Mingun

King Bodawpaya began a stupa at Mingun in 1790 that was intended to stand around a hundred and fifty metres tall. Work stopped at roughly fifty and the base is what remains: a brick cube of enormous mass, split by huge fissures from the earthquake of 1839, with the ramps and lion guardians still visible. Beside it hangs the Mingun Bell, cast for the unfinished stupa and among the largest ringing bells anywhere at around ninety tonnes. A short walk north is the Hsinbyume Pagoda, white and built as seven wavy concentric terraces - largely destroyed in the earthquake of 28 March 2025.

What you'll find

• Mingun Pahtodawgyi - the unfinished brick base, torn by earthquake fissures wide enough to walk into.
• The Mingun Bell - around ninety tonnes of bronze, cast for the stupa that was never finished.
• Hsinbyume Pagoda - white concentric wavy terraces representing the mountain ranges of Buddhist cosmology, largely destroyed in the 2025 earthquake.
• The guardian lions - two colossal ruined chinthe on the riverbank, shattered by the same earthquake.

When to go

November to February is dry and cool. Boats from Mandalay leave in the morning and return early afternoon, which sets the shape of the day. The river is lower and the landing steeper in the hot season.

Before you go

Climbing the unfinished stupa has been restricted at times because of the earthquake damage, and the rules change. Shoes off across the whole site, and the brick is punishing in the sun. The boat is the pleasant part; the village itself is small and touts work the landing. The earthquake of 28 March 2025 hit Mingun hard, so ask in Mandalay what can be visited before taking the boat.

Nearby

Sagaing is downstream on the same bank, and Mandalay is an hour back down the river.