Mandalay

Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Myanmar (Burma). Located 445mi north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of 1,225,553 (2014 census).Mandalay is the economic centre of Upper Burma and considered the centre of Burmese culture. A continuing influx of Chinese immigrants, mostly from Yunnan, in the past twenty years, has reshaped the city's ethnic makeup and increased commerce with China. Despite Naypyidaw's recent rise, Mandalay remains Upper Burma's main commercial, educational and health center.EtymologyThe city gets its name from the nearby Mandalay Hill. The name is probably a derivative of a Pali word, although the exact word of origin remains unclear. The root word has been speculated to be mandala, referring to circular plains or Mandara, a mountain from Hindu mythology.When it was founded in 1857, the royal city was officially named Yadanabon, a loan of the Pali name Ratanapūra "City of Gems." It was also called Lay Kyun Aung Myei and Mandalay Palace.HistoryEarly historyLike most former capitals of Burma, Mandalay was founded on the wishes of the ruler of the day. On 13 February 1857, King Mindon founded a new royal capital at the foot of Mandalay Hill, ostensibly to fulfill a prophecy on the founding of a metropolis of Buddhism in that exact place on the occasion of the 2,400th jubilee of Buddhism.