Shwedagon PagodaThe Shwedagon Pagoda (, ʃwèdəɡòʊɰ̃ phəjá); ကျာ်ဒဂုၚ်; officially named Shwedagon Zedi Daw (ရွှေတိဂုံစေတီတော်, ʃwèdəɡòʊɰ̃ zèdìdɔ̀, Golden Dagon Pagoda) and also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda and the Golden Pagoda is a gilded stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar. The Shwedagon is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar, as it is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas of the present kalpa. These relics include the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa, and eight strands of hair from the head of Gautama.
NaypyidawNaypyidaw, officially romanized Nay Pyi Taw (; nèpjìdɔ̀ Royal Capital), is the capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's cities, as it is an entirely planned city outside of any state or region. The city, then known only as Pyinmana District, officially replaced Yangon as the administrative capital of Myanmar on 6 November 2005; its official name was revealed to the public on Armed Forces Day, 27 March 2006.
Toungoo dynastyThe Toungoo dynasty (တောင်ငူမင်းဆက်, tàʊɰ̃ŋù mɪ́ɰ̃ zɛʔ; also spelt Taungoo dynasty), and also known as the Restored Toungoo dynasty, was the ruling dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from the mid-16th century to 1752. Its early kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung succeeded in reunifying the territories of the Pagan Kingdom for the first time since 1287 and in incorporating the Shan States for the first time, in addition to including Manipur, Chinese Shan States, Siam and Lan Xang.
SittweSittwe (; sɪʔtwè mjo̰; formerly Akyab) is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe, pronounced sait-tway in the Rakhine language, is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2006 the city has 181,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of Sittwe Township and Sittwe District. The name Sittwe, which literally means "the place where the war meets," is derived from the Burmese pronunciation of စစ်တွေ (pronounced Saittwe in Arakanese language).
DaweiDawei (, dəwɛ̀; ဓဝဲါ, həwài; ทวาย, RTGS: Thawai, thā.wāːj; formerly known as Tavoy) is a city in south-eastern Myanmar and is the capital of the Tanintharyi Region, formerly known as the Tenasserim Division, on the northern bank of the Dawei River. The city is about southeast of Yangon. Its population (2014 estimate) is 146,964. Dawei is a port at the head of the Dawei River estuary, . from the Andaman Sea. As a result, the city is prone to flooding during the monsoon season.
KyaungA kyaung (, phóʊɰ̃dʑí tɕáʊɰ̃) is a monastery (vihara), comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Buddhist monks. Burmese kyaungs are sometimes also occupied by novice monks (samanera), lay attendants (kappiya), nuns (thilashin), and young acolytes observing the five precepts (ဖိုးသူတော် phothudaw). The kyaung has traditionally been the center of village life in Burma, serving as both the educational institution for children and a community center, especially for merit-making activities such as construction of buildings, offering of food to monks and celebration of Buddhist festivals, and observance of uposatha.
Nat (deity)The nats (နတ်; MLCTS: nat; naʔ) are god-like spirits venerated in Myanmar and neighbouring countries in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats who were designated that status by King Anawrahta when he formalized the official list of nats. Most of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths. There are two types of nats in Burmese Belief: nat sein (နတ်စိမ်း) which are humans that were deified after their deaths and all the other nats which are spirits of nature (spirits of water, trees etc.
TeakTeak (Tectona grandis) is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. Tectona grandis has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicles) at the end of the branches. These flowers contain both types of reproductive organs (perfect flowers). The large, papery leaves of teak trees are often hairy on the lower surface. Teak wood has a leather-like smell when it is freshly milled and is particularly valued for its durability and water resistance.
Kachin peopleThe Kachin peoples (Jingpo: Ga Hkyeng, "red soil"; , kətɕɪ̀ɰ̃ lù mjó), more precisely the Kachin Wunpong (Jingpo: Jinghpaw Wunpawng, "The Kachin Confederation") or simply Wunpong ("The Confederation"), are a confederation of ethnic groups who inhabit the Kachin Hills in Northern Myanmar's Kachin State and neighbouring Yunnan Province, China, as well as Arunachal Pradesh, Assam in Northeastern India. About one million Kachin peoples live in the region. The term Kachin people is often used interchangeably with the main subset, called the Jingpo people in China.
DvaravatiDvaravati (ทวารวดี ) was an ancient Mon kingdom from the 7th century to the 11th century that was located in the region now known as central Thailand. It was described by Chinese pilgrims in the middle of the 7th century as a Buddhist kingdom named To-lo-po-ti situated to the west of Isanapura (Cambodia) and to the east of Sri Ksetra (Burma). Dvaravati also refers to a culture, an art style, and a disparate conglomeration of principalities of Mon people.
