Mandalay Palace
It is located in Mandalay, Myanmar, is the last royal palace of the last Burmese monarchy. The palace was constructed, between 1857 and 1859 as part of King Mindon's founding of the new royal capital city of Mandalay. The plan of Mandalay Palace largely follows the traditional Burmese palace design, inside a walled fort surrounded by a moat.
King Mindon, who founded the Royal City of Yatanabon, built the Mya Nan San Kyaw, the Royal Palace, on 6th waning day of Kason, M.E 1221 ( A.D 1857 ). It is surrounded by the rectangular shaped walls, each of which stretches 8.25 kilometres long, and again by the moat which is 68.58m wide and 3.35m deep. Formerly, there existed 114 royal apartments, which, being built on 3.35m high platform, covered 152.4m wide.
On 17 March, 1945, during the air raid of the British forces against the Japanese, the Royal Palace was ruined into ashes.
With the objective of re-establishing the milestone in Myanmar tradition and ancient times, when Myanmar had their own monarchs, their own royal palace and their own soverignity, the Royal Palace has been renovated and restored faithfully into its original structure. The 89 main halls were re-built with reference to the original photographs, pictures, palm-leaf manuscripts with reference to the original photographs, pictures, palm leaf manuscripts about the royal apartments and the miniature model of the royal palace. On 18-9-96, the complete construction of the Mya Nan San Kyaw the Golden Palace was successfully celebrated.
King Mindon, who founded the Royal City of Yatanabon, built the Mya Nan San Kyaw, the Royal Palace, on 6th waning day of Kason, M.E 1221 ( A.D 1857 ). It is surrounded by the rectangular shaped walls, each of which stretches 8.25 kilometres long, and again by the moat which is 68.58m wide and 3.35m deep. Formerly, there existed 114 royal apartments, which, being built on 3.35m high platform, covered 152.4m wide.
On 17 March, 1945, during the air raid of the British forces against the Japanese, the Royal Palace was ruined into ashes.
With the objective of re-establishing the milestone in Myanmar tradition and ancient times, when Myanmar had their own monarchs, their own royal palace and their own soverignity, the Royal Palace has been renovated and restored faithfully into its original structure. The 89 main halls were re-built with reference to the original photographs, pictures, palm-leaf manuscripts with reference to the original photographs, pictures, palm leaf manuscripts about the royal apartments and the miniature model of the royal palace. On 18-9-96, the complete construction of the Mya Nan San Kyaw the Golden Palace was successfully celebrated.
Lion Throne Room
There were eight thrones in the Palace, of which the Lion Throne (Sihasana Palanka) was the greatest, and as such much more elaborately sculptured and finished than the others; an exact replica of the one now in the Palace was formerly in the Hluttaw. The King alone, of course, had a right to sit on it; and for anybody else to do so would be considered a case of high treason; the fact indeed was that anybody sitting on this throne was practically the King, if he could keep the rightful owner off. The base is formed of two lotuses, the upper one inverted on the top of the other; this pattern in no way differs from an ordinary altar supporting a Buddha image; but in the center, where it is narrowest, that is, at the point where the two lotuses meet, is a small band containing a row of niches, with a somewhat larger one above it; in these niches were small figures of lions, besides the two large ones which may be seen now at each side of the Throne. Access to the Throne is obtained by means of a flight of steps in the room behind it from which it is shut off by a sliding door of gilt iron lattice work.
There were eight thrones in the Palace, of which the Lion Throne (Sihasana Palanka) was the greatest, and as such much more elaborately sculptured and finished than the others; an exact replica of the one now in the Palace was formerly in the Hluttaw. The King alone, of course, had a right to sit on it; and for anybody else to do so would be considered a case of high treason; the fact indeed was that anybody sitting on this throne was practically the King, if he could keep the rightful owner off. The base is formed of two lotuses, the upper one inverted on the top of the other; this pattern in no way differs from an ordinary altar supporting a Buddha image; but in the center, where it is narrowest, that is, at the point where the two lotuses meet, is a small band containing a row of niches, with a somewhat larger one above it; in these niches were small figures of lions, besides the two large ones which may be seen now at each side of the Throne. Access to the Throne is obtained by means of a flight of steps in the room behind it from which it is shut off by a sliding door of gilt iron lattice work.
The Wall and Gates
The palace citadel's four 2 km long walls form a perfect square, complete with a total of 48 bastions with gold tipped pyatthats or spires at regular intervals of 169 m (555 ft) and surrounded by a moat 64 m (210 ft) wide, 4.5 m (15 ft) deep. The embrasures are 0.84 m (2 ft 9 in) in width. To give access to the battlements in cases of alert and at the same time to strengthen the wall, an earthen rampart on a moderately inclined plane has been thrown up behind it. Its summit forms a platform 1.83 m (2 ft) wide, paved with bricks and running all along the walls behind the crenelles.
On each face of the walls are three gateways placed at equal distances (508 m; 1666.5 ft) one from the other and from the corners. Each of the twelve gates, represented by its own zodiac sign, is 4.8 m (15.75 ft) wide and flanked on both sides by one-half of a bastion which supports the post of a many-tiered pavilion or pyatthat that rises over the gateway. The pyatthats over middle gates, used by the royalty, have seven tiers while those on the rest have only five. Of these twelve gates, the main one was the central gate in the east wall, facing the Great Hall of Audience and the Lion Throne in the Palace.
The palace citadel's four 2 km long walls form a perfect square, complete with a total of 48 bastions with gold tipped pyatthats or spires at regular intervals of 169 m (555 ft) and surrounded by a moat 64 m (210 ft) wide, 4.5 m (15 ft) deep. The embrasures are 0.84 m (2 ft 9 in) in width. To give access to the battlements in cases of alert and at the same time to strengthen the wall, an earthen rampart on a moderately inclined plane has been thrown up behind it. Its summit forms a platform 1.83 m (2 ft) wide, paved with bricks and running all along the walls behind the crenelles.
On each face of the walls are three gateways placed at equal distances (508 m; 1666.5 ft) one from the other and from the corners. Each of the twelve gates, represented by its own zodiac sign, is 4.8 m (15.75 ft) wide and flanked on both sides by one-half of a bastion which supports the post of a many-tiered pavilion or pyatthat that rises over the gateway. The pyatthats over middle gates, used by the royalty, have seven tiers while those on the rest have only five. Of these twelve gates, the main one was the central gate in the east wall, facing the Great Hall of Audience and the Lion Throne in the Palace.
The Moat
Surrounding the walls, at a distance of about 18 m (60 ft) from them, is a moat 64 m (210 ft) wide, and of an average depth of 4.5 m (15 ft). In the case of foes armed with ancient weapons, this moat would no doubt have presented a rather formidable obstacle to the besieging army, whose crafts would have been completely exposed to the missiles of the warriors protected by the merlons on the ramparts and on the barbicans.
The moat was originally spanned over by five wooden bridges, four of which lead to the four principal or middle gates, that is one to each face of the walls. The fifth leads up to the south-western gate, used during the times of monarchy for amingala or inauspicious occasions such as to carry off dead bodies. The British constructed two additional bridges one at the south-west and the other at the north-west corner, to allow of materials and supplies for the troops into the fort.
Surrounding the walls, at a distance of about 18 m (60 ft) from them, is a moat 64 m (210 ft) wide, and of an average depth of 4.5 m (15 ft). In the case of foes armed with ancient weapons, this moat would no doubt have presented a rather formidable obstacle to the besieging army, whose crafts would have been completely exposed to the missiles of the warriors protected by the merlons on the ramparts and on the barbicans.
The moat was originally spanned over by five wooden bridges, four of which lead to the four principal or middle gates, that is one to each face of the walls. The fifth leads up to the south-western gate, used during the times of monarchy for amingala or inauspicious occasions such as to carry off dead bodies. The British constructed two additional bridges one at the south-west and the other at the north-west corner, to allow of materials and supplies for the troops into the fort.
The Watch Tower
The palace grounds are dominated by the 24 m (78 ft) tall Nanmyintsaung or Watch Tower, topped by a seven tieredpyatthat. It was the spot from which to view the city. The King and Queen sometimes ascended the tower to witness the beautiful panorama of the country around, with its river, the bills and lakes. They also, from its summit, contemplated the magnificent spectacle of the illumination of the town at the Thadingyut festival at the end of Vassa ('Buddhist Lent'). It is said that Queen Supayalat witnessed, from there, the entry of the British troops who took Mandalay in November 1885. The Watch Tower also survived the allied bombing during World War II.
The palace grounds are dominated by the 24 m (78 ft) tall Nanmyintsaung or Watch Tower, topped by a seven tieredpyatthat. It was the spot from which to view the city. The King and Queen sometimes ascended the tower to witness the beautiful panorama of the country around, with its river, the bills and lakes. They also, from its summit, contemplated the magnificent spectacle of the illumination of the town at the Thadingyut festival at the end of Vassa ('Buddhist Lent'). It is said that Queen Supayalat witnessed, from there, the entry of the British troops who took Mandalay in November 1885. The Watch Tower also survived the allied bombing during World War II.
Information
Opening Hours: 07:30-17:00
Location: Between 12th Street and 26th Street.
Entrance Price Range : available soon...
Location: Between 12th Street and 26th Street.
Entrance Price Range : available soon...