were forced to evacuate the palace and eventually exiled to India. Renamed Fort Dufferin, the palace was used as the quarter of British and Indian troops, and many of its fabulous treasures were looted. Some of the best pieces were sent back to Great Britain and can still be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum.^[3]

Mandalay suffered heavy damage during World War II. The Japanese captured Mandalay on 2 May 1942, and turned the fort that contained the palace, into a supply depot. The fort was heavily bombed by the British prior to their liberation of the city in March 1945. The palace was burnt down to the ground and only the masonry plinth of the palace complex with a couple of masonry structures such as the royal mint and the hour-drum tower remained. A faithful replica of the palace was rebuilt in the 1990s.

After Burma's independence from Britain in 1948, the city became the capital of Mandalay Division.

[edit] Geography

[edit] Location

Mandalay is located in the central dry zone of Myanmar by the Irrawaddy river at 21°98' North, 96°08' East. Its standard time zone is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours.

[edit] Climate

Weather averages for Mandalay
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Average high °F	83	89	97	101	98	93	93	92	91	90	86	82
Average low °F	56	59	67	75	77	78	78	77	76	74	67	58
Precipitation inches	0.20	0.10	0.00	1.50	5.70	5.10	3.10	5.20	6.10	7.30	1.50	0.30
Average high °C	28	32	36	38	37	34	34	33	33	32	30	28
Average low °C	13	15	19	24	25	26	26	25	24	23	19	14
Precipitation mm	5.1	2.5	0.0	38.1	144.8	129.5	78.7	132.1	154.9	185.4	38.1	7.6
Source: The Weather Channel [4] 2008-12-13

[edit] Cityscape

• Mandalay Hill: The hill has for long been a holy mount. Legend has it that the Buddha, on his visit, had prophesied that a great city would be founded at its foot. Mandalay Hill, 230 metres in elevation, commands a magnificent view of the city and surrounding countryside. The construction of a motor road to reach the hill-top has already been finished.

• Mandalay Palace: The whole magnificent palace complex was destroyed by a fire during World War II. However, the finely built palace walls, the city gates with their crowning wooden pavilions and the surrounding moat still represent an impressive scene of the Mandalay Palace, "Mya-nan-san-kyaw Shwenandaw", which has been rebuilt using forced labour. A model of the Mandalay Palace, Nanmyint-saung and Cultural Museum are located inside the Palace grounds.

• Shwenandaw Monastery: Famous for its intricate wood-carvings, this monastery is a fragile reminder of the old Mandalay Palace. Actually, it was a part of the old palace later moved to its current site by King Thibaw in 1880.
• Maha Muni Pagoda: The Image is said to have been cast in the life-time of the Gautama Buddha and that the Buddha embraced it 7 times thereby bringing it to life. Consequently, devout Buddhists hold it to be alive and refer to it as the Maha Muni Sacred Living Image. Revered as the holiest pagoda in Mandalay, It was built by King Bodawpaya in 1784. The image in a sitting posture is 12 feet and 7 inches (3.8 m) high. As the image was brought from Rakhine State it was also called the Great Rakhine Buddha. The early morning ritual of washing the Face of Buddha Image draws a large crowd of devotees everyday. The Great Image is also considered as the greatest, next to the Shwedagon Pagoda, in Burma. A visit to Mandalay is incomplete without a visit to Maha Muni Pagoda.

• Kuthodaw Pagoda (The World's Biggest Book): Built by King Mindon in 1857, this pagoda modeled on the Shwezigon Pagoda at Nyaung U, is surrounded by 729 upright stone slabs on which are inscribed the entire Buddhist Scriptures as edited and approved by the Fifth Buddhist Synod. It is popularly known as "the World's Biggest Book" for its stone scriptures.

• Kyauktawgyi Pagoda: Near the southern approach to Mandalay Hill stands the Kyauktawgyi Buddha Image built by King Mindon in 1853-78. The Image was carved out of a huge single block of marble. Statues of 80 Arahats (the Great Disciples of the Buddha) are assembled around the Image, 20 on each side. The carving of the Image was completed in 1865.

• Buddha's Replica Tooth Relic Pagoda: One of the Buddha's Sacred Replica Tooth Relics was enshrined in the Mandalay Swedaw Pagoda on Maha Dhammayanthi Hill in Amarapura Township. The pagoda was built with cash donations contributed by the peoples of Burma and Buddhist donors from around the world under the supervision of the Burmese military government. The authorities and donors hoisted Buddha's Replica Tooth Relic Pagoda Mandalay's Shwe Htidaw (sacred golden umbrella), Hngetmyatnadaw (sacred bird perch vane) and Seinhpudaw (sacred diamond bud) on 13th, December, 1996.

• Atumashi Kyaung: The " Atumashi Kyaung ", which literally means the inimitable monastery, is also one of the well known sights. The original structure was destroyed by a fire in 1890 though the masonry plinth survived. It was indeed an inimitable one in its heyday. The reconstruction project was started by the government on 2nd May, 1995 and completed in June, 1996.

[edit] Administration

The Mandalay District which includes the city and its vicinity comprises the following townships:

• Amarapura
• Aung Myay Tharzan
• Chan Aye Tharzan
• Chan Mya Tharzi
• Maha Aung Myay
• Patheingyi
• Pyigyidangon

[edit] Transport

Mandalay's strategic location in Central Myanmar makes it an important hub for transport of people and goods. The city is connected to other parts of the country and to China and India by multiple modes of transportation.

[edit] Air

Mandalay International Airport is the largest and most modern airport in Myanmar. Built at a cost of US$150 million in 2000, the airport is highly underutilized; it serves mostly domestic flights with the exception of flights to Kunming. The airport has come to represent the military regime's propensity for bad planning and penchant for white elephant projects.^[5]

[edit] River

The Ayeyarwady River remains an important arterial route for transporting goods such as farm produce including rice, beans and pulses, cooking oil, pottery, bamboo and teak.

[edit] Rail

Mandalay Central Railway Station is the terminus of the main rail line from Yangon and the starting point of branch lines to Pyin U Lwin (Maymyo), Lashio, Monywa, Pakokku, Kalay, Gangaw, and to the north, Shwebo, Kawlin, Naba, Kanbalu, Mohnyin, Hopin, Mogaung and Myitkyina.

Mandalay does not have an intra-city metro rail system.

[edit] Roads

Mandalay literally is at the center of Myanmar's road network. The highway network includes roads towards:^[6]

• Upper Myanmar and China -- Mandalay-Tagaung-Bhamo-Myitkyina Road, Mandalay-Mogok-SiU-Bhamo Road, Mandalay-Lashio Road
• Western Myanmar and India -- Mandalay-Sagaing-Monywa Road
• Lower Myanmar -- Yangon-Naypyidaw-Mandalay Road

Most stretches of these so-called highways are no more than one lane roads in extremely poor condition.

[edit] Buses and cars

As the government allows only a few thousands of vehicles to be imported each year, motor transportation in Myanmar is highly expensive for most of its citizens.^[7] Most people rely on bicycles, motorcycles and/or private and public buses to get around. The most popular car in Mandalay is the 1982/83 Nissan Sunny pickup truck. Because of its utility as a private bus or taxi, the two-and-a-half-decade old model still had strong demand and heady prices to match--from K10 million to K14 million (US$8,000 to US$11,000) in mid-2008.^[8] To get around severe import limits, people of Mandalay have turned to illegally imported (unregistered) motorcycles and cars despite the government's periodic confiscation sprees. (The number of domestically made cars remains negligible. Mandalay's small car markers produced (assembled) only about 3000 cars in 2007.)^[9]

In March 2008, Mandalay had nearly 81,000 registered motor vehicles^[10] plus an unknown number of unregistered vehicles. Although the number cars in a city of one million is low, traffic in Mandalay is highly chaotic as thousands of bicycles and (unregistered) motorbikes freely roam around all the lanes of the streets. Unlike in Yangon where motorbikes, trishaws and bikes are prohibited from entering downtown and busy areas, in Mandalay it is anything goes. That many traffic lights in Mandalay do not work only adds to the chaos.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	%±
1950	167	—
1960	250	49.7%
1970	374	49.6%
1980	499	33.4%
1990	636	27.5%
2000	810	27.4%
2007	961	18.6%
2010	1,034	7.6%
2020	1,308	26.5%
2025	1,446	10.6%
in thousands[1]

A 2007 estimate by the UN puts Mandalay's population at nearly 1 million. The city's population is projected to reach nearly 1.5 million by 2025.^[1] While Mandalay has traditionally been the bastion of Bamar (Burman) culture and populace, the massive influx of ethnic Chinese in the last 20 years has effectively pushed the Bamar out of the city center.^[11][12] The foreign-born Chinese can easily obtain Burmese citizenship cards on the black market.^[12] Today, the number of Chinese, perhaps 30% to 40% of the city, is believed to nearly rival that of the Bamar. A sizable community of South Asians also resides in Mandalay.

Burmese is still the principal language of the city although Mandarin Chinese is increasingly heard in the city's commerce centers such as Chinatown and Zegyo Market. English is a distant third language, spoken only by the urban elite.

[edit] Culture

Mandalay is Burma's cultural and religious center of Buddhism, having numerous monasteries and more than 700 pagodas. At the foot of Mandalay Hill sits the world's official "Buddhist Bible", also known as the world’s largest book, in Kuthodaw Pagoda. There are 729 slabs of stone that together are inscribed with the entire Buddhist canon, each housed in its own white stupa. The buildings inside the old Mandalay city walls, surrounded by a moat,which is repaired in recent times using prison labour, comprise the Mandalay Palace, mostly destroyed during World War II. İt is now replaced by a replica, Mandalay Prison and a military garrison, the headquarters of the Central Military Command.

[edit] Media

Much of the media in Mandalay, like elsewhere in Myanmar--comes from Yangon. The city's non-satellite TV programming comes from Yangon-based state-run TV Myanmar and military-run Myawaddy, both of which provide Burmese language news and entertainment. Since December 2006, MRTV-4, formerly a paid channel, has also been available in Mandalay.^[13] Mandalay has two radio stations. Naypyidaw-based Myanmar Radio National Service is the national radio service and broadcasts mostly in Burmese (and in English during specific times.) Semi-state-run Mandalay City FM (91.9FM) is the Mandalay metropolitan area's pop culture oriented station.^[14]

The military government, which controls all daily newspapers in Myanmar, uses Mandalay to publish and distribute its three national newspapers, the Burmese language Myanmar Alin and Kyemon and the English language The New Light of Myanmar.^[15] The state-run Yadanabon is published in Mandalay and serves the Upper Myanmar market.^[16]

[edit] Economy

Mandalay is the major trading and communications center for northern and central Burma. Much of Burmese external trade to China and India goes through Mandalay.

Among the leading traditional industries are silk weaving, tapestry, jade cutting and polishing, stone and wood carving, making marble and bronze Buddha images, temple ornaments and paraphernalia, the working of gold leaves and of silver, the manufacture of matches, brewing and distilling.

Ethnic Chinese have increasingly dominated Mandalay's economy since the imposition of sanctions by the United States and the European Union in the 1990s.

[edit] Education

See also: Category:Universities and colleges in Mandalay

Mandalay has the best educational facilities and institutions, after Yangon, in Myanmar where state spending on education is among the lowest in the world.^[17] Students in poor districts routinely drop out in middle school as schools have to rely on forced "donations" and various fees from parents for nearly everything – school maintenance to teachers' salaries.^[18] Many wealthy Mandalay parents enroll their children in the city's English language private schools for primary and secondary education and Chinese and Singaporean universities for university education. Some wealthy ethnic Chinese families also send their children to "cram schools" where students study for entrance exams into Chinese universities from 6am to 8am, then to government high schools from 9am to 3pm, and finally preparation classes for Singapore GCE O levels from 4pm to 9pm.^[19]

For the rest of the students who cannot afford to go abroad for studies, Mandalay offers Upper Myanmar's best institutions of higher education. The city's University of Medicine, Mandalay, University of Dental Medicine, Mandalay, Mandalay Technological University and University of Computer Studies, Mandalay are among the nation's most selective universities. The vast majority of university students in Mandalay attend liberal arts universities: Mandalay University, the oldest university in Upper Myanmar, and Yadanabon University.

[edit] Mandalay in popular culture

• Rudyard Kipling wrote a poem called "Mandalay", which is the origin of the phrase "on the road to Mandalay".[1]
• In 1907, Kipling's poem was set to music by Oley Speaks as "On the Road to Mandalay". Speaks' version was widely recorded. Among the best known renditions is the one by Frank Sinatra on Come Fly With Me.

• Kurt Weill's Happy End includes the "Mandalay Song."
• 46 Bliss perform a song "The Road to Mandalay" on their Pistachio Home release.
• Manderley (a variant spelling of "Mandalay") is the name of the house in the novel Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
• In a comedy sketch Peter Cook, as a bicyclist, seeks directions to Mandalay from Dudley Moore, who painting road lines on what he says is the Karakoram highway.
• George Orwell was stationed at Mandalay for a time while working for the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, and his first novel, Burmese Days, was based on his experiences in Burma. He also wrote a number of short non-fiction essays and short stories about Burma, such as "Shooting an Elephant" and "A Hanging".
• The children's song "Nellie the Elephant" features the line "they met one night by a silver light on the road to Mandalay."

• Mandalay is referenced in the song "Not Guilty" written by George Harrison for The Beatles but it was not released as a Beatles song until the The Beatles Anthology was released in 1995. A solo version of the song was released by Harrison in 1979. He sings: 'Not Guilty, for leading you astray, on the roads of Mandalay', using it as an allusion for the Beatles' trip in India, 68.

• Mandalay Bay is the name of a casino in Las Vegas.
• Mandalay is a music group responsible for the song "Beautiful"
• Saya Myoma Nyein composed so many songs for Mandalay especially for Thingyan Festival[Water Festival].
• The Ian Dury and the Blockheads song "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick", features the line "On the Road to Mandalay".
• The Electric Light Orchestra had an unreleased track on their 1983 Secret Messages album called Mandalay. It later released on the 3rd CD of their boxed set Afterglow.
• Colin Hay, the lead singer and main writer from the group Men at Work has put out a number of solo albums since the break up of Men at Work. His album Topanga, released in 1996, has a track called Road to Mandalay.
• Mandalay is referenced in the song "Mountains of Burma" by Midnight Oil on the album Blue Sky Mining. Written by Rob Hirst.
• Blackmore's Night has a song called Way to Mandalay on Ghost of a Rose.
• Manderlay is a film by Lars von Trier.
• Robbie Williams had a song called "The Road To Mandalay" on Sing When You're Winning.
• Manfat Voodoo has a song called "The Bus Times to Mandalay" on their album "Erasmus Darwin and the Chicken Ladder"
• The title song of the Eagles' 2007 release Long Road Out Of Eden includes the line "Been down the road to Damascus, the road to Mandalay."
• In "Lady Chatterley," a 1992 Ken Russell film, Lady Chatterley and her sister plan a trip to Mandalay to visit their father.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mandalay

• Mandalay travel guide from Wikitravel
• See also nearby Pyin Oo Lwin, the historic hill station above Mandalay
• Mandalay Supply Route
• History
• Mandalay in 1885-1888 - the letters of James Alfred ColbeckPDF (107 KiB) SOAS
• Mandalay city website
• Mandalay, the Burmese Heartland by Dr. Constance Wilson, Northern Illinois University
• Asian Historical Architecture - Mandalay by Prof. Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska
• Mintha Theater
• Mandalay Photo Gallery
• Photo Gallery

v • d • e Mandalay Division Capital: Mandalay Mandalay District Aung Myay Thar Zan Township · Chan Aye Thar Zan Township · Mahar Aung Myay Township · Chan Mya Thar Si Township · Pyi Gyi Tan Kon Township · Amarapura Township · Patheingyi Township Pyin Oo Lwin District Pyin Oo Lwin Township · Madaya Township · Singu Township · Thabeikkyin Township · Mogok Township Kyaukse District Kyaukse Township · Sintgaing Township · Myittha Township · Tada-U Township Myingyan District Myingyan Township · Thaungtha Township · Natogyi Township · Kyaukpadaung Township · Nganzun Township Nyaung-U District Nyaung-U Township Yamethin District Yamethin Township · Pyawbwe Township · Tatkon Township · Pyinmana Township · Lewe Township Meiktila District Meiktila Township · Mahlaing Township · Thazi Township · Wundwin Township Main cities and towns Mandalay · Amarapura · Myitnge · Patheingyi · Pyin Oo Lwin · Madaya · Singu · Thabeikkyin · Mogok · Kyaukse · Sintgaing · Myittha · Tada-U · Myingyan · Taungtha · Natogyi · Kyaukpadaung · Nganzun · Nyaung-U · Bagan · Yamethin · Pyawbwe, Natogyi · Pyawbwe · Tatkon · Pyinmana · Lewe · Meiktila · Mahlaing · Thazi · Wundwin · Cities, towns and villages in the Mandalay Division

• Mandalay is at coordinates 21°59′N 96°05′E / 21.98, 96.08 (Mandalay)Coordinates: 21°59′N 96°05′E / 21.98, 96.08 (Mandalay)