Amarapura is a former capital of Myanmar, and now a township of Mandalay city. Amarapura is bounded by the Irrawaddy river in the west, Chanmyathazi Township in the north, and the ancient capital site of Ava (Inwa) in the south. It was the capital of Myanmar twice during the Konbaung period before finally being supplanted by Mandalay 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north in 1859. It is historically referred to as Taungmyo in relation to Mandalay. Amarapura today is part of Mandalay, as a result of urban sprawl. The township is known today for its traditional silk and cotton weaving, and bronze casting. It is a popular tourist day-trip destination from Mandalay.
Buddhism, specifically Theravāda Buddhism, is the official and state religion of Myanmar since 1961, and practiced by nearly 90% of the population. It is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of the proportion of monks in the population and proportion of income spent on religion. Myanmar has the fourth largest Buddhist population in the world, after China, Thailand and Japan with approximately 48 million Buddhists. Adherents are most likely found among the dominant Bamar people, Shan, Rakhine, Mon, Karen, and Chinese who are well integrated into Burmese society. Monks, collectively known as the sangha (community), are venerated members of Burmese society. Among many ethnic groups in Myanmar, including the Bamar and Shan, Theravada Buddhism is practiced in conjunction with the worship of nats, which are spirits who can intercede in worldly affairs.
Basic Education High School No. 2 Dagon is a public high school located a few miles north of downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The former nationalist high school founded for the children of the common folk, now educates mostly the children of well-to-do Burmese families from Dagon and vicinity. It was one of the first "nationalist schools" opened after the First National Strike against the British rule in Burma.
Chaung-U is a town located in Monywa District, Sagaing Region, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Chaung-U Township. In the Bagan Dynasty, when King Popa Saw Rahan governed the country, it was named "San Tauk Village". It was a large village where different natives of the Union of Myanmar, like Kayin, Shan and Lawah (Wah) natives, lived happily together. Then, King Kyansit founded the city, gathering ten villages together, for example, Ywa Thit and Ywa Ma, naming it Chaung-U. It is situated 231.46 feet (70.55 m) above sea level at north latitude 21° 57' and east longitude 95° 8' to 95° 25'. The Monywa–Mandalay highway road passes it, so the communication to it is good, quick and easy. The Monywa–Mandalay railway meets that of Chaung-U–Pakokku in the town's station, so it is possible to get there by train. Its official township boundary touches the boundaries of other townships: Myinmu is in the east, Myaung is in the south and south-east, Salingyi is in the west, and Monywa is in the north. The Chindwin River is in the west of the township and the town is six miles away from the river. In Chaung-U there are historical ancient pagodas. Besides, its township has other historical villages, streams, and hills.
Sayadaw U Ottama was a Theravada Buddhist monk, author, and a leader of the Burmese independence movement during British colonial rule. The ethnic Rakhine (Arakanese) monk was imprisoned several times by the British colonial government for his anti-colonialist political activities.
A kyaung is a monastery (vihara), comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Buddhist monks. Burmese kyaungs are sometimes also occupied by novice monks (samanera), lay attendants (kappiya), nuns (thilashin), and white-robed acolytes.
Ven. Nyanatiloka (Ñāṇatiloka) Mahathera, born as Anton Walther Florus Gueth, was one of the earliest Westerners in modern times to become a Bhikkhu, a fully ordained Buddhist monk.
Myanmar Alin is a state-run Burmese language daily newspaper and the longest running newspaper in circulation in Myanmar. The paper is considered to be the official mouthpiece of the government of Myanmar.
Thakin Lwin was a Burmese politician and trade unionist, writer and journalist. He was a leading member of the anti-colonial Dobama Asiayone movement, a parliamentarian, the president of the Trade Union Congress (Burma) and a prominent leader of the Burma Workers and Peasants Party.
Kyaswa was the king of the Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1235 to 1251. Kyaswa succeeded his father Htilominlo and was even more devout. Kyaswa's reign like his father's was largely peaceful but the depletion of the royal treasury due to large tax-free religious landholdings became more pronounced. The royal treasury was so depleted that Kyaswa had trouble completing a temple. The empire founded by Anawrahta over two centuries earlier was still peaceful but already on its last legs, unprepared for the internal disorders and external forces that were to come.
Uzana was king of Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1251 to 1256. He assumed the regnal name "Śrī Tribhuvanāditya Dhammarājajayasūra" (ၐြီတြိဘုဝနာဒိတျဓမ္မရာဇဇယသူရ).
Bogalay Kyaw Hlaing was a Burmese artist. Due to his mastery of the technique of painting clouds, he was sometimes called "Cloudy Kyaw Hlaing".
Nyi Nyi Lwin, more widely known by his monastic name U Gambira, is a former Buddhist monk, activist and a leader of the All-Burma Monks' Alliance, a group which helped lead the 2007 protests against Burma's military government. Following the protests, he went into hiding and published two editorials critical of the Burmese government in The Washington Post and The Guardian on 4 November 2007. He was arrested the same day.
Maha Thanmada Wuntha or more commonly known as Yazawin Kyaw is an early 16th-century chronicle of Buddhist religious history and Burmese history.
Pwa Saw of Thitmahti was the chief queen consort of King Kyawswa, and of King Saw Hnit of the Pagan Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). The royal chronicles identify Saw Soe as the chief queen of Kyawswa but historians identify her as the chief queen. She was the mother of Crown Prince Theingapati and Kumara Kassapa.
Yanda Pyissi was a minister in the service of King Narathihapate of the Pagan Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). He was also a general in the Royal Burmese Army under the command of his elder brother Ananda Pyissi. Together they unsuccessfully fought against the first two Mongol invasions (1277–85). Ava kings from Mohnyin Thado to Narapati II, and all Konbaung kings were descended from him.
The Venerable Shin Ditha Pamauk was the Chief Primate of the Pagan Empire during the reign of King Narathihapate (1256–87). The monk led the peace negotiations with the Mongols in 1285–87, culminating in the meeting with Emperor Kublai Khan in 1287.
Kyaw Nyein, called honorifically U Kyaw Nyein, was a Burmese lawyer and anti-colonial revolutionary, a leader in Burma’s struggle for independence and prominent politician in the first decade after the country gained sovereignty from Britain. He held multiple minister portfolios in the government of Prime Minister U Nu, served as General Secretary of the ruling political alliance, Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League (AFPFL), and was joint General Secretary of the Burma Socialist Party (BSP).
Ashin Thittila or Seṭṭhilābhivaṃsa, commonly known as U Thittila, was a Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk, who was also a scholar of Buddhist literature and meditation teacher. He is said to be the first religious worker among the Burmese monks who left for a foreign country to do Buddhist missionary work. He lived for 14 consecutive years in England.
U Raschid also Yar Shit, an Indian Myanmar Muslim politician, was the first chairman of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions and active in the student movement against the ruling British.
