Shwenandaw Monastery (, ; lit. "Golden Palace Monastery") is a historic

Buddhist monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which may ...

located near

Mandalay Hill Mandalay Hill ( ) is a hill located to the northeast of the city centre of Mandalay in Myanmar. The city took its name from the hill. Mandalay Hill is known for its abundance of pagodas and monasteries, and has been a major pilgrimage site for ...

Mandalay Region Mandalay Region (, ; formerly Mandalay Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative division of Myanmar. It is located in the center of the country, bordering Sagaing Region and Magway Region to the west, Shan State to the ...

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 ...

(formerly Burma). Shwenandaw Monastery was built in 1878 by King

Thibaw Min Thibaw Min, also Thebaw (, ; 1 January 1859 – 16 December 1916), was the last king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) and also the last Burmese monarch in the country's history. His reign ended when the Royal Burmese armed forces ...

, who dismantled and relocated the apartment formerly occupied by his father, King

Mindon Min Mindon Min (, ; 1808 – 1878), born Maung Lwin, was the penultimate king of Burma (Myanmar) from 1853 to 1878. He was one of the most popular and revered kings of Burma because of his role in the Fifth Buddhist Council. Under his half brothe ...

, just before Mindon Min's death, at a cost of 120,000

rupees Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Afr ...

. Thibaw removed the building on 10 October 1878, believing it to be haunted by his father's spirit. The building reconstruction was finished in 31 Oct 1878, dedicated in memory of his father, on a plot adjoining

Atumashi Monastery The Atumashi Monastery ( ; formally Mahā Atulaveyan Kyaungdawgyi or ) is a Buddhist monastery located in Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma). History It was built in 1857 by King Mindon, two years after the capital was moved to Mandalay. The monaster ...

.It is said that King Thibaw used it for meditation, and the meditation couch he sat on can still be seen. The building was originally part of the royal palace at Amarapura, before it was moved to Mandalay, where it formed the northern section of the Hmannan (Glass Palace) and part of the king's royal apartments. The building was heavily gilt with gold and adorned with

glass mosaic In Myanmar culture, glass mosaic () is a traditional form of glasswork where pieces of glass are used to embellish decorative art, structures, and furniture. Glass mosaic is typically divided into two subcategories, ''hman gyan si'' () and ''hma ...

work. The monastery is known for its

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

carvings of Buddhist myths, which adorn its walls and roofs. The monastery is built in the traditional Burmese architectural style. Shwenandaw Monastery is the single remaining major original structure of the original

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania {, class="wikitable" width="95%" , - bgcolor="white" !align=center, Residence !align=center, Photo !align=center, City !align=cen ...

today.

Notes

Gallery

File:Shwe Kyaung Inside.jpg File:Shwe Kyaung Woodcarving.jpg File:Shwe Kyaung Corridor.jpg File:Shwe Kyaung Wooden Ploes.jpg File:Shwe Kyaung.jpg File:Mandalay-Shwe-Kyaung.JPG File:Shvenendav Monastery, gate.jpg File:Altar in Shwenandaw Monastery Mandalay.jpg

References

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External links

Monasteries in Myanmar Buddhist temples in Mandalay Religious buildings and structures completed in 1880 {{Myanmar-Buddhist-monastery-stub