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Shwenandaw Monastery

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Ed Hahn
Ed Hahn
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
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1
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4
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Shwenandaw (Golden Palace) Monastery

  • June 13, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Ed Hahn from Hong Kong, China
Shwenandaw (Golden Palace) Monastery

Originally part of the royal palace at Amarapura and later moved to Mandalay, this monastery began its existence in the mid 19th century as part of King Mindon’s living quarters. After King Mindon died in 1878, his son and successor, King Thibaw thought that perhaps the apartments were haunted, so he had the entire structure dismantled, moved to its present location, and re-dedicated as a monastery in 1890. It is still a working monastery.

At one time it was completely covered in gold leaf and glass mosaics. The gold has long since worn away. The glass mosaics have disappeared and what is left is the weathered teak with which it was originally built. It is perhaps the only surviving example of 19th century Myanmar teak architecture and is also a significant showpiece of the wood-carver’s art as you can see in the photos below.

There is a wooden walkway surrounding the building which allowed Pam and me to see the carvings and other features up close. The walkway goes around the whole building.

We found the interior to be equally impressive with its massive teak pillars, imposing ceiling, replica of the Lion Throne plus even more carvings that haven’t been subjected to the elements. As in most Myanmar religious sites there are carvings and statues of the Nats, pre-Buddhist, animist figures. Of course there is also a very attractive statue of the Buddha.

As we wandered around, we were aware of a number of monks in the vicinity. They didn’t seem to be doing anything but watching the tourists and the worshippers as the tourists watched them. Exploring the interior had an eerie sense about it. Maybe King Mindon really does haunt the place. The entire experience, though, was very worthwhile and we could have spent more time here except that we didn’t want to miss seeing the sunset from Mandalay Hill.

There is no entrance fee. Evidently the chief abbot believes it is not right to charge admission to a religious building. However, there are many receptacles for voluntary contributions.

Photo taking is allowed.

From journal Myanmar - Road to Mandalay

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