Mandalay is Burma's second largest city, after Yangon (Rangoon). It is a relatively young city, less than 150 years old, and was established by King Mindon in 1857 as the new royal capital and hub for the teaching of Buddhism in Burma. But after King Mindon's death in 1878, the British annexed Burma as a province of British India and the country ceased to be an independent nation, so Mandalay has the dubious distinction of being the last royal capital of Burma.

After the annexation of Burma, the British moved the capital of the country to Yangon (Rangoon). Notwithstanding this, Mandalay has not lost its position among the Burmese as a centre of Buddhism in the country. It is said that two-thirds of Burma's monks still make their home in the Mandalay area, and the city remains as the cultural heartland of Burma, with several ancient capitals located nearby and especially Amarapura, Inwa (Ava) and Sagaing - all reminders of the area's glorious past.