Amarapura (, , ; also spelt as Ummerapoora) is a former capital of

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, and now a

township A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

of Mandalay city. Amarapura is bounded by the

Irrawaddy river The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...

in the west, Chanmyathazi Township in the north, and the ancient capital site of Ava (Inwa) in the south. It was the capital of Myanmar twice during the Konbaung period (1783–1821 and 1842–1859) before finally being supplanted by Mandalay north in 1859. It is historically referred to as Taungmyo (Southern City) in relation to Mandalay. Amarapura today is part of Mandalay, as a result of

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

. The township is known today for its traditional

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

and

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

, and

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

casting. It is a popular tourist day-trip destination from Mandalay.

Etymology

''Amarapura'' comes from (), which means "The Immortal city".''amara'' = immortality; ''pūra'' = city.

History

Amarapura palace British Embassy Michael Symes 1795

Amarapura was founded by King Bodawpaya of the Konbaung Dynasty. He founded Amarapura as his new capital in May 1783.Maung Maung Tin Vol. 1 1905: 395 The new capital became a center of

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

reforms and learning. In 1800, Buddhist

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

obtained higher ordination in this city and founded the Amarapura Nikaya (Amarapura sect). In 1810 the town was estimated to contain 170,000 inhabitants, but in that year it was destroyed by fire. Bodawpaya's grandson, King Bagyidaw moved the Court back to Ava in November 1821Maung Maung Tin Vol. 2 1905: 223 and in 1827, the population of Amarapura was estimated at only 30,000. Bagyidaw's successor King Tharrawaddy again moved the royal capital back to Amarapura in February 1842.Maung Maung Tin Vol. 3 1905: 33 In February 1857, King Mindon began building Mandalay as his new capital city, 11 km north of Amarapura. With the royal treasury depleted by the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852, Mindon decided to reuse as much material from Amarapura as possible in the construction of Mandalay. The palace buildings were dismantled and moved by elephant to the new location, and the city walls were pulled down for use as building material for roads and railways.Cooler, Konbaung Amarapura Part of the moat is still recognizable near the Bagaya Monastery. The city officially ceased being the capital on 23 May 1859 when Mandalay took over that role.Maung Maung Tin Vol. 3 1905: 193 The ruins of the city wall show it to have been a square with a side of about three-quarters of a mile in length. At each corner stood a solid brick pagoda about high. The most remarkable edifice was a celebrated

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, adorned with 250 lofty pillars of gilt wood, and containing a colossal

statue of

the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

. The indigenous Burmese tradition of ''acheik'' textile weaving originates in Amarapura, and became popular during the Konbaung dynasty, during which sumptuary laws regulated who could wear ''acheik'' clothing. Amarapura, alongside Wundwin, remains a major domestic center of traditional ''acheik'' weaving, although in recent years, cheaper factory-produced imitations from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

have significantly disrupted Myanmar's traditional

cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...

Sights of interest

* Pahtodawgyi – A

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

built by King Bodawpaya in 1816 outside the city walls * U Bein Bridge – a 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 * Kyauktawgyi Pagoda – A stupa built by King Pagan in 1847 at the farther end of U Bein's bridge * Amarapura Palace ruins – containing tombs of King Bodawpaya and King Bagyidaw, and part of the old moat * Maha Gandhayon Monastery – a large modern monastery complex with hundreds of monks and novices, well known throughout the country * Kuanyin Si Temple – built in 1773 during King Singu's reign * Yadanabon University – A major liberal arts university for students from Mandalay suburbs * Nagayon Temple
Mandalar Degree College
– One of tourism and hospitality management college which co-operated with liberal arts major and well known for its diversities and students from different province.

Photos

File:Monks Crossing Bridge.jpg, Monks Crossing U Bein Bridge at Sunset File:U-Bain-Bridge2.JPG, U Bein Bridge across the Taungthaman Lake U Bein, Buddhist monks 2, Mandalay, Myanmar.jpg , Buddhist monks on U Bein Bridge File:U Bein Bridge, Women with umbrellas, Amarapura, Mandalay, Myanmar.jpg, U Bein Bridge Taungthaman, Tree, Mandalay, Myanmar.jpg, Taungthaman Lake, Amarapura File:Taungthaman Lake at sunset 3, Mandalay, Myanmar.jpg, Sunset over Taungthaman Lake File:Amarapura CityGate.JPG, Old City Gate File:U Bain Bridge1.JPG, U Bein Bridge, detail File:U Bein Bridge View.jpg, U Bein Bridge File:Panoramic view of Amarapura, looking SW.jpg, A panoramic view of Amarapura looking towards the south-west in 1855 by Colesworthey Grant

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

''Wanderings in Burma''
George W. Bird, 1897, Southeast Asia Visions {{Administrative divisions of Burma (Myanmar) Populated places in Mandalay District Townships of Mandalay