Bullocks pull carts through high water in Inwa. Pic: Zaw Winn

IT’S not hard to find ancient capitals around Mandalay – Sagaing, Amarapura, Shwebo – and reaching Inwa is no more difficult than the others. Travel agents can organise a taxi or car for the 40 minute drive from the downtown area to Myitnge jetty, where a ferry will take you to the ancient city on the opposite bank of the Myitnge River.

The city of Inwa, which was formerly known as Ava in the colonial era, is 17 kilometres (11 miles) south of Mandalay. The name itself means “mouth of the lake” and Inwa lies at the confluence of the Myitnge and Ayeyarwady Rivers – Kipling’s “Road to Mandalay”. Although it was once the capital of Myanmar kings and possessed a grand royal palace in its golden era, today it is fields of ruins encompassed within the old crumbling city walls.

Horse carts are still the only means of transport here for travellers who have left their vehicle at the jetty. For just K4000, a cart big enough for two people will ferry you around the sights of Inwa.

There is another option for those hesitant to take the ferry – continue past Myitnge along the winding potholed road until you reach Tada U village. While most drivers are hesitant because of the poor condition of the road, this route can be rewarding for the glimpse of village life it offers. Many people in Tada U earn their living making iron bowls used by the monks and passing through the village you can hear the sound of the iron bowls being beaten into shape.

In Inwa, the first thing you notice are the scenes of rural life. Who could believe there used to be a great palace here, where farmers now till the soil? Where has the majesty and royalty gone in just two centuries?

Small bamboo huts now dot the former royal city and people work their land in the same way millions of others do in upper Myanmar. Some weave bamboo sheets to make a partition wall in their hut, while others feed their cows or repair a broken fence.

The horse cart drivers generally follow the ruined city walls in a clockwise direction. If you are not accompanied by a tour guide, you can look around and listen to the rhythm of the horse’s feet on the ground – don’t bother too much with a guide book as you will miss the scenes around you, things you might only see once in your lifetime.

At the outer corner of the city wall, a large square-shaped brick building can be seen: Layhtatkyi Pagoda. Despite being damaged in the earthquake of 1839, the pagoda displays the fine stucco work from the Inwa period. It is the best example of the style still remaining and motifs such as celestial beings, crocodiles and lions can still be seen if you look closely at the building.

However, no one seems to know the story of the building. One girl I spoke to, who was feeding her cow on the grass in front of the building, claimed some of Layhtatkyi’s Buddha statues were removed and placed in a famous pagoda in Mandalay.

Next you should stop off at Yadanar Simee Pagoda. The building is today missing roof and walls – statues of the Buddha and his two close disciples, Sariputta and Moggalana, now reside in the open air. Like the rest of Inwa, for visitors they are a constant reminder of the Buddhist concept of anissa – non-permanence.

Further south of the Yadanar Simee Pagoda lies the 172-year-old Bagaya Monastery, built in 1836 during the reign of King Bagyidaw. The entire monastery is built from teak and 267 posts were required for the construction, the biggest of which is three metres in circumference.

The prayer hall in front of the Buddha image is now used as a classroom and here the novices, nuns and children from neighbouring villages participate in lessons taught by the monks.

Entering the towering city walls, it’s not hard to imagine soldiers manning the ramparts 200 years ago, constantly on the lookout for signs of danger – both external and internal. Rising from the fields in the middle of where the city once stood is the brick watchtower, nannmyint in Myanmar. Today it is occupied not by guards but children playing amongst the ruins. Although only 27 metres high, the tower affords good views over the flat terrain and would have been perfect for archers to pick off targets if under attack.

It now leans precariously because of an earthquake but still offers great views of the surrounding area, particularly the two lakes where the prince and princess used to bathe and, in the distance, the Inwa Bridge over the mighty Ayeyarwady River.

The last thing to see in the city is a large stone monastery, Maha Aungmye Bonzan. It is more commonly referred to as Me Nu Oak Kyaung by the locals, as it was built by Queen Me Nu, the notorious wife of King Bagyidaw.

Inwa was the capital of Myanmar for nearly 500 years – from 1364-1840 – except for a few short intervals. The city was founded by King Thadominbya (1364-1368). Prior to this, Sagaing had been capital but after it fell to the Shan, the court moved across the river to Inwa. The kings of Inwa set about restoring Burmese supremacy, which had disintegrated after the fall of Bagan. With the passage of time, the city has been home to many kings before King Tharyarwady in 1840 moved the capital to Amarapura, south of Mandalay.
After the British conquered Lower Myanmar in the second Anglo-Burmese War, upper Myanmar was commonly called the Kingdom of Ava.

Walking inside the city walls, where fields now stretch as far as you can see, it’s easy to imagine how large and grand Inwa was in its golden days and to think: This is the place where kings ruled for nearly five centuries. This is the place where the Burmese and the Mon fought for 40 years to gain control of upper Myanmar. This is the place where foreign diplomats would pay their respects to the king.

But now, gone are the days of its glory.