Monywa

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Monywa (Burmese: မုံရ္ဝ္ဟာမ္ရုိ့; MLCTS: mum hrwa mrui.) is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 136 km northwest of Mandalay on the eastern bank of the River Chindwin. It is served by the Mandalay-Budalin branch railway line, but is best reached by bus as the road from Mandalay is in reasonably good shape.

Monywa is a major centre for trade and commerce and for agricultural produce from the surrounding Chindwin Valley, especially beans, orange, pulses and jaggery (palm sugar). In addition, the local industry includes mills for the production of cotton, flour, noodles, and edible oils. Sausages from Alon called wet udaunk are quite popular, and Budalin longyi (sarong) is known for the strength of the fabric and its checked patterns. Monywa's rough cotton blankets are famous throughout Myanmar, and some can even be found sewn up into knapsacks sold to unsuspecting tourists in Bangkok. Other regional crafts include bamboo and reed products, bullock carts and agricultural implements. The village of Kyaukka is well known for its lacquerware utensils for everyday use.

Black market goods from India, especially saris and bicycle parts, pass through Monywa on their way to other parts of Myanmar.

The Burmese Communist Party (BCP) was centred in the Monywa area (west of the Chindwin River) for many years. Although the BCP is no longer active, the Myanmar military presence in Monywa remains heavy.

The major tourist attraction in Monywa (although very few tourists make it there, and facilities are very limited) is Mohnyin Thambuddhei Paya, a Buddhist temple with a huge stupa resembling Indonesia's Borobudur. It dates from 1303, although it was reconstructed in 1939. It is said to contain over 500,000 images of Buddha.

The city is home to the Monywa Education College, Monywa Institute of Economics and Monywa University.