Mrauk U

Mrauk U is an archaeologically important town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It was the capital of Mrauk U Kingdom, the most important and powerful Rakhine (Arakanese) kingdom, that ruled vast coastal regions of western Myanmar and into India as far as the Ganges River from 1430 to 1785. As Mrauk U and her kingdom prospered, many pagodas and temples were built. Most of Mrauk U’s temples were constructed of hewn stone bricks, unlike the mud and clay bricks of Bagan.

Places of interest

Shitthaung

Shitthaung or "temple of the 80.000 Buddhas" also known as the 'Temple of Victory' located about half a mile to the north of the palace site was built in 1535–1536 by King Min Bin, one of the most powerful kings of the Mrauk U Dynasty, to commemorate his conquest of Bengal.

Koethaung Pagoda

Koethaung Pagoda means "Temple of 90,000 Buddha Images" 90.000 was built between 1554 and 1556 by King Dikkha who was the son of the King Minbin.

Htukkanthein

Htukkanthein is one of the most famous temples in the ancient Arakanese city of Mrauk U, in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar. The name means "Cross-Beam Ordination Hall". Like most of Mrauk U's Buddhist temples, it is designed as a dual purpose 'fortress-temple'. Although it is a 'thein' (Ordination Hall), it is one of the most militaristic buildings in Mrauk U, built on raised ground, with a single entrance and small windows. According to Dr. Emil Forchhammer, an archaeologist employed by the British Raj to study Mrauk U in the late 19th century, the temples might have been employed as a refuge for the Buddhist religious order in times of war. King Minphalaung built the pagoda in 1571 A.D. The pagoda is well-known for the stone sculptures in the vaulted passages; es¬pecially the figures of seated ladies with different styles of coiffure, in the manner of offering lotus buds to the Buddha. Traditionally it is said that there are sixty-four kinds of hairstyle and all the figures are of the wives of noblemen.