The Next Tourist Hotspot

Mohnyin Thamboddhei Pagoda

The Next Tourist Hotspot

>> Nadi Nain <<

Since decades ago, Monywa and its nearby places have been renowned for their many smallscale industries producing cotton, flour, noodles, edible oils, sausages, longyis (sarongs), and blankets and so on. For about a century, Monywa had been a place where 80 percent of the cotton blankets popular in domestic markets all around the country are produced. Monywa region is also manufacturing other handicrafts such as bamboo and reed products, bullock carts and agricultural implements; and particularly Kyaukka village is famous for its lacquerware utensils for daily utilization.

Monywa, already a major town on Chindwin river in the northern part of the central region or Anya, has grown into a bustling city with a lot of business activities after the legalizing of border trade with India through Tamu as the main crossing. Monywa now has busy markets, trade activities, interesting places, popular restaurants, hotels and institutions of higher learning. Surrounding areas also produce wheat, beans and pulses, bananas, coconuts, watermelons, mango, jack-fruits, papaya and palm sugar.

Some records say that Monywa is as old as Bagan, where the first Myanmar kingdom was established about a thousand years ago.

In the times of Myanmar monarchs, Monywa was just a village (Ywa), but a big one under the jurisdiction of Ahlon the then administrative centre. Monywa became the headquarters of the lower Chindwin district after the British annexation of upper Myanmar.

Monywa was born together with its fascinating background story which says that many many years ago, a Myanmar monarch while touring around upper Myanmar reached a big village where he met with a beautiful young woman who was selling local snacks which are called “Mon” in Myanmar language. So she was called “Mon-the-ma” meaning female or woman snack seller. The king fell in love with her and later made her his queen. So, the people started calling this village “Mon-the-ma Ywa” or the “Village of the woman snack seller” referring to the young village women who became the queen. 

As time passed, the name changed to “Monywa”. In 1758 Monywa met its proud moment as it became one of the encampments of King Alaungphayar the founder of the third Myanmar kingdom during his campaign to conquer Manipur from where Meitei horse-riders intruded Myanmar territory and raided and plundered villages. The ancient name of Monywa is Thalawady.

Monywa has a tropical savanna climate, with average maximum temperatures sometimes exceeding 38 °C (100 °F) during the summer months from March to May. 

Generally, Monywa lies in the dry zone and its cold season during the months December and January is rather chilly, especially during the nights.

Nowadays, Monywa is the largest city on Chindwin River and Sagaing Region and the second largest in upper Myanmar after Mandalay. It lies 136 km north-west of Mandalay along the Mandalay-Budalin branch railway line.

Apart from their business activities, farming and industries, Monywa and its surrounding areas have a number of interesting places. Included in the many famous stupas around the country, Mohnyin Thamboddhei Pagoda accommodates over 500,000 Buddha statues. Some records say that the pagoda was built in 1303. Not far from the pagoda lies Boddhi Tataung where pilgrims can pay homage to two giant Buddha statues – one staning and another lying – the Aung Sakkya Pagoda and thousand seated Buddha images. In the south-west of the pagoda lies the Pon Daung Pon Nya mountain range, where the fossilized remains of primates who may have lived 30 million years ago can be found.

Shwe Ba Hill and Po-win Hill on the west bank of Chindwin river are also interesting places to visit. Monywa, one of the main business hubs of upper Myanmar is not a popular tourist destination yet. But with all these properties it can become a next hotspot for Myanmar trying to welcome over seven million visitors in 2020.

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