Mrauk U, Myanmar

In the 17th century, Mrauk U was one of Asia's most important centres of trade

Mrauk U (Burmese: မြောက်‌ဦးမြို့; MLCTS: mrauk u: mrui., Burmese pronunciation: [mjaʊʔ ú mjo̰]; formerly known as Myohaung) is an archaeologically important town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is also the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a sub region of the Mrauk-U District. From 1430 until 1785, it was the capital of the Mrauk U Kingdom, the most important and powerful Rakhine (Arakanese) kingdom.

Mrauk-U, or Arrakan (city of Arrakan), in the first plan of the Portuguese settlement of Daingri-pet. In Wouter Schouten : Oost-Indische Voyagie, t.o. p. 148. 1676

A dismissed myth was that in the region where Mrauk U was to be constructed, lived a lonely female monkey. She met a peacock and the two later cohabited. The female monkey conceived with the peacock, and it laid an egg. A human son was born from the egg and he grew up to become a mighty prince. The prince later built a city near the jungle, and in respect of his birth story, the city was called Myauk-U meaning ‘Monkey’s Egg’.

In 1433, King Min Saw Mon established Mrauk U as the capital of the last unified Arakanese Kingdom. The city eventually reached a size of 160,000 in the early seventeenth century. Mrauk U served as the capital of the Mrauk U kingdom and its 49 kings till the conquest of the kingdom by the Burmese Konbaung Dynasty in 1784. During British colonial rule, Mrauk U was known as Myohaung.

Mrauk U from Shwetaung pagoda

Koe-thaung Temple

Htukkanthein Temple

Ratana-pon

Andaw-thein Ordination Hall

Le-myet-hna Temple

This temple situated near the city of Mrauk U, 2km East, was built between 1553 and 1556 by King Dikkha, the son of King Min Bin when the Kingdom was prosperous ... The name Paya Koe Thaung , means 'Temple of 90,000 Buddha Images' Each little Stupa is representative of the Buddha's Image

Shite-thaung Temple

Photo Source: Wikipedia