Mandalay Hill

Mandalay Hill, originally uploaded by wufgaeng against censorship.

The dominant natural feature of Mandalay is its 790 ft (240 m) Mandalay Hill which towers above the city and the flat plain below. Virtually all visitors and pilgrims to Mandalay either climb the 1,729 steps of the covered southern stairway with its magnificent guardian chinthe (half-lion, half-dragon) at the entry, use stairways on the other sides or use easier means and take the escalator, cars or buses to the top. From its top, and from several way-stations along the ascent, one has a magnificent panorama of the city, the old Royal Palace and Fortress, as well as the Ayeyarwady river and the distant Shan Hills.

Uploaded by wufgaeng against censorship on 28 May 06, 7.56AM PDT.