Mandalay

Mandalay (măn'dəlā`, măn`dəlā'), city (1983 pop. 532,895), capital of Mandalay div., central Myanmar, on the Ayeyarwady River. The second largest city in Myanmar, it is the terminus of the main rail line from Yangon and the starting point of branch lines to Lashio and Myitkyina. As a city it dates from c.1850. It was the capital of the Burman kingdom, replacing Amarapura, from 1860 to 1885, when it was annexed to British Burma. A Buddhist religious center, the city is noted for the Arakan pagoda, which is built around an ancient shrine. The group of sacred buildings known as the Seven Hundred and Thirty Pagodas was erected in the reign (1853–78) of King Mindon. Mandalay was heavily damaged in World War II.

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Mandalay

City (pop., 2004 est.: 1,176,900), central Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the Irrawaddy River, it is the country's second largest city, after Yangôn. It was built in 1857–59 by King Mindon to replace Amarapura as his capital. The last capital of the Myanmar kingdom, it fell to Britain in 1885. It was nearly destroyed during the Japanese occupation in World War II. An important Buddhist religious centre, it is the site of the famous Mahamuni pagoda and of 730 pagodas that house marble tablets inscribed with Buddhist scriptures.

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Mandalay

a city in central Myanmar, on the Irrawaddy River: the second largest city in the country and former capital of Burma and of Upper Burma; Buddhist religious centre. Pop.: 927 000 (2005 est.)

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Mandalay 

a city in Burma, on the Irrawaddy River; capital of the district of Mandalay. Population, 360,000 (1969). Mandalay is an important transportation junction and river port. A major industrial center, Mandalay produces cotton textiles, silk, and lumber. It has railroad and ship repair shops. Silk items, pottery, and carvings of wood and stone are hand crafted.

Mandalay was founded in 1857. It was the capital of the independent Burmese kingdom of the Konbaungs, from 1857 to 1885, at which time it was the cultural and artistic center of Burma, as well as one of the kingdom’s religious (Buddhist) centers. During British colonial rule from 1886 to 1947, the city played an important role in the national liberation movement of the Burmese people. After Burma achieved its independence in 1948, Mandalay, like Rangoon, became a major industrial, cultural, and scientific center. In 1958 a university was founded in the city. Mandalay also has medical, technical, and agricultural institutes.

Mandalay has a regular layout. A hill is situated in the center of the city with numerous stupas, temples, pagodas, and a citadel (2 km by 2 km). A late-19th-century wooden palace was once inside the citadel (destroyed by fire in 1944). To the northeast of the citadel there are temple complexes, the largest being the Kuthodaw, which was built in the second half of the 19th century. To the south and west of the city center there are residential districts consisting mainly of two- and three-story brick houses and one-story wooden houses. In this region there are also a number of monasteries and temples (including the Mahamyamuni, early 20th century).

REFERENCE

Duroiselle, C. The Mandalay Palace. Rangoon, 1963.