Mrauk U, the old capital of Rakhine (Arakanese) Kingdom

Bamarlay — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:12:25 +0000

Mrauk U was the old capital of Rakhine (Arakan) Kingdom. Established in 1431 by King Min Saw Mon, the city grew to a population of 120,000 in 16th century. It was a major trading port in the Bay of Bengal, and was always crowded with foreign traders – Europeans, Arabs, Indians, Mon from Hansawaddi, Burmese from Ava. Hundreds of trading ships, on their way from Europe to the exotic eastern trading cities like Java, were docked at the Rakhine port of Mrauk U. At its highest state, Mrauk U controlled half of Bangladesh, including Dhaka and Chittagong, half of lower Burma and current Rakhine (Arakan) state. However, the hay days of Mrauk U ended abruptly in early 19th century when it fell to Burmese invasion from Ava. There are a large number of pagodas in Mrauk U. Although less in number compared to Bagan, the unique style of the pagodas of Mrauk U are a testament to the glorious history of the Rakhine kings who built them. Pagodas in Myanmar can generally be distinguished by their colour; the red pagodas of Bagan, the whitewashed ones in Sagaing and Mandalay, and the darkened, green-tinged examples in Mrauk U. There are more [...]

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Mrauk U, the old capital of Rakhine (Arakanese) Kingdom

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