Monywa
Encyclopedia
Monywa is a city in Sagaing Division
, Myanmar
, located 136 km northwest of Mandalay
on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin
.
It is served by the Mandalay-Budalin
branch railway line, but is best reached by bus
as the road
from Mandalay is in reasonably good shape. Monywa is now linked by road to Budalin, Dabayin
, Ye-U
and Kin-U
, and by rail to Sagaing
and the Mandalay - Myitkyina
line. River transport on the Chindwin has always been important as it is navigable for 640 km (397.7 mi) up to Hkamti during the monsoon
season, and most of the year to Homalin
.
It got 5.47 inches (139 mm) of rainfall in 19 Oct 2011. It was the new record of rainfall within 24 hours of October in Monywa for last 47 years. The previous record was 5.31 inches (135 mm) of 24 Oct 1967.
Monywa is a major centre for trade
and commerce
and for agricultural
produce
from the surrounding Chindwin valley, especially beans, orange
, pulses and jaggery
(palm sugar
). In addition, the local industry
includes mills for the production of cotton
, flour
, noodles, and edible oils. Sausages from Alon called wet udaunk are quite popular, and Budalin longyi
(sarong) is known for the strength of the fabric and its checked patterns. Monywa's rough cotton blanket
s are famous throughout Myanmar (with Monywa providing 80% of the country's blanket for a century), and some can even be found sewn up into knapsacks sold to unsuspecting tourists in Bangkok
. Other regional crafts include bamboo
and reed
products, bullock
carts and agricultural implements. The village of Kyaukka is well known for its lacquerware
utensils for everyday use.
Black market goods from India
, especially sari
s and bicycle
parts, pass through Monywa on their way to other parts of Myanmar.
resembling Indonesia
's Borobudur
. It dates from 1303, although it was reconstructed in 1939. It is said to contain over 500,000 images of Buddha
.
Another attraction is the Phowintaung
cave complex across the Chindwin River, approximately 25 km west of Monywa.
Very few tourists visit Monywa as its facilities are limited.
The city is home to:
Sagaing Division
Sagaing Region is an administrative region of Burma , located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east...
, Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, located 136 km northwest of Mandalay
Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin
Chindwin River
The Chindwin River is a river in Burma , and the largest tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady . It flows entirely within Burma and is known as Ning-thi to the Manipuris.-Source:...
.
Transport
Budalin
Budalin is a town in Budalin Township, Monywa District, Sagaing Division in Burma . It is the administrative seat of Budalin Township. The town is connected by road and rail to Monywa, Dabayin, Kin-U and Ye-U, with a bridge over the Mu River....
branch railway line, but is best reached by bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
as the road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
from Mandalay is in reasonably good shape. Monywa is now linked by road to Budalin, Dabayin
Dabayin
-History:Located a few kilometers west of Shwebo, the birthplace of Konbaung dynasty, Dabayin was a major source of many Konbaung soldiers and officials, including the country's most famous general Maha Bandula. Having Dabayin as fief was a powerful symbol before one became king. King Naungdawgyi...
, Ye-U
Ye-U
Ye-U is a town in the Sagaing Division in Myanmar....
and Kin-U
Kin-U
Kin-U is a town in the Sagaing Division in Myanmar. It is the administrative seat of Khin-U Township.-External links:* Maplandia...
, and by rail to Sagaing
Sagaing
Sagaing is the capital of Sagaing Region in Myanmar. Located on the Ayeyarwady River, 20 km to the southwest of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river, Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and monastic center. The pagodas and monasteries crowd the numerous...
and the Mandalay - Myitkyina
Myitkyina
Myitkyina is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar , located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese it means "near the big river", and in fact "Myitkyina" lies on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, just below from Myit-son of its two headstreams...
line. River transport on the Chindwin has always been important as it is navigable for 640 km (397.7 mi) up to Hkamti during the monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
season, and most of the year to Homalin
Homalin
Homalin or Hommalinn is a small town in northwestern Burma and capital of the Homalin Township in Hkamti District of the Sagaing Division. The town lies on the Chindwin River and is served by Homalin Airport....
.
It got 5.47 inches (139 mm) of rainfall in 19 Oct 2011. It was the new record of rainfall within 24 hours of October in Monywa for last 47 years. The previous record was 5.31 inches (135 mm) of 24 Oct 1967.
Economy
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
and commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and for agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
produce
Produce
Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...
from the surrounding Chindwin valley, especially beans, orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
, pulses and jaggery
Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color...
(palm sugar
Palm sugar
Palm sugar was originally made from the sugary sap of the Palmyra palm, the date palm or sugar date palm . Now it is also made from the sap of the sago, arenga pinnata and coconut palms, and may be sold as "arenga sugar" or "coconut sugar".-Description:It is quickly gaining popularity in the...
). In addition, the local industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
includes mills for the production of cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, noodles, and edible oils. Sausages from Alon called wet udaunk are quite popular, and Budalin longyi
Longyi
A longyi is a sheet of cloth widely worn in Burma. It is approximately 2 m long and 80 cm wide. The cloth is often sewn into a cylindrical shape. It is worn around the waist, running to the feet. It is held in place by folding fabric over, without a knot. It is also sometimes folded up to...
(sarong) is known for the strength of the fabric and its checked patterns. Monywa's rough cotton blanket
Blanket
A blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping. Blankets are distinguished from sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. Blankets are generally used...
s are famous throughout Myanmar (with Monywa providing 80% of the country's blanket for a century), and some can even be found sewn up into knapsacks sold to unsuspecting tourists in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. Other regional crafts include bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
and reed
Phragmites
Phragmites, the Common reed, is a large perennial grass found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world. Phragmites australis is sometimes regarded as the sole species of the genus Phragmites, though some botanists divide Phragmites australis into three or four species...
products, bullock
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
carts and agricultural implements. The village of Kyaukka is well known for its lacquerware
Lacquerware
Lacquerware are objects decoratively covered with lacquer. The lacquer is sometimes inlaid or carved. Lacquerware includes boxes, tableware, buttons and even coffins painted with lacquer in cultures mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere.-History:...
utensils for everyday use.
Black market goods from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, especially sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
s and bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
parts, pass through Monywa on their way to other parts of Myanmar.
Attractions
The major tourist attraction in Monywa is Mohnyin Thambuddhei Paya, a Buddhist temple with a huge stupaStupa
A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of Buddha, used by Buddhists as a place of worship....
resembling Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
's Borobudur
Borobudur
Borobudur, or Barabudur, is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist monument near Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms, and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...
. It dates from 1303, although it was reconstructed in 1939. It is said to contain over 500,000 images of Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
.
Another attraction is the Phowintaung
Phowintaung
Phowintaung is a Buddhist cave complex located approximately 25 kilometers west of Monywa and 10 kilometers southeast of Yinmabin, in Yinmabin Township, Monywa District, Sagaing Region, Northern Burma . It is located on the western bank of the Chindwin River...
cave complex across the Chindwin River, approximately 25 km west of Monywa.
Very few tourists visit Monywa as its facilities are limited.
Education
- Monywa University
- Monywa Education College
- Monywa Institute of EconomicsMonywa Institute of EconomicsThe Monywa Institute of Economics , located in Monywa, Sagaing Region, is one of three universities of economics and business in Myanmar. The institute offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and diplomas, mostly in commerce, statistics and economics...
- Technological University, Monywa and
- Computer University, Monywa
Politics
The insurgent Burmese Communist Party (BCP) was centred in the Monywa area (west of the Chindwin River) for many years. Although the BCP is no longer active, the Myanmar military presence in Monywa remains heavy.External links
- City of Monywa
- Burman photograph album 1897 Old photos of Monywa
- Chindwin River - lifeblood of upper Sagaing Myanmar Times, January 16–22, 2006