Mingun

Mingun, Myanmar (23 November, 2003)


Mingun is a village on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River. It is located to the north of the Sagaing hills. Although it has never been a capital, unlike Inwa, Amarapura and Mandalay, but it holds its own as home to two world-record superlatives.

Visitors to tiny Mingun will find the world's largest intact bell, one that can still toll. It was made for an unfinished pagoda. Remnants of this unfinished pagoda, still visible in Mingun, is described as the "world's largest pile of bricks". If completed, this pile of bricks would have been the world's largest pagoda.

Sights in Mingun

Mingun Pagoda as seen from the Ayeyarwady River (23 November 2003)


In front of this brick pile is a massive sculpture which is in ruins. This is all that remains of what would have been the world's largest guardian lion-dog - the chinthe. Only the hind portion remains, and it still reaches a formidable height.

Mingun is reachable from Mandalay by boat across the Ayeyarwady. The journey takes about an hour upriver from Mandalay to Mingun, and 40 minutes downriver from Mingun back to Mandalay. Even from far, you can see the Mingun Pagoda, as it is so huge. Along the way, you see ferries, bamboo rafts and diesel-powered riverboats, and fishermen in their small sampans.

Mya Theindan Pagoda, also called Hsinbyume Pagoda (23 November 2003)


Mingun is where you can see ambitious and vanity get the better of men, and it comes in the form of the incomplete Mingun Pagoda, also known as Mantara Gyi Pagoda and Mingun Pahtodawgyi. The pagoda was conceptualised by King Bodawpaya. Having just succeeded in bringing the Maha Muni Buddha from Rakhaing to Amarapura, and becoming owner of a white elephant, he wanted to further emphasize his supremacy by putting up the world's tallest pagoda. The intended height was 500 feet.

Construction lasted from 1790 to 1797. And then, labour problems brought it to a halt. Unable to get workers, and compounded by economic crisis at the beginning of the 19th century, Bodawpaya could not complete his pagoda project. When he died in 1813, none of his children continued the building. Nonetheless, even as it stood, it was a massive sight, and if anything, claims the record as the world's biggest pile of bricks.

Nun at the Mingun Pagoda (23 November 2003)


A short distance north of the incomplete pagoda is the bell intended for it. Just as the pagoda, the Mingun bell was cast to monstrous dimensions. Weighing 87 tons and standing at 12 ft, it is the world's biggest bell that is still used.

Getting there

You can reach Mingun by boat from Mandalay. Either negotiate with a boat at the Mandalay pier or arrange through a travel agent. All the sights in Mingun are within walking distance.

Mingun Travelogue, 23 November, 2003

Mingun was the final destination for a day that included visiting Amarapura and Sagaing on the earlier part of the day. We had to arrive at Mingun around 3:30pm, since the boat journey alone would have consumed close to two hours. It was a great experience to travel on the boat to Mingun, passing clusters of riverside huts on stilts, and watching life along Myanmar's main artery.

Upon arriving in Mingun, we first visited the Mingun Pagoda. Seeing that the sun was already descending on the western horizon, I hurried to the other side of the pagoda, to get the best blue skies. I was not disappointed. It was a clear day and rewarded me with a deep blue sky.

From the pagoda, we continued to explore the Mingun bell. I even climbed under the bell. The bell is covered with graffiti, which is a shame, for a see a lot of it the handiwork of tourists. Guard should have been stationed at this heritage object to prevent such a defilement.

The final attraction we visited was the Hsinbyume Pagoda, which is a beautiful white-wash structure. In between, we had the opportunity (or rather, the opportunity was pressed on us) to do a little bit of souvenir shopping. I bought an umbrella which our tour guide Henry told me I couldn't use anywhere in Myanmar. Why not? Because it's a monk's umbrella, and in Myanmar, only monks are allowed to use it. I still have it stored in the storeroom of my house today.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 PG Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Robbie's Roadmap