Northwest of Mandalay ........
It is set on the eastern bank of the Chindwin river, about 136 km west of Mandalay. Chindwin River is the second largest river of Myanmar and it is also important for agricultural trading in the area. In WWII Monywa found itself between the British and Japanese forces twice; it was flattened by bombs in 1942 and 1945. The area-particularly west of the river – was for many post-war years center for the Burmese Communist Party. Monywa is famous for churning out rough cotton blankets.
The famous magnificent Thanboddhay Temple is one of the attractions of Monywa. The architectural design of the building of Borobudur in Indonesia, though Thanboddahy is similar.
It’s certainly unique for Myanmar. KyaukkaVillage, about 16 km east of Monywa is famous for its lacquer ware cottage industry since the Konbaung era. 25 km drive will reach Pho-Win-Taung, impressive sandstone caves containing Buddha Statues, wood carvings, and murals dating back 14th to 16th centuries Just beyond Pho-Win-Taung is Shweba-Taung, which features unique pavilions cut of the surrounding sandstone to house Buddha Images.
