Thayettaw Monastery
Buddhist monastic complex in Yangon, Myanmar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thayettaw (Burmese: သရက်တောကျောင်းတိုက်, also spelt Thayettaw Kyaungtaik[1]) is a complex of over 60 Buddhist monasteries (kyaung) in Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Rangoon, Burma), located in Lanmadaw Township's 9th ward, immediately north of Yangon Chinatown.[2][3] The monastery occupies a sprawling plot that is bounded by Bogyoke Aung San Road to the north, Anawrahta Road to the south, Phongyi Street to the west, and Myoma School Street to the west.
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 Interactive map of Thayettaw Monastery | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Thayettaw Kyaungtaik |
| Denomination | Buddhism (Theravada) |
| Established | Konbaung dynasty (founded by Dagon mayor U Shangalay and royal messenger Maung Tu) |
| People | |
| Founders | U Shangalay and Maung Tu |
| Site | |
| Location | 9th Ward, Lanmadaw Township, Yangon, Myanmar |
| Country | Myanmar |
The complex faces Yangon General Hospital and University of Medicine 1, Yangon, the former of which is the largest public hospital in the country.[3] Owing to its proximity to these medical facilities, Thayettaw monasteries also provide de facto social safety net services (housing, meals, etc.) for impoverished patients seeking treatment in the city.[3] The patients generally come from other parts of Lower Myanmar, namely Ayeyarwady Region, Bago Region, Mon State, and Kayin State.[3]
History
The Thayettaw monastic complex was established on a mango grove on the outskirts of pre-colonial Rangoon, hence the name thayet taw (lit. 'mango grove').[4] Stone inscriptions indicate that the complex was founded during the Konbaung dynasty by Dagon mayor U Shangalay and royal messenger and port-officer Maung Tu, who built and donated a monastery to Sayadaw U Mani of Inwa, during the reign of King Tharrawaddy Min.[5] On 11 March 1854, Queen Victoria issued a royal decree that conferred the complex religious freehold title.[5]
As colonial authorities demolished the pre-colonial town of Dagon in favor of a city grid, authorities evicted many monasteries scattered throughout the town, especially around Sule Pagoda;[6] consequently, under the orders of Arthur Phayre, Thayettaw became the site of all the town's displaced Buddhist monasteries.[4] By 1900, Thayettaw housed more than 50 monasteries and zayat (rest houses).[4]