The Mingun Bell ( မင်းကွန်းခေါင်းလောင်းတော်ကြီး [mɪ́ɰ̃ɡʊ́ɰ̃ kʰáʊɰ̃láʊɰ̃ dɔ̀ dʑí] ) is a bell located in Mingun , Sagaing Region , Myanmar . It is located approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) north of Mandalay on the western bank of the Irrawaddy River . It was the heaviest functioning bell in the world at several times in history.
8-596: The weight of the bell is 55,555 viss (90,718 kilograms or 199,999 pounds). This number is conveniently remembered by many people in Myanmar as a mnemonic " Min Hpyu Hman Hman Pyaw " ( မင်းဖြူမှန်မှန်ပြော ), with the consonants representing the number 5 in Burmese astronomy and numerology. The weight of the bell and its mnemonic words are written on the surface of the bell in white. The outer diameter of
16-439: A clapper but is rung by striking the outer edge. Casting of the bell started in 1808 and was finished by 1810. King Bodawpaya (r. 1782–1819) had this gigantic bell cast to go with his huge stupa , Mingun Pahtodawgyi . The bell was said to have been cast on the opposite side of the river and was transported by using two boats, which after crossing the river, proceeded up two specially built canals. The canals were then dammed and
24-589: A photograph of the bell prior to its resuspension. At 90 tons, the Mingun Bell reigned as the largest ringing bell in the world until 2000, when it was eclipsed by the 116-ton Bell of Good Luck at the Foquan Temple , Pingdingshan , Henan , China . Burmese units of measurement#Mass The traditional Burmese units of measurement were a system of measurement used in Myanmar . Myanmar
32-724: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs used kilometres (with mile equivalents in parentheses) to describe the dimensions of the country. In October 2013, the Ministry of Commerce announced that Myanmar was preparing to adopt the International System of Units (SI) as the country's official system of measurement. Examples of metrication in Myanmar include weather forecasts by the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology being given with temperatures in Celsius . Petrol in Myanmar
40-534: The bell was lifted by raising the water level by the addition of earth into the blocked canal. In this way the bell was originally suspended. The Mingun Bell was knocked off its supports as a result of a large earthquake on 23 March 1839 . It was resuspended by the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company in March 1896 using screw jacks and levers using funds from public subscription. Felice Beato captured
48-570: The country was preparing to adopt the metric system. As of 2006 , Myanmar government web pages in English used imperial and metric units inconsistently. For instance, the Ministry of Construction used miles to describe the length of roads and square feet for the size of houses, but square kilometres for the total land area of new town developments in Yangon City. As of 2010 the Ministry of Agriculture used acres for land areas. As of 2009
56-440: The rim of the bell is 16 feet 3 inches (4.95 m). The height of the bell is 12.0 feet (3.66 m) on the exterior and 11.5 feet (3.51 m) in the interior. The outside circumference at the rim is 50.75 feet (15.469 m). The bell is 6 to 12 inches (15–30 cm) thick and stands 20.7 feet (6.31 m) high from the rim to the top. The bell is uncracked and in good ringing condition. The bell does not have
64-718: Was one of three countries that had not adopted the International System of Units (SI) metric system as their official system of weights and measures according to the 2010 CIA Factbook. However, in June 2011, U Kyaw Htoo from the Myanmar government 's Ministry of Commerce began discussing proposals to reform the measurement system in Burma and adopt the kilogram for domestic trade, reasoning that this would simplify foreign trade which it conducts exclusively in metric; and in October 2013, Pwint San, Deputy Minister for Commerce, announced that
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