Mingun Bell
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The Mingun Bell is a bell located in Mingun, Sagaing division, Myanmar. It is located in some 11 km (7 miles) north of Mandalay on the western bank of the Ayeyarwady river. The casting of the bell started in 1808 and finished in 1810. King Bodawpaya (1745-1819) had this gigantic bell cast to go with his huge stupa, Mingun Pahtodawgyi. The Mingun Bell weighs 90 tons, and is today the largest ringing bell in the world.[1] The weight of the bell in Myanmar measurement, is 55,555 viss or peiktha (1 viss = 1.63 kg), handed down as a mnemonic "Min Hpyu Hman Hman Pyaw", with the consonants representing the number 5 in Burmese astronomy and numerology. [2][3] The bell is uncracked and in good ringing condition. The weight of the bell and its mnemonic words are written on the surface of the bell in white.
The outer diameter of the rim of the bell is 16 feet and 3 inches. The height of the Bell is 12 feet on the exterior and 11.5 feet in the interior. The outside circumference at the rim is 50.75 feet. The Bell is 6 inches to 12 inches thick and stands 20.7 feet high from the rim to the top. [4]
