Myanmar (Burma) — Mandalay Grand Royal Palace, Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)
An afternoon exploring Mandalay
March 2015
One afternoon, I visited the Mandalay Grand Royal Palace, about 15 to 20 minutes north of my hotel.
On the map, it looked like there were four entrances to the palace; but only the east entrance was for tourists (foreigners).
I paid 10,000 kyats (US$10; £6.50) for a Mandalay Archaeological Zone Ticket to enter the Grand Royal Palace. The ticket also gave me access to several other sites around the city. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a map or a list of the other sites.
The QR codes on the back of the ticket were a little odd. I scanned them, hoping they might take me to a website or something that provided information about the sites covered by the ticket. What they gave was gibberish.
A moat surrounds the four sides of the palace, hence the north, south, east and west entrances. Standing on the bridge crossing the moat also gives a good view of Mandalay Hill, which I climbed later in the day.
The east entrance to the palace.
Access to the grounds inside the palace, which seems to be an army camp, was limited.
The east entrance to Mandalay Grand Royal Palace.
Even the architecture of the main gate was worth a look.
The road from the gate towards the main palace complex was long and straight. And, according to the sign at the entrance, I was not allowed to leave the road or take photos to the left or right.
I couldn’t decide if the palace was still a functioning army base or if civilians now lived in some buildings. It all seemed a bit odd.
The Grand Royal Palace.
Around the outside of the main palace perimeter, on the north side, were what I can only describe as a series of memorial gardens.
One memorial garden had a plane.
Rather sadly, everything around the palace felt abandoned and run down.
Although it was the height of the dry season in Myanmar, some of the trees in the palace grounds were spectacular.
An advantage to walking around the palace’s perimeter was that I got to see it from many angles, and it was stunning, albeit a little run down.
As with many places in Myanmar, small food stalls were dotted around.
And people were relaxing or waiting for a customer for their taxi.
And the weirdest thing I saw was an abandoned crazy golf course among the trees. Why was it built? And why was it now abandoned?
No one else seemed to do the walk around the perimeter. And I didn’t know whether I should be worried about this or not, particularly after the earlier sign near the entrance.
The palace was stunning.
The Watch Tower at the palace was worth climbing as it gave a good view of the palace layout.
Finally, it was time to enter the main palace complex.
The view from the palace back down to the entrance.
One noticeable thing was that the palace was designed to intimidate visitors with the long approach and the architecture. This process of intimidation continued inside the complex, with some very long corridors, views, and impressive rooms.
Lots of ‘long-views’ in the place.
The main throne room was very grand.
And a nearby drawing of the palace made me appreciate the size of the complex.
The throne room was positioned at the front of the palace, looking down the long drive.
There were waiting areas in the wings to the left and right of the throne room. These rooms would have been used by people waiting for an audience.
Climbing the Watch Tower was worth the effort as it gave a great view of the palace complex. Be warned, though, that the tower was a bit rickety.
Wandering around the palace complex was very interesting, and I wondered about the different buildings’ functions. Who, for example, lived in this building, and what did they do?
And this was all a bit odd.
While exploring the palace, I came across a film set. Nothing too much, one camera, a few technicians and a director. They were filming something in the grounds of the palace.
And I took a photograph of the people filming.
And was told that it was not allowed. Why not?
So, here are the photos.
And it wasn’t just me photographing the people filming.
Why can’t you photograph a film shoot?
On with the tour.
By now, I was heading back towards the throne room, and I became aware again of some long views in the palace.
And this is the door that leads to the main throne at the front of the palace.
And back to the front of the palace. And time to leave.
On my way back down the drive, I came across a small shrine and decided to have a look.
Finally, I was back outside the palace complex.
And back on the main streets.
The palace was spectacular.
However, a lot of it was rebuilt after it was destroyed in the second world war. It was sad that a lot of money had been spent on rebuilding and reconstructing the site, and now it was being allowed to fall into disrepair. OK, so it may not be original, but judging by the old plans and photos on display, it was a faithful reconstruction that highlighted how splendid it must have been when it was a royal residence.
