208
MANDALAY & AROUND
MANDALAY
Shwekyimyint Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE
(Map p 206 ; 24th St, 82/83) Founded in 1167
by Prince Minshinzaw, exiled son of King
Alaungsithu, Shwekyimyint considerably
predates Mandalay itself. It’s famous for an
original Buddha image consecrated by the
prince and for other images collected by
later Myanmar kings that were relocated
here after the British occupied Mandalay
Palace. However, these images are shown to
the public only on important religious occa-
sions. Shwekyimyint is tucked away behind
the strikingly modern Kyauk Mosque.Cultural Museum & Library MUSEUM
(Map p 206 ; 80th St, 24/25; admission $5; h10am-
4pm Tue-Sat) This dowdy, poorly lit three-
room collection displays archaeological
fi nds, Buddhas and a bullock cart. It’s ludi-
crously over-priced.GREATER MANDALAY
Mahamuni Paya and the Stone Carvers' Area
are conveniently visited as part of a day trip
to Amarapura, Inwa or Sagaing. There’s a
whole series of monasteries in the area west
of 85th street, between 35th and 41st Sts.
Also very pleasant for random exploration isthe area somewhat further north, which is
covered in our cycling tour, p 211.oMahamuni Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE
mh;muni.ur;"
(Map p 202 ) The star attraction of this mas-
sive complex is its highly venerated 13ft-high
seated Buddha image, one of Myanmar’s
most famous. Many locals believe that it is
2000 years old. Over the centuries so much
votary gold leaf has been applied by the
(male) faithful that the fi gure is now entirely
covered in a knobbly 6in-thick layer of pure
gold. Entirely, that is, apart from his radi-
antly gleaming face, which is lovingly pol-
ished daily at 4am. The statue is a relative
newcomer to Mandalay. It was seized from
Mrauk U (p 287 ) by the Burmese army of
King Bodawpaya, who dragged it back here
in 1784. The epic story of this feat is retold in
a series of 1950s paintings in a picture gal-
lery across the pagoda’s inner courtyard to
the northeast. Bodawpaya also nabbed a col-
lection of Hindu-Buddhist Khmer bronze
fi gures, which were originally pilfered cen-
turies earlier from Angkor Wat, and reached
Mrauk U by a series of other historical thefts.THE $10 COMBO TICKET & HOW TO DODGE ITRather than paying individual entry fees, most of Mandalay area’s key sites are paid for
collectively by buying a $10 combo ticket at any of the sites involved. Looking something
like an undernourished credit card, the ticket has a scratch-and-reveal PIN number that
is supposedly entered into a computer to be linked with your name and purchase date.
According to text on the ticket, it is valid a week from fi rst use, though certain entry
booths insist that this is a mistake and claim that it is only really valid for four (even
three) days. But as there’s no date written on the ticket anyway, and as few of the sites’
computers are actually on line, you’re unlikely to be challenged.
While the $10 fee isn’t unreasonable for the large range of attractions covered, many
visitors feel uncomfortable that the fee goes to the government (Archaeology department;
see p 21 ). If you go to Mandalay Palace, Atumashi Kyaungdawgyi, Shwenandaw Kyaung or
key sites at out-of-town Inwa, you won’t have a shot of visiting without paying. But trickery
can get you at least a peep into several others while substitution can show you equivalent
free gems. Random discoveries and lesser-known sights are often more interesting than
the commercialised tourist ‘must sees’ anyway. Consider the following tactics:
» The south entrance (not west) of Kuthodaw Paya (p 210 ) has ticket checkers, who sit
at a table and chat away until they leave work at 5pm. If avoiding them seems too 007
for you, the similarly designed adjoining Sandamuni Paya (p 210 ) is free and features
plenty more slab-in-stupa monuments.
» The teak Shwenandaw Kyaung (p 203 ) can be spied with your zoom from outside the
unobtrusive fence, but you won’t get in without a ticket. South of the centre, however,
the equally impressive ‘teak monastery’ Shwe In Bin (p 209 ) is ticket-free.
» According to attendants on Mandalay Hill, the combo ticket is no longer required
there, but should you find otherwise, Yankin Paya (p 231 ), 3 miles east, makes a fine
alternative for sunset viewing and sees far fewer foreigners.