Just inside the palace’s western walls is the Department of Archaeology’s insufficiently illuminated but worthwhile museum. Inside you'll find an interesting selection of buddha images, inscribed stone slabs, cannons, floor tiles, Wethali-era coins and a helpful model of the Mrauk U site. Old photos on the walls include a pre-restoration shot of the crack in Ratanabon. Items are signed in English, though foreign scholars note that the dates on some pieces should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.47 MILES
Shittaung means ‘Shrine of the 80,000 Images’, a reference to the number of holy images inside. King Minbin, the most powerful of Rakhine’s kings, built…
1.32 MILES
One of Mrauk U’s star attractions, Kothaung Paya is also the area's largest temple. It was built in 1553 by King Minbin’s son, King Mintaikkha, to outdo…
0.75 MILES
The highlight of this squat, little-visited temple is its passageway with bas-relief illustrations of the tribumi (Buddhist visions of heaven, earth and…
0.43 MILES
Built by King Minphalaung in 1571, Dukkanthein Paya smacks of a bunker (with stupas). Wide stone steps lead up the southern and eastern side of the…
21.01 MILES
Twenty miles north of Wethali, just beyond the former ancient capital of Dhanyawady, is Mahamuni Paya, the alleged first home of the buddha image now…
Sanda Muhni Phara Gri Kyaung Taik
0.69 MILES
The highlight at this hilltop monastery, and the temple's namesake, is the Sanda Muhni, a buddha statue said to have been cast from the precious metal…
5.89 MILES
About 7 miles north of Mrauk U are the barely discernible remains of the kingdom of Wethali. It was founded in AD 327 by King Mahataing Chandra, according…
0.49 MILES
Andaw Thein takes the form of an eight-sided monument with a linear layout: rectangular prayer hall to the east, multispired sanctuary to the west…
Nearby Rakhine State attractions
0.19 MILES
Mrauk U's bustling market sits in the centre of town and has all the usual piles of produce, dried fish, clothes and household goods.
0.22 MILES
Built around 1750, this small white temple with fine westward views is on a hilltop just north of the palace walls. It’s a good place to get your bearings…
0.43 MILES
Built by King Minphalaung in 1571, Dukkanthein Paya smacks of a bunker (with stupas). Wide stone steps lead up the southern and eastern side of the…
0.47 MILES
Shittaung means ‘Shrine of the 80,000 Images’, a reference to the number of holy images inside. King Minbin, the most powerful of Rakhine’s kings, built…
0.49 MILES
Andaw Thein takes the form of an eight-sided monument with a linear layout: rectangular prayer hall to the east, multispired sanctuary to the west…
0.51 MILES
This poorly restored temple looks a bit like a squashed-up version of the nearby Dukkanthein, but was actually built 140 years earlier, making it the…
0.52 MILES
There are good views westward from this temple looking over Shwegudaung hill.