Myat Thura

An account of various thrones used by Myanmar kings King Badon (Bodawphaya, 1782-1819) moved to the new palace on 17 May 1783 and Amarapura (the City of No Death) on 1 June 1783. One of his ministers called Jeyasankhaya (Zayyathinkhaya) compiled An Account on Golden Palace (Shwebon Nidan) and he completed the work on 21 February 1784. This work was used a handbook on the paraphernalia of almost everything used in the palace. It also explained how a particular thing in the palace (for instance a throne) was made, why is was made and for what purpose it was made. Most of the information given below is from this book. A king uses eight kinds of throne. The name is Pallan ( Palin ) and it is derived from a Pali word pallanka meaning a seat. As the king uses it, this seat is generally known by the name of Rajapallanka ( Yazapalin , the king’s seat). When it has a span of twenty four feet (5.53 meters) it is Mahapallanka , twelve feet (2.76 meters) Majjimapalanka ...

Myanmar Trishaw Trishaws (or Side-car as it is known in Myanmar) are the easiest and most convenient mode of transportation in Myanmar , especially outside of Yangon. Although buses are the major mode of travel in Yangon, very few buses run the streets of other major cities and towns in Burma. In smaller towns in Myanmar, there is no public bus service. People in these smaller cities and towns have to rely on trishaws as the major mode of public transport. Trishaw is indeed a Burmese invention. First introduced around 1930 in Mandalay , the second city of Burma, it became the most popular form of public transport in colonial Burma. It had become very popular and successful all over Burma, even replacing the electric tram in Rangoon and Mandalay, forcing their closure and eventually bankruptcy..... read more at Trishaw Myanmar way of travel

This time when I went back to Taunggyi (the capital of Shan State ), I visited Inle Lake . I didn’t have enough time this time so I could only visited Inle. Otherwise, I would have visited Pintaya and Kattu. Inle is my favorite: never feel bored how many times I visited. The most crowded time in Inle is during the Thadingyut festival (the candle light festival celebrated during the month of October). I had been to Inle during one Thadingyut festival when I was young. It was during the time of Phaungdawoo Pagoda festival. So many boats and so many people: it was a very exciting memory of my childhood. This time I visited Inle, it was on the full moon day of Ta-zaun-mone (November), and was not as crowded as the month before. My friends also wanted to go to Khaung-dine ( translator’s note: a place where there is a hot spring ), so we visited both places - Inle and Khaung-dine. Actually, I wanted to have some delicious fish in Khaung-dine, but the rest wanted to take a bath in the hot spr...

Last 20 years saw the establishment of beer culture in Myanmar. Before 1988, beer is a rare commodity in Myanmar. The government produced Mandalay beer was always in short supply. It was available only in a very few hotels and restaurants. Foreign brands like Heineken and Tiger beer were available in black markets at a high price. Most Myanmar people cannot afford to buy a can of beer then. With the opening of economy in 1988 saw the introduction of a number of locally produced beer brands in Myanmar. These Myanmar beer brands include Myanmar Beer, Mandalay Beer (now a private venture), Dagon Beer, as well as Tiger Beer, ABC Stout and Anchor Beer which are produced under license from the parent brands. With the introduction of cheap locally made beer, people in Myanmar saw ... more at M yanmar Beer culture

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 U

Ever traveled to Myanmar (Burma)? Ever traveled outside of major tourist destinations in Myanmar? Ever tried to call home from Myanmar? Ever got the feeling of total cut off from the rest of the world? Ever experience frustration for not being able to call home and know what is happening at home? Welcome to Myanmar. Telecommunication in Myanmar is probably the lowest in South East Asia. Auto telephone exchange are available only in some towns. Many towns in Myanmar still don’t have auto telephone exchange and still have to rely on manual exchange. Myanmar is probably the only ocuntry on earth with manual exchange. For trunk call, there are a few telephones (about 3 to 6 phones) in these towns installed at the manual exchange and at the Public Call Outlets (PCO) . Some towns in remote regions have no land lines connected to the main communication hub, and have to rely on satellite links. For example, Mindat from Chin State has only six telephones using satellite links. In many instan...

Myanmar Blogger Society is a non-profit organization for Myanmar bloggers all over the world. It promotes friendship and cooperation among Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers worldwide. The group has set up a web site for the Myanmar Blogger Society on Ning. Those Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers can join the Myanmar Blogger Society by signing up at the MBS website. Approval is needed before you could become a full member. The admin will check your blog before approval of your membership application. At Myanmar Blogger Society , you can post blog posts at the MBS blog, upload your photos, set up your own page, browse and communicate with other members, discuss in MBS forum, and form groups with other bloggers. The site is quite extensive and very user friendly. I believe every Myanmar (Burmese) blogger and blog reader should sign up here to cooperate with other Myanmar (Burmese) bloggers and to promote their blogs and interests.

Yadayar is a custom of Burmese people, done to promote one’s luck. Originally a belief of Indian Hindi Brahmans , it has established itself as a Burmese custom, even incorporated into Buddhist belief of Myanmar people (although it is a total contradiction to the teachings of Lord Buddha). It is a concept which has no equivalence in the western culture, and one difficult to explain to foreigners. Simply speaking, it is an act which is totally unconnected to the outcome you wish for, but which, in celestial meanings, has great influence over the expected outcome. For example, suppose you wish to sell your old car which you find difficult to attract any interested person, you go and ask for the advice from an astrologer. He will, base on his astrological calculations, which usually takes into consideration of the day you were born ..... read more at Make yadayar to promote your luck

There are now a number of domestic airlines operating in Myanmar. Although few in number and only fly to a handful of popular tourist destinations in Myanmar, they serve as a very convenient way of travel for tourists coming to Myanmar. Because of the inconveniences associated with land travel in Myanmar, air travel is the most comfortable and convenient mode of travel. For those foreign visitors coming to Myanmar, here are a few facts about domestic air travel in Myanmar. Air tickets in Myanmar are quite expensive. One way ticket from Yangon to Bagan is around US$ 170 per person (although on the airlines’ website, they mention about internet booking at around half this price). This is quite expensive compared to domestic airfare in Thailand. Flights are only available to major tourist destinations (Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Heho / Inle, and a few others) , as only a handful of people use air travel in Myanmar due to high ticket price. Also you cannot book the ticket in real time. If ...