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227

AROUND MANDALAY

8

MANDALAY & AROUND

8

AROUND MANDALAY

INWA (AVA)

high and 9ft in circumference. The prayer
hall’s soaring interior is cool and dark, feel-
ing genuinely ancient. Its stained timbers are
inscribed with repeating peacock and lotus-
fl ower motifs. Despite the constant fl ow of
visitors, this remains a living monastery with
globes hung above the little school section to
assist in the novices’ geography lessons.
There are a few interesting stupas in the
fi elds surrounding the monastery. Some
horse-cart drivers will get tetchy if you lin-
ger too long, but you could breeze through
Bagaya and walk out to the stupas – no post-
card vendors out there.

Nanmyin WATCHTOWER
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The 90ft ‘leaning tower of Inwa’ is all that
remains of King Bagyidaw’s palace complex.
The upper portion was shattered by the 1838
earthquake and the rest has taken on a pre-
carious tilt that is noticeable when you’re
climbing the steps. The tower is neither beau-
tiful nor especially high, but wide views from
the top are great for getting your bearings
amid the widely scattered sights. As it’s not
a religious site, you can keep your shoes on.

Maha Aungmye Bonzan MONASTERY

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Built, unusually, of stucco-covered brick,
this 1822 royal monastery temple is a rare
survivor from the Ava era. The faded, lumpy
structure looks attractive in cleverly taken
photographs, but in the harsh midday sun
the main attraction is the cool aff orded
by its ultrathick walls and the bats fl itting
through its empty undercroft. Sales folk at
the entrance can be especially persistent. It
is also known as the Ok Kyaung or the Me
Nu Ok Kyaung.
Behind, the antique two-storey monks’
residence is crumbling, and a footpath leads
to river gardens with views across to Sagaing.
Beside the monastery is the more fanci-
ful Htilaingshin Paya, an attractive array of
stupas, some dating back to the Bagan pe-
riod and recently part-gilded.

OTHER SIGHTS
Shwedigon Paya &
Nogatataphu Paya GIANT STUPAS
Rising above the palm-speckled horizon, the
tips of two enormous stupas are visible for
miles around. Golden Shwedigon is tucked
into the southwest corner of Inwa's moated
central ‘island’ while recently revamped No-
gatataphu lies around 200m beyond the

Bagaya monastery turning. There’s a tiny

tea-shop at its entrance.

Yedanasini Paya STUPA RUINS

This small but photogenic ensemble brings

together a sitting Buddha and a handful of

old brick stupas shaded by a giant fl ame

tree. Horse carts go right past it en route to

Bagaya Kyaung.

City Walls RUINS

Old Inwa was protected by rivers to north

and east, canals to south and west and

ringed by city walls. Much of the canal and

several sections of wall remain, including

some chunky rampart sections above the

southern canal. By horse-cart tour the only

bit you’re likely to see is the heavily recon-

structed Gaung Say Daga (Hair-Washing

Gate).

Le-htat-gyi Paya PAGODA RUIN

Forgotten in fi elds around 1.3km south of

the moat are a series of forgotten, decaying

old stupas. Across the road from the large

gilt bell-stupa of Sandamuni Paya is the

four-storey stub of the once huge Le-htat-

gyi Paya, which has been fi ssured by earth-

quakes, but retains a fair amount of stucco

detail. If you arrive by road from Tada-U,

you’ll drive right by, but horse-cart tours

won’t come anywhere near this far south.

8 Getting There

There are three possible ways to access Inwa.

MAIN RIVER FERRY Unless otherwise stated,

any tour or taxi-hire that includes Inwa will as-

sume you want to visit the site by horse-cart.

They will therefore drop you at a small jetty about

1km south of Ava Bridge, from which shuttle

ferries take just two minutes to get to the other

side, where cart drivers await. Ferries depart as

soon as there are a few passengers (usually every

few minutes). Pedestrians pay K1000 return,

motorcyclists K1500. No one-way reductions.

Cars can’t cross. Double fares apply after 6pm.

In the rainy season, ferries start further north

near Thabyedan Fort beneath Ava Bridge.

BY ROAD Take the new (dusty, unfi nished)

airport highway 4.5km south of the Ava Bridge

junction. Around 200m beyond a major river

bridge, but before Tada U, turn right. Wind

through Inwa South Village taking a right at both

T-junctions (600m then another 600m). Pass

Le-htat-gyi and reach the moat 3.5km after leav-

ing the highway. Loop around the moat clock-

wise for the easiest access to the main sights.

FERRY FROM SAGAING A little passenger

boat crosses from Sagaing, but it operates infre-

quently and might refuse to take foreigners.