Northwest of Mandalay and across the Irrawaddy River lays the small town of Mingun and the Hsinbyume Pagoda, also known as the Myatheindan Pagoda. It was built in 1816 in memory of Princess Hsinbyume, whose name literally translates to “White Elephant”. It’s remarkably distinct from most pagodas in Myanmar and is designed to represent Mount Meru in Buddisht mythology.
The unique look of Hsinbyume Pagoda was a welcome change from the dozens of pagodas and temples we’d seen over the previous week or so. At some point, as remarkable as they all are, they do start to blur together in much the same way that churches in Europe do. It, and the huge Mingun Pahtodawgyi next to it, makes for a good day trip north out of Mandalay.
Posted by James Duncan Davidson.