Destination

Innwa (AVA)

A few km south of Amarapura, the Inwa Bridge spans the Ayeyarwady River across to Sagaing. Just south of the bridge the Myitnge River flows into the Ayeyarwady and south of this river stands the ancient city of Inwa. Inwa means ‘entrance to the lake’. The city of Inwa was founded in 1364 by king Thadominbya, who built it in the northeast corner of an artificial island created by the Myottha Chaung, a channel dug from the Myitnge to the Ayayarwady. Even during the 19th century, the entire Myanmar Empires was generally known as ‘Inwa’ and when the seat of government moved to Amarapura and later to Mandalay; the government was still referred to as the ‘Court of Inwa’. The classical name by which Inwa is known in Myanmar, however, is Ratnapluira-‘the city of gems’.

Innwa lies at the confluence of the Ayeyarwaddy and the Dothtavati rivers about 20 miles south west of Mandalay. The King Thadominbya founded the city in 1364 and it flourished for nearly three hundred years bringing forth its Myanmar culture and literature to the highest pitch. Nanmyint Watch Tower, Maha Aung Myay Bonzan Monastery, Bagaya Wooden Monastery, Menu brick monastery and alms bowls and Lacquer ware Industry are the highlights of Inwa.

ME NU OAKYAUNG

The Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery known as the Oakyaung, the brick structure was built in 1818 by Nanmadaw Me Nu, wife of King Bagyidaw, for the abbot Nyaunggan Sayadaw. A tall, stucco-decorated building, it was built in the same style as that of more common teak kyaung; yet its masonry guaranteed that it would survive longer than its wooden cousins. In the middle of the monastery is a statute of Buddha, placed on a pedestal trimmed with glass mosaic. The Okkyaung is a seven-tired prayer hall, which suffered heavy damage in the 1838 earthquake, but was repaired in 1873 by Hsin byumashin, the daughter of Nanmadaw Me Nu.

WATCH TOWER( Inwa )

Nanmyin Watchtower is called ‘leaning tower of Inwa’. All the remains of Bagyidaw’s palace, this erstwhile27-metre lookout was damaged so heavily by an 1838 earthquake that its upper portion collapsed. Shortly afterwards, the construction began to lean to one side due to the earth sinking beneath it. Not far from the ‘leaning tower’ is the best preserved of all buildings in Inwa, the Maha Aungmye Bonzan Monastery.