Page 310 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

308 Mandalay and around MINGUN
KING BODAWPAYA AND THE MINGUN PAGODA
Creator of the Mingun Pagoda, King Bodawpaya (ruled 1782–1819) was one of the most
powerful and longest-serving monarchs in Myanmar’s history, popularly known as the
“Grandfather King” – perhaps on account of his 200-odd wives and concubines, and 120
children. Bodawpaya’s lusty appetites didn’t prevent him from proclaiming himself the next
Buddha-in-waiting (a claim politely rejected by the Sangha) or from taking a keen interest in
religious affairs, as well as setting up an observation post on an island near Mingun from which
to personally supervise the construction of his great pagoda.
Various legends purport to explain why Bodawpaya’s supersized monument never actually
got finished. One story claims that construction work was taking such a heavy toll on the state
that a fake prophecy was concocted in order to halt the project, alleging that as soon as the
stupa was finished, the kingdom would fall or the king would die (or possibly both). Much
affected by this prediction, Bodawpaya ordered a deliberate go-slow. Work continued, but only
at a snail’s pace, and was abandoned entirely as soon as the king expired, never to be resumed
– although given the vastness of the undertaking it seems difficult to believe it could ever
7 have been completed, whatever the circumstances.

Mingun Pagoda

The world’s largest pile of bricks (as it’s often described), it’s hard to imagine how
majestic a sight Mingun Pagoda would have been if finished (although the Pondaw
Pagoda – see p.307 – gives an approximate idea). Constructed using thousands of
prisoners of war and other slave labour, the project was originally intended to reach
‑a final height of around 150m.
Though only one‑third was completed, it’s still an astonishing sight, made more
dramatic by the jagged, lightning‑like fissures created when earthquakes hit in 1819
and 2012. A staircase on the right‑hand side of the pagoda leads up to the summit of
the monument; although visitors can at present only go about two‑thirds of the way
up, the views over Mingun and the Ayeyarwady are still worth the climb.

Mingun Bell
• Daily 5.30am–5.30pm
As well as the planet’s biggest pile of bricks, Mingun also boasts one of the world’s
largest functioning bells. Like its fellow record‑breaker, this was commissioned by
King Bodawpaya, to whom size clearly did matter: it’s around 5m wide at the base
and weighs 55,555 viss (corresponding to around 97 tonnes) – formerly the world’s
heaviest bell until being surpassed in 2000 by the 126‑tonne Bell of Good Luck in
Henan, China – although both pale in comparison to the mother of all bells, the
327‑tonne Great Bell of Dhammazedi (see p.74), lost in the Yangon River after
being looted by Filipe de Brito e Nicote in 1608. The done thing here is to duck
inside, then get someone to clang the bell with a wooden beater. Despite the bell’s
size, it’s not particularly sonorous, and the layers of graffiti scribbled inside don’t
much add to the experience. Pray the bell doesn’t fall off its supports while you’re
underneath it either – the last time it was knocked off its perch (by the 1839
earthquake) it took 57 years before being finally re‑hung.

Hsinbyume Pagoda
• Daily 24hr
Just north of the Mingun Bell is the whitewashed Hsinbyume Pagoda. Its extravagant
wavy design is said to represent Mount Sumeru – the mountain at the centre of the
Buddhist cosmos – and the seas that surround it, represented by the central stupa and
the seven terraces on which it’s placed. Climb to the top for superlative views over
Mingun, the river and the countryside beyond.

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