Inwa

Inwa, also called Ava, was the Burmese capital on and off for four centuries until an earthquake in 1839 finished it, and the site was left to farmland rather than rebuilt. A short ferry crosses to what is effectively an island between the rivers, and the monuments are scattered among fields, banana groves and villages: a leaning brick watchtower from the palace, the teak Bagaya monastery on its posts, and Maha Aungmye Bonzan, a stucco monastery built in brick to imitate wood.

History

The name means "mouth of the lake", or perhaps comes from Innawa, "nine lakes", and its classical Pali name was Ratanapura, "city of gems". Inwa was the capital of Burma for nearly 360 years on five occasions between 1365 and 1842, and was finally abandoned after a series of earthquakes in March 1839 (Wikipedia, Inwa).

Highlights

• Bagaya Kyaung - a teak monastery on massive posts, dark inside and still in use as a school.
• Maha Aungmye Bonzan - a yellow stuccoed brick monastery built to imitate a wooden one.
• Nanmyin watchtower - the leaning brick tower left from the palace, cracked by the 1839 earthquake.
• The farmland - the old capital reduced to fields, with fragments of wall and stupa in among the crops.

When to go

November to February is the cool dry season. Mornings are best, before the heat and before the horse carts get busy. The monsoon makes the tracks muddy and some monuments harder to reach.

Before you go

Horse carts are the standard transport and the welfare of the animals varies; it is reasonable to look before choosing one, or to walk or cycle instead. The zone ticket is checked. Distances between monuments are longer than they look on the map. The earthquake of 28 March 2025 damaged about three quarters of Inwa's historical structures, pagodas and temples among them, so the monuments described here may be closed, propped up or changed - ask in Mandalay before making the crossing.

Nearby

Sagaing is across the river, and U Bein bridge at Amarapura is on the way back to Mandalay.