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 In the west of Myanmar, on the Bay of Bengal, lies the Rakhine (pronounced Ra-Khine) State, comprised mainly of impassable mountains with a long, narrow strip of coast dotted with offshore islands. Most common way to reach the historic heartland of Rakhine, therefore, is to take a voyage of several hours by ship up the Kaladan River, bringing one to the once-mighty and cosmopolitan ancient capital of Mrauk U. The unusual architecture of the local pagodas, built of sandstone blocks, are also evidence of the region’s long-standing cultural autonomy, which also produced the quasi-legendary Mahamuni Buddha, the holiest statue in all Myanmar. It was founded in 1430, the last of several towns to be founded within quite a small geographic area. Scarcely anything remains today of the even older towns that preceded it, such as Dhanyavati and Vesali. The Burmese finally conquered this city in 1784, after it had spent years in decline. Interesting places in Mrauk U: Shit-thaung pagoda, Andaw Pagoda,
Ratana-bon Pagoda, Dukkhan-thein Pagoda, Le-myet-hna Pagoda, Laung-ban-Pyauk
Pagoda, Pitakataik, Mahabodhi-Shwe-gu Pagoda, Ratana-man-aung Pagoda,
Sakya-man-aung Pagoda, Shwe-taung Pagoda, Min-Kham-aung Temple, Jina-man-aung
Pagoda, Laksay Kan, Loka-man-aung Pagoda, Parabaw Pagoda, Lak-kauk-zay
Monastery, Palace, Museum of Mrauk U:
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