The Ancient City of Inwa – Bagaya Monastery

The ancient city of Inwa is in the south of Mandalay. That is where the famous tourist attraction, the Bagaya Monastery, is located. During the warring states period in the mid-14th century, the Kingdom of Ava occupied the territories of Myinsaing and Pinya Kingdoms, and Sagaing Kingdom and established the capital city in Inwa where palaces and temples were built. With the development of Inwa city, the construction of the Bagaya Monastery was completed in 1593. The monastery is renowned for its detailed architectural structure, exquisite teak wood carvings and wall carvings of animals and birds. However, the Bagaya Monastery was damaged in the fire in 1821. In 1992, the government started reconstructing the monastery with reference to the original structure and form. In addition to teak, bricks were used as the building materials during the reconstruction.