Chaung-U: History
Chaung-U was a village in the early age of the Bagan Dynasties before King Anawrahta. The village was crowded, so King Taung Thu Kyi transferred there from Poppa when he was a farmer before he became a king. When he became the King in Bagan, he founded the village as an ideal village surrounded by ten villages, and he called it Than Tauk in ME 187 (825 CE). The village was named Than Tauk (San Tauk) because holes flared up when some holes were dug to traditionally bury the abracadabra copper sheets in the ground and to make the village fence. Then, King Kyansit founded the city with ten villages including San Tauk and named it Chaung-U. He called it so because some waves of the Nwe Chway stream were ahead of him there, although he tried to jump across it. When he was a prince, he had always been there and he stayed for a while. After that, the prince Kya Swar and his mother stayed and prayed in Saman Daja (Thaman Daza) Pagoda in Chaung-U to become a king. When he became the King, he offered to gild the pagoda. There is still an inscription on flat stone for his gilding and offering to the pagoda and donating to the monastery.
Chaung-U is home to numerous historical pagodas and monasteries. It has over 200 pagodas and 60 monasteries. Among them, the most distinctive pagoda is Yadana Shwe Gukyi Pagoda built in the downtown in ME 288 (926 CE). It was built by King Ah'laung Sithu and that King Popa Saw Raham built it. Throughout all dynasties in Myanmar, Chaung-U has been a town but it was sometimes a village. When King Sin Phyu Shin governed in Innwa and the country, Ramma Siri Kyaw Htin, the Librarian of Pitakkat and headman of ten villages of Chaung-U, was a famous doctor of literature. Moreover, Min Latwah who served King Mindom was also a famous headman of ten villages of Chaung-U and mayor of A Myint. In the age of the British Colony, Venerable Abbot Ven. D Pa of Maha Dhmmayone Pali University was honored as the Agga Maha Pantita by the British Government of Myanmar. Later abbots were also granted that certificate of honour by the National Governments. In ME 1365 (2004 CE), the centenary ceremony of the university was celebrated. Many famous poets, politicians and intellectuals have been born in Chaung-U. Now, it is a crowded town located on important highways.