Yangon Journal 4, July 2014 - King Singu's Bell

This bell was commissioned by King Singu in 1778. It's an alloy of gold, silver, copper, iron & lead. It is 7 ft and 8 inches long and weighs 24 tons.


The Brits, who occupied Myanmar in 1885, tried to ship this bell to England, but failed miserably. The boat they used sank to the bottom of the river because of the bell's enormous weight. They made several attempts to salvage the bell, none of which succeeded.

The locals knew better. They did the salvage operations during the low tide, using bamboo rafts. The Brits eventually decided to keep the bell in Myanmar.

It is a practice amongst the Burmese to ring a bell after meditation. They feel blessed after the ritual and by ringing a bell, they hope to spread the blessing.

Read about local food in Myanmar in my Yangon Journal 5.

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