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 ... read more at Mrauk UUnder the rain in Chin State
It is raining all day, almost everyday. The roads become quite wet and muddy. I am really traped inside now. It is inconvenient to go out in the rain. Whenever it rains in Chin state, the temperature drops dramatically, and it becomes very cold. And the wind also blows quite strong. The sound of wind blowing through the pine tree is so loud and terrifying. And the thick fog reduces visibility to almost zero. Everything becomes quite gloomy. In this small little town in Chin State, in the heavy rain and thick fog, I am traped indoor. Although I want to go out and take photos, this sad weather doesn't let me do what I want to do. So all I could do is to lie down in my bed and wish for sunlight. Because of continuous rain, I couldn't wash my old clothes. Smell coming from the pile of old clothes in the corner of my room is now quite unbearable. And I am gradually running out of clean clothes. If the rain doesn't stop in a few day, I think I will wrap myself in a big blanket li...
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