Destination

Mingun

Mingun, located about 11 km upriver from Mandalay on the opposite bank of the Ayeyarwaddy, is accessible only by river. Unlike Inwa and Amarapura, Mingun was not a royal city but it is significant in its own right and has many interesting sights. Boats leave Mandalay daily and it takes, only about an hour to make the trip. Mingun is a favourite destination for Mandalay residents on day outings. In Mingun, King Bodawpaya built the world’s largest zedi but it was not finished. You can see the famous Mingun bell, it weights about 90 tons and it’s known the world’s biggest working bell. If you had to choose just one of the four ancient’s cities around Mandalay to visits, it would be Mingun.

Min Gun Bell

In 1808 Bodawpaya had a gigantic bell cast to go with his gigantic zedi. It weights 90 tons (55,555 viss). It is claimed to be the largest huge, uncracked bell in the world. There is said to be a larger bell in Moscow, but it is cracked. The same earthquake that shook the zedi base also destroyed the bell’s supports, so it was hung in a new tazaung (shrine building) close to the riverboat landing. The bell is about four meters high and over five meters in diameter at the lip. Between Padodawgyi pagoda and the bell stands anew pavilion sheltering a life-size standing bronze statue of Mingun Sayadaw, a famous Buddhist abbot from the nearby village of Moema.