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Mandalay

မန္တလေးမြို့

City

Mahamuni Buddha Temple

Kuthodaw Pagoda and Sandamuni Pagoda

U Bein Bridge

Zegyo Market

Mandalar Thiri Stadium

Mandalay Palace

Flag

Mandalay

Location in Myanmar

Mandalay

Location in Asia

Country

Myanmar

Region

Mandalay Region

District

Maha Aungmye, Aungmyethazan and Amarapura

Founded

1857

Founded by

King Mindon

Area

• City

163.84 km² (63.26 sq mi)

Elevation

22 m (70 ft)

Population

(2014 Census)

• City

1,726,889

• Density

10,540.1/km² (27,298.7/sq mi)

• Urban

1,319,452 (76%)

• Rural

407,437 (24%)

• Ethnic groups

Bamar
Chinese
Shan & other minorities

• Religions

Theravada Buddhism Christianity Hinduism Islam

Mandalayan

UTC+6:30 (MMT)

MDY

Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, about 631 kilometers (392 miles) north of Yangon, the largest city. In 2014, Mandalay had a population of over 1.2 million people.

King Mindon founded Mandalay in 1857. It became the new royal capital of the Konbaung dynasty, replacing Amarapura. Mandalay was the last royal capital of Burma before the British Empire took control in 1885. Even under British rule, Mandalay remained important for trade and culture. The city faced a lot of damage during World War II. In 1948, Mandalay became part of the newly independent country of Burma.

Today, Mandalay is a major economic hub in Upper Myanmar. It is also seen as a center of Burmese culture. Many people from China, especially from Yunnan, have moved to Mandalay since the late 1900s. This has changed the city's population and increased trade with China. Even though Naypyidaw is now the capital, Mandalay is still a key center for business, education, and health in Upper Myanmar.

City Name and Meaning

The city gets its name from the nearby Mandalay Hill. The name likely comes from a Pali word, but its exact origin is not fully clear. Some think it comes from maṇḍala, meaning circular plains. Others believe it comes from Mandara, a mountain from Hindu stories.

When it was founded in 1857, the royal city was officially called Yadanarbon. This name means "City of Gems" in Pali. It was also known as Lay Kyun Aung Myei, which means "Victorious Land over the Four Islands." The Mandalay Palace was called Myanan San Kyaw, meaning "Famed Royal Emerald Palace."

Mandalay's Past

How Mandalay Began

King Mindon founded Mandalay as a royal capital.

Like many old capitals in Burma, Mandalay was built because a ruler wanted it. On February 13, 1857, King Mindon started building a new royal capital. It was at the foot of Mandalay Hill. He wanted to fulfill a prophecy about a great Buddhist city being built there. This was for the 2,400th anniversary of Buddhism.

The new capital covered about 25.5 square kilometers (9.8 square miles). Four rivers surrounded it. The city plan had a grid of 144 square blocks. At its center, near Mandalay Hill, was a 16-square-block royal palace area. The palace grounds were 413 hectares (1,020 acres). They were surrounded by walls 2,032 meters (6,666 feet) long and a moat 64 meters (210 feet) wide and 4.6 meters (15 feet) deep. Watchtowers with gold-tipped spires were placed every 169 meters (555 feet) along the wall. The walls had three gates on each side and five bridges over the moat.

The king also ordered the building of the Kuthodaw Pagoda. He built the Pahtan-haw Shwe Thein Ordination Hall and Thudamma zayats. These were public houses for teaching Buddhism. A library for the Pāli Canon was also built.

Mandalay Palace Grounds.

In June 1857, the old royal palace from Amarapura was taken apart. Elephants moved it to the new site at Mandalay Hill. The palace was officially finished on May 23, 1859.

For the next 26 years, Mandalay was the last royal capital of the Konbaung dynasty. This was the last independent Burmese kingdom. On November 28, 1885, the British took over the city. They sent King Thibaw Min and Queen Supayalat away to India. A group of soldiers accidentally burned down the Royal Library. This library held important records and king's family histories. Mandalay was badly damaged. However, the palace, its buildings, and the city walls were saved.

Mandalay Under British Rule (1885–1948)

A bastion at Mandalay Palace.

Mandalay remained the main city of Upper Burma during British rule. But Yangon became more important for trade and politics. The British focused on Mandalay's commercial growth. A railway reached Mandalay in 1889, just four years after the British took over. However, the first college, Mandalay College, was not built until 1925. The British took some treasures from the palace. These were later returned to Burma in 1964. The British also renamed the palace area Fort Dufferin and used it for soldiers.

An old street scene in Mandalay's Chinatown during British times.

During the colonial years, Mandalay was a center for Burmese culture and Buddhist learning. As the last royal capital, Burmese people saw it as a symbol of their independence and identity. Between the two World Wars, the city was a key place for protests against British rule. Many immigrants from India also moved to the city during this time. In 1904–1905, a plague caused about one-third of the people to leave the city.

Soldiers and a tank during street fighting in Mandalay, March 1945.

During World War II, Mandalay suffered terrible air raids. On April 3, 1942, during the Japanese conquest of Burma, the Japanese military attacked the city heavily. Mandalay had little defense, as its firefighting tools were gone from earlier bombings. It had no anti-aircraft defenses, and the British RAF had moved its planes to India. Three-fifths of Mandalay's homes were destroyed, and 2,000 civilians died. Many people also fled when the city was under Japanese control from May 1942 to March 1945. The palace citadel, used as a supply base by the Japanese, was burned down by Allied bombing. Only the royal mint and the watch tower survived. A copy of the palace was rebuilt in the 1990s.

Mandalay Today (1948–Present)

After Myanmar became independent in 1948, Mandalay continued to be a major cultural, educational, and economic center for Upper Burma. Until the early 1990s, most students from Upper Burma came to Mandalay for university. Today, fewer students come to Mandalay. The government now encourages students to attend local universities to spread out student populations.

In November 1959, Mandalay celebrated its 100th birthday with a festival. Special commemorative stamps were released.

During Ne Win's rule (1962–1988), the city's buildings and services got worse. By the early 1980s, Mandalay looked like a town with low buildings and dusty streets full of bicycles. In the 1980s, two big fires hit the city. In May 1981, a fire destroyed over 6,000 homes and public buildings, leaving more than 90,000 people without homes. On March 24, 1984, another fire destroyed 2,700 buildings and made 23,000 people homeless. This fire caused about US$96 million in damage.

Fires still happen in the city. A large fire destroyed Mandalay's second-biggest market, Yadanabon Market, in February 2008. Another big fire in February 2009 destroyed 320 homes and left over 1,600 people homeless.

On March 28, 2025, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 happened northwest of Mandalay. It caused a lot of damage. The earthquake killed over 5,300 people across Myanmar, including 3,300 in Mandalay and nearby areas. At least 1,736 people died in Mandalay District alone. The National Unity Government estimated that 17,637 homes were damaged in the region. In Mandalay, important historical sites like the gates and walls of Mandalay Palace, Mahamuni Buddha Temple, and Shwesayan Pagodas were significantly damaged.

Changes in Population

The fires in the 1980s led to big changes in Mandalay's look and its people. Many empty areas left by the fires were bought, mostly by ethnic Han Chinese. Many of these were new immigrants from Yunnan. The number of Chinese immigrants grew quickly after 1988. Many Chinese from Yunnan and Sichuan moved to Upper Burma in the 1990s, with many settling in Mandalay, sometimes without legal papers. In the 1990s, an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Yunnanese moved to Mandalay.

Today, ethnic Chinese people are thought to make up about 40%–50% of the city's population. This is almost the same as the native population. They have played a big part in the city's population doubling from about 500,000 in 1980 to one million in 2008. Chinese festivals are now a regular part of the city's culture. The strong Chinese presence in the city center has caused others to move to the suburbs. Mandalay's growth now includes Amarapura, the city King Mindon left 150 years ago. Mandalay celebrated its 150th birthday on May 15, 2009.

Most new Chinese immigrants move to Mandalay for business and do not plan to stay forever. They often rely on Burmese Chinese already in Mandalay to help them with local business. These "new Chinese" often settle outside the city center, as older Chinese areas are too expensive. These new areas become Chinese neighborhoods as they grow. The way Chinese businesspeople in Mandalay act, seeing local Burmese as too relaxed, can cause tension. Local Burmese sometimes feel the Chinese are looking down on them.

Mandalay's Location and Climate

Geography

Map of Mandalay and the surrounding region (1971).

Mandalay is in the central Dry Zone of Burma. It is by the Irrawaddy River at 21.98° North, 96.08° East, and is 80 meters (260 feet) above sea level. Its time zone is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours. It is 626 kilometers (389 miles) from Yangon.

Mandalay is located along the Sagaing Fault. This is where two tectonic plates, the India and Sunda plates, meet. The biggest earthquake in its history happened on March 23, 1839. This earthquake, estimated at magnitude 8.2, destroyed the old capital Ava. It also caused huge damage in nearby cities. Another strong earthquake, with a magnitude of 7, happened in 1956. The worst damage was in nearby Sagaing, and it was called the Great Sagaing Quake.

On March 28, 2025, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred just north of Mandalay on the Sagaing fault.

Bodies of water near Mandalay include Mandalay Kantawgyi, a small lake, and the Irrawaddy River to the west of the city.

Climate

Mandalay has a tropical wet and dry climate. This means it has distinct wet and dry seasons. It is very hot in April and May, with average high temperatures often over 37°C (99°F). High temperatures can even go above 40°C (104°F) during these months. The wet season runs from May through October, and the dry season covers the other six months.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Mandalay was 45.0°C (113.0°F) on May 12, 2010. The lowest was 7.6°C (45.7°F) on December 26, 1999. Temperatures change more between day and night during the dry season than in the wet season.

City Sights

Places to See Around Mandalay

Atumashi Monastery was rebuilt to look like the original.

Atumashi Monastery: This monastery, meaning 'inimitable vihara', is a famous sight. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1890, but its stone base survived. Reconstruction began in 1995 and finished in 1996.
Buddha's Replica Tooth Relic Pagoda: One of Buddha's sacred tooth relics is kept in this pagoda on Maha Dhammayanthi Hill in Amarapura Township. People from Burma and Buddhist donors worldwide helped build it.

Kuthodaw Pagoda – Some of the 729 stupas that make up the world's largest book.

Kuthodaw Pagoda (The World's Biggest Book): King Mindon built this pagoda in 1857. It has 729 upright stone slabs. On these slabs, the entire Tipiṭaka (Buddhist scriptures) is written. It is known as the world's largest book because of these stone scriptures.
Kyauktawgyi Pagoda: This pagoda is near Mandalay Hill. It holds a huge Buddha image carved from a single marble block. King Mindon built it between 1853 and 1878.
Mahamuni Buddha Temple: The Buddha image here is believed to have been made during Gautama Buddha's lifetime. It is said that Buddha embraced it seven times, bringing it to life. Devout Buddhists believe it is alive. It is the holiest pagoda in Mandalay. King Bodawpaya built it in 1784. The image is 3.8 meters (12 feet 7 inches) tall.

Mandalay Hill, 240 meters (790 feet) high, has many religious sites.

Mandalay Hill: This hill has long been a holy place. Legend says that Buddha visited and predicted a great city would be founded at its base. Mandalay Hill is 230 meters (750 feet) high. It offers great views of the city and countryside. A road to the top has been built.
Mandalay Palace: A fire during World War II destroyed most of the palace complex. The palace walls, city gates, and moat were rebuilt. A model of the palace and the Mandalay Cultural Museum are inside the palace grounds.

Shwenandaw Monastery.

Shwenandaw Monastery: This monastery is famous for its wood carvings. It was once part of the old palace. King Thibaw moved it to its current spot near Atumashi Monastery in 1880.
U Bein Bridge: This is known as the oldest and once longest teakwood bridge in the world. It was built when the capital moved to Amarapura.
Yadanabon Zoological Gardens: A small zoo located between the Mandalay Palace and Mandalay Hill. It has over 300 animal species. It is the only zoo with Burmese roofed turtles.

City Management

Mandalay City Hall and MCDC Headquarter.

The Mandalay Region Government manages Mandalay Region, including Mandalay City. The Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC) is the local government for Mandalay City. Mandalay District has seven townships:

Amarapura
Aungmyethazan
Chanayethazan (city center)
Chanmyathazi
Maha Aungmye
Patheingyi
Pyigyidagun

Getting Around Mandalay

Mandalay is a key transport hub in Central Burma. It connects people and goods to other parts of the country, China, and India.

Air Travel

Mandalay International Airport.

Mandalay International Airport (MDL) was one of Myanmar's largest and most modern airports until 2008. It was built in 2000 for US$150 million. It mostly serves domestic flights. There are also flights to Kunming in China, and to/from Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand. Before this airport, Mandalay Chanmyathazi Airport was the main airport. It still serves some flights to towns in Myanmar.

River Travel

The Ayeyarwady River is still an important route for moving goods. These include farm products like rice, beans, cooking oil, pottery, bamboo, and teak.

Train Travel

Mandalay Central Railway Station.

Mandalay Central Railway Station is the end point of Myanmar Railways' main line from Yangon. It is also the start of lines to Pyin U Lwin, Lashio, Monywa, Pakokku, and other northern towns. Mandalay also has a station on a standard gauge railway line that connects to Kunming, China. Mandalay does not have a city-wide metro train system.

Roads and Cars

Mandalay is at the center of Burma's road network. Highways connect it to:

Upper Burma and China
Western Burma and India
Lower Burma, including the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway

Most of these highways are one-lane roads and are not in very good condition.

Cars are expensive in Myanmar, so most people use bicycles, motorcycles, or buses. In Mandalay, traffic can be very busy. Thousands of bicycles and motorbikes move freely on all parts of the streets. Unlike Yangon, where motorbikes are banned from downtown, Mandalay allows them everywhere. In 2018, new smart traffic lights were installed to help manage traffic.

People of Mandalay

A 2007 estimate suggested Mandalay's population was almost 1 million. It is expected to reach nearly 1.5 million by 2025. Mandalay has traditionally been a center for Bamar (Burman) culture. However, many ethnic Han Chinese have moved to the city in the last 20 years. This has changed the population makeup. Today, ethnic Chinese people are thought to make up about 40%–50% of the city's population. A large number of Indian immigrants also live in Mandalay.

Burmese is the main language. However, Chinese is heard more and more in business areas. English is a third language, known by some people in the city.

The Yunnanese Buddhist Temple in Mandalay.
Population of Mandalay in 2014.

Mandalay's Culture

Buddha relics from Kanishka stupa in Peshawar, Pakistan, now in Mandalay.

Mandalay is Myanmar's cultural and religious center for Buddhism. It has many monasteries and over 700 pagodas. At the foot of Mandalay Hill is the "Buddhist Bible", also called the world's largest book, at Kuthodaw Pagoda. The styles of Mandalay Buddha Images are famous. King Mindon, a very religious Buddhist, filled Mandalay with them. Over the years, Mandalay Buddhist art became known as pure Myanmar art. There are 729 stone slabs with the entire Pāli Canon written on them. Each slab is housed in its own white stupa.

The Mandalay Palace.

The buildings inside the old Mandalay city walls, surrounded by a moat, include the Mandalay Palace. Most of it was destroyed during World War II. It has been rebuilt as a copy. The area also includes a military prison and a military base.

Media

Most news and entertainment in Mandalay comes from Yangon. The city's TV channels are state-run TV Myanmar and military-run Myawaddy. Both offer news and shows in Burmese. Mandalay also has two radio stations. Myanmar Radio National Service is the national radio service. Mandalay City FM (87.9FM) plays pop culture music.

The government controls all daily newspapers. It uses Mandalay to print and send out its three national newspapers: Myanmar Alin and Kyemon (in Burmese) and New Light of Myanmar (in English). The state-run Yadanabon is printed in Mandalay for Upper Burma. The Mandalay Daily newspaper has been published by the Mandalay City Development Committee since 1997.

Sports in Mandalay

Mandalarthiri Sports Complex.

Mandalay's sports facilities are not as good as international ones, but they are the best in Upper Burma. The 17,000-seat Bahtoo Stadium was the largest before Mandalarthiri Stadium was built. It hosts local football and track-and-field events. Since May 2009, professional football has been in Mandalay. Yadanabon FC represents the city in the Myanmar National League, the country's first professional football league.

In 2013, a new stadium, Mandalarthiri Stadium, was built. It hosted women's football matches for the 27th SEA Games. It is now the largest stadium in Mandalay and Upper Myanmar.

Sport Climbing

At Waterfall Hill, the first bolted rock climbing site in Myanmar was developed. This happened with help from Mandalay climbers and the Technical Climbing Club of Myanmar since 2010.

Mandalay's Economy

Zaycho market, the city's biggest market.

Mandalay is a major center for trade and communication in Upper Myanmar. Much of Myanmar's trade with China and India goes through Mandalay.

Traditional industries include silk weaving, tapestry, jade cutting, stone and wood carving. People also make marble and bronze Buddha images, temple decorations, gold leaves, and silver items.

Since Myanmar opened its economy after 1988, many Chinese migrants have moved to Mandalay for business. These migrants brought skills, goods, and money. They also bought most of the shops and land in central Mandalay. This changed the city's economy. Many of these Chinese immigrants came from Yunnan province in China. They were often able to get Burmese citizenship papers illegally. They arrived poor but have become successful business owners.

The Chinese minority in Mandalay owns many gold shops, mining businesses, and timber trading companies. In central Mandalay, about 80 percent of gold and jewelry shops are Chinese-owned. Many Chinese-owned businesses, like trading groups, market stalls, restaurants, and hotels, have grown. Foreign buyers of jade and gems come to Mandalay, with many customers from Hong Kong. Mandalay has become very influenced by Chinese business and culture.

Wealthy Chinese businesspeople have bought prime residential and commercial land in central Mandalay. About half of the city's residents have Chinese family backgrounds. Seven of the top ten business owners in Mandalay are of Chinese descent. They control 60 percent of the city's economy. About 50 percent of the land in downtown Mandalay is controlled by Chinese owners. Also, all of Mandalay's shopping malls and hotels were built by Chinese-owned construction companies.

Mandalay's economy has grown a lot due to the Burmese Chinese business community. It has also received more investment from mainland China and other Chinese business networks abroad. The strong influence of mainland China is clear in the city. Local people sometimes call Mandalay a "Chinese city" because of the foreign Chinese money invested there, especially in real estate, hotels, and restaurants.

Even with Naypyidaw becoming the capital in 2006, Mandalay remains the main commercial, educational, and health center for Upper Burma. In October 2018, Mandalay was ranked fifth among the top 10 cities in Southeast Asia working to become a smart city.

Another major industry in Mandalay is sports, especially soccer. The Burmese soccer club, Yadanabon FC, represents the city in the Myanmar National League. This is the nation's first professional soccer league.

Learning in Mandalay

University of Mandalay.

Mandalay has the best schools and universities after Yangon. Myanmar spends very little on education. In poor areas, students often drop out of middle school. Schools rely on "donations" and fees from parents for everything.

For students who cannot study abroad, Mandalay offers the best higher education in Upper Burma. There are over 15 universities in the city. The University of Mandalay, University of Medicine, Mandalay, University of Dental Medicine, Mandalay, Mandalay Technological University, and University of Computer Studies, Mandalay are among the country's most selective universities.

Health Care in Mandalay

Mandalay General Hospital.

The overall state of healthcare in Myanmar is not very good. The government spends very little on health care, ranking among the lowest in the world.

In 2005, the public health care system in Mandalay Region had over 7.6 million people. It had just over 1,000 doctors and about 2,000 nurses. They worked in 44 hospitals and 44 health clinics. Over 30 of these hospitals had fewer than 100 beds. Even though health care is supposed to be free, patients usually have to pay for medicine and treatment. Public hospitals often lack basic facilities and equipment.

University of Medicine, Mandalay.

However, Mandalay is still the main health care center for Upper Burma. Most large public and private hospitals are in Mandalay. The city has ten public hospitals and one hospital for traditional Burmese medicine. Wealthier people from Upper Burma go to private hospitals in Mandalay for better care. For more advanced treatments, they go to Yangon or other countries like Bangkok or Singapore.

Sister Cities

Mandalay is connected with these cities:

Cirebon, Indonesia
Kunming, China
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Ulsan, South Korea

Famous People from Mandalay

Saw Maung (1928–1997), a Burmese general and chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council.
Oo Zun (1868–1944), a social worker and Buddhist nun.
Zwe Ohn Chein (1910–1979), a Burmese inventor and writer.