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The city of Gems

Indeed, the city’s name means entrance to the lake, a variant of the Shan phrase in-va. It is appropriate as the entire rice trade of the Kyaukse plain was one control from his capital at the junction of the Ayeyarwaddy and Myintnge River. The city of Ava founded in 1364 by King Thadominpaya who build in the North East corner of an artificial Island created by the Myittha Chaung, a channel dug from the Myit Nge to the Ayewaddy. It remained standing through various conquest as capital of upper Burma under 1634, as the capital of all Burma for another century and a half after that.

The classical name by which Ava is known in Burma, however is Rattanapura- the city of Gems. Unlike most other royal cities of Burma, Ava’s city wall is not square. But, it shaped like a sitting Lion, such as though fount in front of large pagoda.

Only apart of the wall stay stand; the most completed section is at the North gate, known as Gaung Say Daga, the gate of hair washing ceremony. Every April, during Thingyan festival, this ritual hair washing takes places as a purification rite to welcome the king of the nats. Today, it exits only in private home, but in imperial times, the king was required to wash his hair at this gate. Near the North gate are the rooms of NanMyit watch Tower, the so-called learning tower of Ava. North far from the learning tower is the best preserved of all buildings in Ava, Mahaaungmye Bonzan monastery. Also, know as Oakkyaung. The brick structure was built in 1818 by Nanmadaw Menu, wife of Kind Bagyidaw. A tall stucco- decorated building it was built in the same style as that of more common teak Kyaung; yet its masonry guaranteed it would survive longer than its wooden cousins. Some one and half km South of the city stand fort which has considered parts of the “unconquerable triangle” including Thabyedan and Sagaing fort.