Page 306 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

304 Mandalay and around INWA
THE MANDALAY COMBINATION TICKET AT INWA
A Mandalay Combination Ticket (see box, p.286) is needed for entry to Inwa’s two main
sights, the Maha Aungmye Bonzan and Bagaya Kyaung. Tickets (K10,000, valid for 5 days) can
be purchased from the office next to the Maha Aungmye Bonzan.

commissioned in 1818 by the chief consort of King Bagyidaw for her religious
instructor. The monastery is unusual in being built of stuccoed brick, rather than
the wood usually used for such structures, with a rectangular building topped by
three diminishing tiers of roofs set on a huge base. The interior is largely bare and
somewhat dilapidated, with a split-level wood-floored hall and a musty (but
pleasantly cool) cellar below, whose thick pillars provide useful cover for love-struck
local couples.
Immediately east of the monastery rise the clustered stupas of the Htihlaingshin
7 Pagoda, parts of which date back to the era of King Kyansittha (r.1084–1112) of
Bagan. Alternatively, walking out of the rear of the complex takes you down to the
river, with the golden spires of Sagaing (see opposite) glistening on the opposite bank.
Nanmyint
• Daily 6am–7pm
The “Leaning Tower of Inwa”, as it’s inevitably known, the wonky Nanmyint
tower is the only surviving section of the palace which King Bagyidaw built here
in 1822. Originally a watchtower, the building acquired its distinctive tilt during
the series of earthquakes in 1838–39 which eventually led to Inwa losing its
status as capital forever, although safety concerns mean that you can no longer
climb it yourself.
Shwezigon Pagoda
• Daily 24hr • Free
Marking the southwestern corner of the ancient city walls, the gleaming golden stupa
of the hefty Shwezigon Pagoda is unmissable when heading west to Bagaya Kyaung.
Horse-and-cart drivers don’t usually include the pagoda on their tours unless you
specifically request it, but it’s well worth the brief detour.
Yadanasimi and Nogatapahu pagodas
Daily 24hr • Free
Head west out of the old city, passing through the remains of an old gateway en route,
to reach the Yadanasimi Pagoda, comprising a pretty little cluster of Bagan-style
red-brick shrines and stupas, with a trio of Buddhas seated between classical-looking
columns and a flame tree providing welcome shade. A little further west is the
Nogatapahu Pagoda, its unusually tall and slender white stupa crowned with an
impressively large gold hti (umbrella).
Bagaya Kyaung
• Daily 24hr • Covered by Mandalay Combination Ticket (see box, p.286)
Inwa’s most memorable sight, the Bagaya Kyaung is a spectacular teak monastery built
in 1834 during Inwa’s final stint as royal capital. It’s still a functioning place of worship,
residence and study, as proved by the globes placed in the lecture hall to help young
monks with their geography skills. The main hall is supported with 267 teak posts
– the largest almost 3m in circumference and approaching 20m tall – and decorated in
an elaborate profusion of carved peacocks, lotuses and other motifs, while the small
adjacent lecture hall is even more striking, set on a high stilted wooden platform and
topped with a soaring seven-tiered roof.

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