Ava(Innwa)

                                              Maha Aungmye Bonzan Kyaung

Inwa was another capital city about 22km from Mandalay and all that remains now is lush, green farmland and cozy villages nestled behind the old city walls, a lovely little oasis in the dry dusty plains of the region.
Sights interest
•Bagaya Kyaung – a wooden monastery founded by King Mindon in 1834, made completely of teak wood. Considered as the tallest post ever built with the height of around 60 feet, this monastery shows Myanmar's typical teak architecture and other historical relics. 
Maha Aungmye Bonzan(Me Nu Oak Kyaung) – A Buddhist monastery built by the wife King Bodawpaya in 1818
• Nanmyin Watch Tower – a 27 meter masonry tower, all that is left of the Innwa Palace
• Innwa Bridge – a 16 span cantilever bridge built by the British in 1934
• Alms bowls and lacquer ware industry

Amarapura

                                                U Bein Bridge

Amarapura is 11km from Mandalay, was founded by King Bodawpaya of the Konbaund Dynasy as his new capital in May 1783. The new capital became a center of Buddhist reforms and learning.
Bodawpaya's grandson, King Bagyidaw moved the Court back to Ava in November 1821. Bagyidaw's successor King Tharrawaddy again moved the royal capital back to Amarapura in February 1842.

Sights Interest

 

Maha Gandhayon Monastery

 

• Taungthaman Lake and U Beiln Bridge -
  Taungthaman Lake lies in between Mandalay and Amarapura, commonly known now-a-days as Taungmyo. The unique feature of this Lake is that it completely dries up during the Summer.
  There is a teak wooden bridge (U Bein Bridge)  a 1.2 km wooden footbridge (longest teak bridge in the world) built by the mayor U Bein salvaging the unwanted teak columns from the old palace during the move to Mandalay.
• Kyautawgyi Paya – A stupa built by King Bagan in 1847 at the farther end of U Bein's bridge. It is not to be confused with another Kyauktawgyi Pagoda in Mandalay. This one is dedicated by King Bagan being constructed on the lines of famous Ananda Temple of Bagan. This seated Buddha statue measures 11 ft-9 in (3.5 m) at the base with a height of 17 ft-3 in (5.5m). It is of historical interest for those who
  have an interest in the contemporary life of Myanmars of that period. Murals on the walls of the image chamber and the ceilings of the covered passage-ways are depicted, scenes of contemporary buildings and the dress and life-style of the Myanmar people of the period.  
• Maha Gandhayon Kyaung - a large modern monastery complex with hundreds of monks and novices, well known throughout the country.This Maha Ganadayon religious institute is famous for strict training for young monks in the study of Buddhist Texts. One could observe how silently and serenely Buddhist students are taking their meals and learning their lessons when one enters the compound.
  

Sagaing

Sagaing is the capital of Sagaing Region (formerly Sagaing Division) in Myanmar. Located on the Ayeyarwady River, 20 km to the southwest of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river, Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and monastic center. The pagodas and monasteries crowd the numerous hills along the ridge running parallel to the river. The central pagoda, Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda, is connected by a set of covered staircases that run up the 240 m hill.

                                               Sagaing Hill

Sagaing was the capital of Sagaing Kingdom (1315–1364), one of the minor kingdoms that rose up after the fall of Bagan Dynasty. During theAva period (1364–1555), the city was the common fief of the crown prince or senior princes. The city briefly became the royal capital between 1760 and 1763 in the reign of King Naungdawgyi.Today, the city is a frequent tourist destination of day trippers.                                                           

Mahamuni Buddha Image(Mahamuni Pagoda)

Mahamuni Buddha Image is also called the Mahamuni Pagoda is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site, located southwest of Mandalay. The Mahamuni Buddha image (literal meaning: The Great Sage) is deified in this temple, and originally came from Arakan.

Ancient tradition refers to only five likenesses of the Buddha, made during his lifetime; two were in India. two in paradise, and the fifth is the Mahamuni Buddha image in Myanmar. According to the legend, the Buddha visited the Dhanyawadi city of Arakan in 554 BC. King Sanda Thuriya requested that an image was cast of him. After casting the Great Image, the Buddha breathed upon it, and thereafter the image became the exact likeness of the Mahamuni.


The image was brought to Mandalay in 1784 by King Bodawpaya and placed within the specially built Payagi Pagoda. Since that time it has been the most venerated Buddha image in all of Burma. The statue is 3.8 meters tall. Originally cast of metal, it is now entirely coated with a two-inch thick layer of gold leaf. So much gold leaf has been applied by so many different hands that the figure has developed an irregular outline. Many thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine each day and a great festival in early February draws hundreds of thousands.

Kuthodaw Pagoda

Kuthodaw(Mahalawka Marazein)Pagoda lies at the foot of Mandalay Hill, was built by King Mindon in 1857, modeling on the Shwe Zigon at Nyaung U near Bagan. This pagoda is surrounded by
729  kyauksa gu or stone-inscription caves, each containing a marble slab inscribed on both sides with the entire Buddhist Scriptures as edited and approved by the 5th Buddhist Synod. It is popularly known as "the Worlds Biggest Book" for its stone scriptures.

Shwenandaw Monastery(Gloden Minastery)

Originally the building with the royal palace where King Mindon died is a splendid example of the beauty of teak. The building was moved out of the royal palace under King Thibaw in 1880 and converted into a monastery. As a result, it is the only original teak structure remaining from the royal palace, which was destroyed by bombs at the end of the Second World War.

Mandalay Palace

Royal Palace is a walled city within Mandalay. It was built in 1861 by King Mindon, to fulfill a prophecy. The fire destroyed the whole magnificent palace complex during the World War ll. However, the finely built palace walls, the city gays with their crowning wooden pavilions and the surrounding moat still present an impressive scene of the Mandalay Palace. Mya-nan-san-kyaw Golden Palace, the model of the Mandalay Palace, Nanmyint-saung, Cultural Museum and Pyi-gyi-mon in the moat is located inside the Palace grounds.
It was renovated using forced labour, and locals may advise you not to visit the place. In addition, while the design of the reconstruction was fairly faithful to the original, the materials used were not (metal was use instead of the original teak wood). The palace contains several pavilions and chambers. Tourists are required to enter from the East Gate. An almost kilometre walk connects the entry gate to the palace proper. Replicas of throne rooms and chairs and Madame Tussaud style images of Kings Mindon and Thibaw with their chief consorts are on display.