Bago (formerly spelled Pegu; , ), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the
Bago Region
Bago Region (, ; formerly Pegu Division and Bago Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative region of Myanmar, located in the southern central part of the country. It is bordered by Magway Region and Mandalay Region to ...
in
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
. It is located north-east of
Yangon
Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
.
Etymology
The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the
Mon language
The Mon language, formerly known as Peguan and Talaing, is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon people. Mon, like the related Khmer language, but unlike most languages in mainland Southeast Asia, is not tonal. The Mon language is a recogn ...
place name Bagaw (, ). Until the Burmese government
renamed English place names throughout the country in 1989, Bago was known as Pegu. Bago was formerly known as Hanthawaddy (; ; ; lit. "she who possesses the
sheldrake"), the name of a Burmese-Mon kingdom.
An alternative etymology from the 1947 Burmese Encyclopedia derives Bago (ပဲခူး) from Wanpeku () as a shortening of Where the Hinthawan Ducks Graze (). This etymology relies on the non-phonetic Burmese spelling as its main reasoning.
History
Establishment
Various
Mon language
The Mon language, formerly known as Peguan and Talaing, is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon people. Mon, like the related Khmer language, but unlike most languages in mainland Southeast Asia, is not tonal. The Mon language is a recogn ...
chronicles report widely divergent foundation dates of Bago, ranging from 573 CE to 1152 CE
[A version of the 18th century chronicle '' Slapat Rajawan'' as reported by Arthur Phayre (Phayre 1873: 32) states that the settlement was founded in 1116 Buddhist Era (572/573 CE). But another version of the ''Slapat'', used by P.W. Schmidt (Schmidt 1906: 20, 101), states that it was founded on 1st waxing of Mak (Tabodwe) 1116 BE ( 19 January 573 CE), which it says is equivalent to year 514 of "the third era", without specifying what the era specifically was. However, per (Phayre 1873: 39), one of the "native records" used by Maj. Lloyd says that Pegu was founded in 514 Burmese (Myanmar) Era (1152/1153 CE). ]
If the year 514 is indeed the Burmese Era, then the ''Slapat's'' 1st waxing of Tabodwe 514 would be 27 December 1152, equivalent to 1st waxing of Tabodwe 1696 BE (not 1116 BE). while the ''
Zabu Kuncha'', an early 15th century Burmese administrative treatise, states that Pegu was founded in 1276/77 CE.
The earliest extant evidence of Pegu as a place dates only to the late
Pagan period (1212 and 1266)
[(Aung-Thwin 2005: 59) cites the inscription found at the Min-Nan-Thu village near ]Bagan
Bagan ( ; ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that w ...
, which as shown in (SMK Vol. 3 1983: 28–31) was donated by daughter of Theingathu, dated Thursday, 7th waxing of Nanka (Wagaung) 628 ME (8 July 1266), and lists Pegu as Pe-Ku. (Aung-Thwin 2017: 200, 332) updates by saying that the earliest extant inscriptions that mention Pegu date to 1212 and 1266 but does not provide the source of the 1212 inscription. It must be a recent discovery as none of the inscriptions listed in the ''Ancient Burmese Stone Inscriptions'' (SMK Vol. 1 1972: 93–102) for years 573 ME (1211/1212) or 574 ME (1212/1213) shows Pe-Ku or Pegu. when it was still a small town, not even a provincial capital. After the collapse of the Pagan Empire, Bago became part of the breakaway
Kingdom of Martaban by the 1290s.
The earliest possible external record of Bago dates to 1028 CE. The Thiruvalangadu plate describe
Rajendra Chola I
Rajendra I (26 July 971 – 1044), often referred to as Rajendra the Great, was a Chola Empire, Chola Emperor who reigned from 1014 to 1044. He was born in Thanjavur to Rajaraja I. His queen was Vanavan Mahadevi and he assumed royal power as ...
, the
Chola
The Chola Empire, which is often referred to as the Imperial Cholas, was a medieval thalassocratic empire based in southern India that was ruled by the Chola dynasty, and comprised overseas dominions, protectorates and spheres of influence ...
Emperor from South India, as having conquered "Kadaram" in the fourteenth year of his reign – 1028 CE. According to one interpretation, Kadaram refers to Bago.
More modern interpretations understand Kadaram to be
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman (دار الأمان; Arabic for 'The Safe Abode') and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of ...
in modern day Malaysia, instead of Bago.
A Chinese source mentions
Jayavarman VII
Jayavarman VII (), known posthumously as Mahaparamasaugata (, c. 1122–1218), was king of the Khmer Empire. He was the son of King Dharanindravarman II (r. 1150–1160) and Queen Sri Jayarajacudamani.
He was the first king devoted to Buddhism, ...
adding
Pegu
Bago (formerly spelled Pegu; , ), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the Bago Region in Myanmar. It is located north-east of Yangon.
Etymology
The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the Mon lang ...
to the territory of the
Khmer Empire
The Khmer Empire was an empire in Southeast Asia, centered on Hydraulic empire, hydraulic cities in what is now northern Cambodia. Known as Kambuja (; ) by its inhabitants, it grew out of the former civilization of Chenla and lasted from 802 t ...
in 1195.
Growth

The small settlement grew increasingly important in the 14th century as the region became most populous in the Mon-speaking kingdom. In 1369, King
Binnya U made Bago the capital. During the reign of King
Razadarit
Razadarit (, ; , or ; also spelled Yazadarit, "king of kings"; 1368–1421) was king of Kingdom of Hanthawaddy, Hanthawaddy Pegu from 1384 to 1421. He successfully unified his Mon language, Mon-speaking kingdom, and fended off major assaults ...
, Bago and the
Ava Kingdom
The Ava Kingdom (, ; INN-wa pyi) also known as Inwa Kingdom or Kingdom of Ava was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma (Myanmar) from 1365 to 1555. Founded in 1365, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms of Myinsa ...
were engaged in the
Forty Years' War
The Forty Years' War (; 1385 – 1423; also Ava–Pegu War or the Mon–Burmese War) was a military war fought between the Burmese-speaking Kingdom of Ava and the Mon-speaking Kingdom of Hanthawaddy. The war was fought during two separat ...
. The peaceful reign of Queen
Shin Sawbu
Shin Sawbu (, ; , ; 1394–1471) was queen regnant of Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Hanthawaddy from 1454 to 1471. Queen Shin Sawbu is also known as Binnya Thau (, ) or Old Queen in Mon. Queen Shin Sawbu and Queen Jamadevi of Haripunjaya are the two most ...
came to an end when she chose the
Buddhist monk Dhammazedi (1471–1492) to succeed her. Under Dhammazedi, Bago became a centre of commerce and
Theravada
''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
.
In 1519,
António Correia, then a merchant from the Portuguese ''casados'' settlement at
Cochin
Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...
, landed in Bago (known to the Portuguese as Pegu) looking for new markets for pepper from Cochin. A year later,
Portuguese India Governor Diogo Lopes de Sequeira sent an ambassador to Pegu.
Toungoo dynastic capital
The city remained the capital until the kingdom's fall in 1538. The ascendant
Toungoo dynasty
''taungnguumainn saat''
, conventional_long_name = Toungoo dynasty
, common_name = Taungoo dynasty
, status = Empire/Monarchy, Kingdom
, event_start = Independence from Kingdom of Ava, Ava Kingdom
, yea ...
under
Tabinshwehti made numerous raids that the much larger kingdom could not muster its resources against. While the kingdom would have a brief resurgence for 2 years in the 1550s, Tabinshwehti's successor
Bayinnaung
, title = King of Toungoo
, image = Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Taungoo, ...
would firmly come to control Bago in 1553.
In late 1553, Bago was proclaimed the new capital with commissioning of a new palace, the
Kanbawzathadi Palace and Bayinnaung's coronation itself in January 1554. Over the next decade, Bago gradually become the capital of more land and eventually the largest empire in Indochina. A 1565 rebellion by resettled Shans in Bago burnt down major swaths of the city and the palace complex and the Kanbawzathadi Palace was rebuilt. Bayinnaung, this time, added 20 gates to the city named after the vassal who built it

After the 1565 rebellion by resettled Shans in Pegu, he faced no new rebellions for the next two years (1565–1567). Because the rebellion burned down major swaths of the capital, including the entire palace complex, he had the capital and the palace rebuilt. The new capital had 20 gates, each named after the vassal who built it.
Each gate had a gilded two-tier ''
pyatthat'' and gilded wooden doors.
The newly rebuilt Kanbawzathadi Palace was officially opened on 16 March 1568, with every vassal ruler present. He even gave upgraded titles to four former kings living in Pegu:
Mobye Narapati of Ava,
Sithu Kyawhtin of Ava,
Mekuti of Lan Na, and
Maha Chakkraphat
Maha Chakkraphat (, ; lit.: 'The Great Emperor'; 1509 – 1569; Burmese: မဟာစက္ကဝတ္တိ၊ မဟာစကြဝတေး၊ မဟာစကြာမင်း) was king of the Ayutthaya kingdom from 1548 to 1564 and 1568 to 1 ...
of Siam.
As a major seaport, the city was frequently visited by Europeans, among these,
Gasparo Balbi and
Ralph Fitch
Ralph Fitch (1550 – 1611) was a gentleman, a merchant of London and one of the earliest British travellers and merchants to visit Mesopotamia, the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, South Asia, and Southeast Asia including the court of Mughal e ...
in the late 1500s. The Europeans often commented on its magnificence. Pegu also established maritime links with the
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
by 1545.
The Portuguese conquest of Pegu, following the destruction caused by the kings of Tangot and Arrakan in 1599, was described by Manuel de Abreu Mousinho in the account called "Brief narrative telling the conquest of Pegu in eastern India made by the Portuguese in the time of the viceroy Aires de Saldanha, being captain
Salvador Ribeiro de Sousa, called Massinga, born in Guimarães, elected as their king by the natives in the year 1600", published by Fernão Mendes Pinto in the 18th century. The 1599 destruction of the city and the crumbling authority of Bayinnaung's successor
Nanda Bayin
, image =
, caption =
, title = King of Toungoo
, reign = 10 October 1581 – 19 December 1599
, coronation = 15 October 1581
, succession =
, predecessor = Bayinnaung
, successor ...
saw the Toungoo dynasty flee their capital to
Ava.
The capital was looted by the viceroy of
Toungoo
Taungoo (, ''Tauñngu myoú''; ), also spelled Toungoo and formerly Toung-ngú, is a district-level city in the Bago Region of Myanmar, 220 km from Yangon, towards the north-eastern end of the division, with mountain ranges to the east an ...
,
Minye Thihathu II of Toungoo, and then burned by the viceroy of
Arakan
Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...
during the
Burmese–Siamese War (1594–1605).
Anaukpetlun
Anaukbaklun ( ; 21 January 1578 – 9 July 1628) was the sixth king of Taungoo Burma and was largely responsible for restoring the kingdom after it collapsed at the end of 16th century. In his 22-year reign from 1606 to 1628, Anaukpetlun comple ...
wanted to rebuild Hongsawadi and the glories of Bago, which had been deserted since Nanda Bayin had abandoned it. He was only able to build a temporary palace, however.
The Burmese capital's return to Bago was short lived as the royal capital was once again relocated to
Ava in 1634 by the next king
Thalun
Thalun (, ; 17 June 1584 – 27 August 1648) was the eighth king of Toungoo dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). During his 19-year reign, Thalun successfully rebuilt the war-torn country which had been under constant warfare for nearly a century since ...
to focus on the core of the smaller Burmese empire.
The fall of the Toungoo and Konbaung dynasty
In 1740, the Mon revolted and founded the
Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom
The Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom (), also known as the Neo-Ramanic State () was the kingdom that ruled Lower Burma and parts of Upper Burma from 1740 to 1757. The kingdom grew out of a rebellion by the Mon led population of Pegu, who then ra ...
. However, a
Bamar
The Bamar people (Burmese language, Burmese: ဗမာလူမျိုး, ''ba. ma lu myui:'' ) (formerly known as Burmese people or Burmans) are a Sino-Tibetan-speaking ethnic group native to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). With an esti ...
king,
Alaungpaya
Alaungpaya (, ; also spelled Alaunghpaya or Alaung-Phra; 11 May 1760) was the founder and first emperor of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma. By the time of his death from illness during his Burmese–Siamese War (1759–60), campaign in Siam, this ...
, captured the city in May 1757.
Bago was rebuilt by King
Bodawpaya (r. 1782–1819), but by then the river had shifted course, cutting the city off from the sea. It never regained its previous importance. After the
Second Anglo-Burmese War, the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, the province of
British Burma
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
was formed, and the capital moved to
Yangon
Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
. The substantial differences between the colloquial and literary pronunciations, as with Burmese words, was a reason of the British corruption "Pegu".
In 1911, Hanthawaddy was described as a district in the
Bago (or ''Pegu'') division of
Lower Burma
Lower Myanmar (, also called Lower Burma) is a geographic region of Myanmar and includes the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta ( Ayeyarwady, Bago and Yangon Regions), as well as coastal regions of the country ( Rakhine and Mon States and Tanintharyi ...
. It lay in the home district of
Yangon
Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
, from which the town was detached to make a separate district in 1880. It had an area of , with a population of 48,411 in 1901, showing an increase of 22% in the past decade. Hanthawaddy and
Hinthada
Hinthada (; formerly Henzada) is a town located on the Irrawaddy River in Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Hinthada Township and Hinthada District. The trade of locally grown rice and grain goes through the port of Hinthad ...
were the two most densely populated districts in the province.
Hanthawaddy, as it was constituted in 1911, consisted of a vast plain stretching up from the sea between the mouth of the
Irrawaddy River
The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...
and the
Pegu Range. Except the tract of land lying between the Pegu Range on the east and the
Yangon River, the country was intersected by numerous
tidal creek
A tidal creek or tidal channel is a narrow inlet or estuary that is affected by the ebb and flow of ocean tides. Thus, it has variable salinity and electrical conductivity over the tidal cycle, and flushes salts from inland soils. Tidal creeks a ...
s, many of which were navigable by large boats and some by steamers. The headquarters of the district was in Rangoon, which was also the sub-divisional headquarters. The second sub-division had its headquarters at
Insein, where there were large railway works. Cultivation was almost wholly confined to rice, but there were many vegetable and fruit gardens.
Bago was severely damaged during earthquakes in
May
May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.
May is a month of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, May in the Southern Hemisphere is the ...
and
December
December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days.
December's name derives from the Latin word ''decem'' (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in t ...
1930. The May earthquake killed at least 500 people and triggered a tsunami.
Modern history
Today, Hanthawaddy is one of the wards of Bago's city proper. The town of Bago is subdivided into 34 wards.
On 9 April 2021, during the
Myanmar protests, Bago became the site of the
Bago massacre, during which military forces killed at least 82 civilians following a protest crackdown.
Demographics
The
2014 Myanmar census reported that Bago had a population of 237,619, representing 48.35% of
Bago Township's total population.
As of 2019, the urban town has 179,505 people based on the
General Administration Department
The General Administration Department (, abbreviated GAD) is a civil service body that staffs all regional and state-level governments in Myanmar and provides administration for the country's myriad districts and townships.
It also plays a centra ...
's estimates. 88.73% of the Township is
Bamar
The Bamar people (Burmese language, Burmese: ဗမာလူမျိုး, ''ba. ma lu myui:'' ) (formerly known as Burmese people or Burmans) are a Sino-Tibetan-speaking ethnic group native to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). With an esti ...
with a significant
Karen, Mon,
Palaung and
Burmese Indian
Burmese Indians are a group of people of Indian origin who live in Myanmar (Burma). The term 'Burmese Indian' refers to a broad range of people from South Asia, most notably from present-day countries such as India and Bangladesh. While Indians ...
population.
Buddhists
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...
make up 94.2% of the city with
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
being the second most populous at 4.2%. There are 749 monasteries, 92 nunneries and 134 stupas of various sizes including the tallest pagoda in Myanmar, the
Shwemawdaw Pagoda. The city also has 9 churches, 6 mosques, 16 Hindu temples and 3 Chinese
Mahayana
Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...
temples.
Economy and transport
The main industries of Bago Township are agriculture and service sector employment. Bago city has an industrial zone with several factories, mostly in textiles and shoe-making. Smaller factories and workshops within the city also create food products, plastics, electric meters, motors, wood products, tea and
halwa. Bago also has a small, but thriving tourism industry with many tourists from nearby Yangon. The Bago Development Committee manages 11 markets around the city.
There are no airports within the township, and the city is served mostly by
Yangon International Airport
Yangon International Airport ( ) is the primary and busiest international airport of Myanmar. The airport is located in Mingaladon township, north of central Yangon. Many domestic Myanmar carriers and international airlines operate at Yangon ...
but the proposed
Hanthawaddy International Airport serving Yangon and Bago may be located within Bago Township.
There are two rail lines that pass through Bago,
Yangon–Mandalay Railway and
Yangon–Mawlamyine Railway. Bago also has several bus depots on its outskirts with intercity buses providing regular service. Bago is served by the
Yangon–Mandalay Expressway as well as the old highways going to Taungoo and Myeik. Bago has seven major bridges crossing the
Bago River
Bago River (; Pegu River) is a river of southern Myanmar. It flows through Bago and Yangon, joining the Yangon River south of downtown Yangon.Schellinger, Paul E. and Salkin, Robert M. (editors) (1996) "Bago (Myanmar)" ''International Diction ...
in and around the city.
Climate
Bago has a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''Am''), similar to most of coastal Myanmar, with a hot,
dry season
The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...
from mid-November to mid-April and a, hot, extremely humid, and exceedingly rainy
wet season
The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...
from May to October.
Places of interest
*
Shwethalyaung Buddha (
Reclining Buddha)
*
Shwemawdaw Pagoda
*
Kyaikpun Buddha
*
Kanbawzathadi Palace site and museum
*
Kalyani Ordination Hall
*
Mahazedi Pagoda
Mahazedi Pagoda () is a prominent Buddhist pagoda in Bago, Burma, Bago, Myanmar.
History
The pagoda was built by King Bayinnaung to house a gold and jewel-encrusted tooth relic of the Buddha. The tooth relic was a replica from Dharmapala of Kott ...
* Shwegugyi Pagoda
*
Shwegugale Pagoda
*
Bago Sittaung Canal
* Butterfly lake (Lake-pyar-kan)
* Mazin Dam
* Snake Monastery
* Bago Moat
Sports
Bago has a 400 meter football field and 1 public fitness center.
* Grand Royal Stadium
Healthcare
The most common illness within the Township is diarrhea. Between 2017 and 2018, Bago Township saw 617 cases of
HIV leading to 16 deaths.
* Bago General Hospital (500-bedded Public Hospital)
* Bago Traditional Medicine Hospital
*Aung Hospital
*Swal Taw Hospital
*Joe Thein Hospital
*Thamar Di Hospital
Education
Bago also has 9 high schools and a university. Bago's larger high schools have branches within the city. There are 28 monastic schools within the Township. Bago has a school attendance rate of 99.82% and 33% attendance rate for university. Overall, the literacy rate is 99.55%.
*
Bago University
* Basic Education High School No. 1 Bago
*
Basic Education High School No. 3 Bago
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania
{{Coord, 17, 20, N, 96, 29, E, type:city, display=title
Township capitals of Myanmar
Populated places in Bago Region
Capitals of Mon kingdoms