Peshawar Relics

Mandalay

LoginSave

Three tiny shards of bone, believed to be Buddha relics, were discovered in 1908 by British archaeologists at the site of a once-great ancient stupa at Peshawar (in today's Pakistan). For years they were displayed on Mandalay Hill, but after thefts of associated gemstones alerted authorities to their vulnerability, the relics were moved to a dusty little museum room in the U-Khanti Monastery at the base of the hill. It's best appreciated with a knowledgeable guide.

The bones are normally only displayed on full-moon days, but if you're polite, a monk will bring them out and place them in a hexagonal light stand. You'll be offered a magnifying glass to examine the crystal Andrew editor Myanmar 2019 within which the bones are almost invisibly housed.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • View over the moat of Mandalay Palace to Mandalay Hill with its many temples; Shutterstock ID 241383850; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI 241383850

    Mandalay Hill

    0.69 MILES

    To get a sense of Mandalay’s pancake-flat sprawl, climb the 760ft hill that breaks it. The walk up covered stairways on the hill's southern slope is a…

  • The golden buddha of Mahamuni Paya.

    Mahamuni Paya

    4.1 MILES

    Every day, thousands of colourfully dressed faithful venerate Mahamuni's 13ft-tall seated buddha, a nationally celebrated image that’s popularly believed…

  • Flowers and a lake in National Kandawgyi Botanical gardens in Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar.

    National Kandawgyi Gardens

    23.64 MILES

    Founded in 1915 and carved out by Turkish prisoners captured by the British during WWI, this lovingly maintained 435-acre botanical garden features more…

  • Mya Kyauk Kyaung at Yankin Hill, Mandalay.

    Yankin Hill

    4.51 MILES

    Staring distantly towards Mandalay Palace, temple-topped Yankin Hill is worth climbing for views of greater Mandalay's rice-field setting and of the Shan…

  • Footbridge Ubein Teakwood. Connects Amarapura To A Pagoda On The Other Side Of The Lake. Myanmar. (Photo by: EyeOn/UIG via Getty Images)

    U-Bein Bridge

    8.5 MILES

    The world’s longest teak footbridge gently curves 1300yd across shallow Taungthaman Lake, creating one of Myanmar’s most photographed sites. In dry season…

  • the Bagaya Kyaung monastery, entirely built in teak, characterized by wooden beams and panels inlaid and decorated with figures of gods and myths, Bagan, Myanmar; Shutterstock ID 1119025109; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI 1119025109

    Bagaya Kyaung

    13.94 MILES

    This lovely 1834 teak monastery is Inwa’s most memorable individual attraction. It's supported on 267 teak posts, the largest 60ft high and 9ft in…

  • The Shwe In Bin Monastery, the old teakwood sculpture temple in Mandalay, Myanmar.

    Shwe In Bin Kyaung

    3.67 MILES

    A meditative departure from the usual Burmese 'douse-it-all-in-gold-and-pastels' aesthetic, this gorgeously carved teak monastery is beloved by tourists…

  • Soon U Pon Nya Shin Paya

    Soon U Pon Nya Shin Paya

    10.13 MILES

    This ‘early offering shrine’ is the most important of the temples on Sagaing Hill’s southern crown and the first you’ll come to on climbing the One Lion…

View more attractions

Nearby Mandalay attractions

2. Kyauktawgyi Paya

0.27 MILES

At the heart of this large 19th-century complex is a 900-tonne buddha, 26ft tall and dressed in royal attire. Carved from a single block of marble, it…

3. Standing Buddha

0.36 MILES

This Buddha statue on Mandalay Hill points towards the royal palace.

6. Fort

0.44 MILES

Located on Mandalay Hill, these are the windowless ruins of a three-storey stone fortress retaken from the Japanese by Britain’s Royal Berkshire Regiment…

7. Sandamuni Paya

0.48 MILES

At this shrine, you'll find 1774 ensconced marble slabs inscribed with commentaries on the Tripitika (Buddhist scriptures). Along with the stone slabs at…

8. San Dha Mukhi Statue

0.58 MILES

This small statue depicts the ogress San Dha Mukhi offering up a severed breast to the Buddha. According to legend, her feat of self-mutilation impressed…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "myanmar-burma/mandalay/attractions/peshawar-relics/a/poi-sig/1401197/357092",
  "destination": "Mandalay",
  "continent": "Asia",
  "country": "Myanmar-(Burma)",
  "city": "Mandalay",
  "position": "superzone"
}