Kyaukse

Kyaukse (Burmese: ကျောက်ဆည် မြို့, pronounced [tɕaʊʔ sʰɛ̀ mjo̰]) is a town and the capital of Kyaukse District in Mandalay Region, Myanmar. Lying on the Zawgyi River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Mandalay, it is served by the Mandalay-Yangon (Rangoon) railway. The first Myanmar probably settled in the area about 800, and local 12th- and 13th-century inscriptions refer to Kyaukse as “the first home”. Remains of pagodas and old cities are found throughout the area. The Shwethalyaung Pagoda, built by King Anawrahta (1044–77), is located in Kyaukse.

Kyaukse is famous for the Kyaukse elephant dance festival, and for being the home town of former dictator Senior General Than Shwe. The town's industrial zone is one of more than 30 across the country.

The surrounding area consists of a level strip running south from Mandalay along the foothills of the Shan Plateau. The area is located in the heart of Myanmar’s dry zone but is drained by the Panlaung and Zawgyi rivers, which were used for an ancient irrigation-canal system that predates Myanmar settlement in the area.

Kyaukse has been an important area in Myanmar history. It is well irrigated and lush, and has been ever since the Pagan era when it was known as the granary of the kingdom.

King Anawrahta built numerous fortresses along his kingdom's borders, as well as along the rivers flowing within his lands. Tamote was one of nine fortresses along the rivers of Kyaukse region, erected because he needed protection against invasion by water.

The origin of the name "Kyaukse" remains a subject of scholarly debate. During the Pagan dynasty, the Kyaukse Plains were known as "Letwin Satit Khayaing" (လယ်တွင်း ဆယ့်တစ်ခရိုင်; lit. "the Elevn Agricultural Districts"). According to historical records, the name "Kyaukse" (lit. "stone dam") is believed to derive from the stone-reinforced embankments constructed along the Zawgyi River to control flooding and enhance irrigation. An alternative theory suggests that the name originated from one of King Narapati Sithu's (r. 1174–1211) royal irrigation projects—the "Min Ye Dam" (မင်းရဲဆည်), also known as "Kyaukse Taw" (ကျောက်ဆည်တော်, meaning "royal stone dam").

The Eleven Agricultural Districts have held the elephant dance festival since the reign of King Anawrahta, to honor his royal elephants. The origin of the festival dates back to when King Anawrahta of Pagan obtained several Buddhist relics during a trip to China. Upon his return to Pagan, he decided to build a pagoda to house the precious relics. He strapped a replica of the Buddha's teeth to the back of his white elephant, Sinma Yintha, and instructed the elephant to choose a suitable spot for the new pagoda. When the elephant stopped between two hills, named Thalyaung and Pyetkhaywe, the monarch ordered the construction of pagodas on each summit and enshrined the relic at the Shwethalyaung Pagoda. To honor the royal elephants, a festival is held every year at the foot of Shwethalyaung Hill.

During the Konbaung dynasty (1752–1885), the Nine Districts of Kyaukse (ကိုးခရိုင် ကျောက်ဆည်) served as a key administrative and agricultural hub. The Kyaukse wun (ကျောက်ဆည်ဝန်, lit. "royal governor") office was established from the reign of King Bodawpaya (r. 1782–1819) onward, with historical records documenting several notable governors.