Pakokku

Pakokku ပခုက္ကူမြို့
City
Myanmatranscription(s)
•Burmese	pa.hkukku mrui.
Pakokku Location in Myanmar
Coordinates:21°20′N95°54′E
Country	Myanmar
Region	Magway Region
District	Pakokku District
Township	Pakokku Township
Population (2014)
• City	322,154
•Urban	107,557
•Metro	214,597
Time zone	UTC+6.30(MST)

Pakokku(Burmese:ပခုက္ကူမြို့,[pəkʰoʊʔkù]) is the largest city in theMagway RegionofMyanmar.It is situated about 30 km northeast ofBaganon theIrrawaddy River.It is the administration seat ofPakokku Township,Pakokku DistrictandGangaw District.Pakokku Bridgeis part of theIndia–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highwayand is the longest bridge in Myanmar. It is home of thePakokku Airport.

The city is the location ofComputer University, Pakokku,Pakokku Education College,Technological University, Pakokku,andPakokku University.Thiho Shin Pagoda (The Lord ofSri LankaPagoda), Shwe Ku Pagoda, Shwe Mothtaw Pagoda, Shwe Tant Tit, and Phaung Taw Oo Pagoda are famous pagodas in Pakokku. Pakokku is also the largest rice market city ofUpper Myanmar.

Name origin

According to legend, the name Pakokku originated during the reign of KingAlaungsithuof Pagan. While traveling along theIrrawaddy Riverbyroyal barge,King Alaungsithu arrived at Pauk Inn Village. There, Me Sein Nyo, one of his concubines (some versions of the story describe her as a minor queen consort), saw a handsome fisherman and laughed loudly to get his attention. King Alaungsithu noticed this interaction and, in his anger, ordered her execution.

After her death, it was discovered that Me Sein Nyo was pregnant. The executioners separated the unborn child from her body and built a tomb and a small pagoda. The place where this occurred was initially called Tharhtokegu, which means "Child Out Cave". Over many centuries, the name evolved into Pakokku.

History

Before British occupation, Pakokku was a small village and part of both Pakhangyi and Bagan districts. The British occupiedUpper Burmaon 29 November 1885. On 1 December 1887, British India Government established Pakokku Municipal. On 21 December 1887, British India government ordered Pakokku as a town of Pakhangyi District with the population of 1,985. By the order degree (201) of British Government, Pakhangyi District was abolished andPakokku Districtwas established on 21 July 1888. In 1901,the population of Pakokku was 19,456. During 13 years, Pakokku's population and developments were increased rapidly.

In 1896, Pakokku became a capital city of Pakokku Hill Tracts Districts. The area under its administration includedPakokku District,Chin StateoutsidePaletwatownship,Gangaw District,Naga Self-Administered Zone,Nagaland,Mizoram,Tripura,ManipurandMeghalayaoutsideShillongtownship.

In the early months of 1930, political speeches for Burma's colonial separation from British India were held in Shwegu Pagoda. U Lwin was appointed a new mayor of Pakokku on 7 November 1930. Pakokku Municipal election was held on 10 December 1930. In the early morning of 22 March 1931, heavy fire burned in Pakokku and more than 3,000 people were homeless, so Pakokku Fire Brigade was established on 7 April 1931.

When Burma won independence in 1948, Pakokku Hill Tracts Districts was divided into two sections.Pakokku District,Gangaw District,Naga Self-Administered ZoneandChin Statebecame parts of Burma andNagaland,Mizoram,Tripura,ManipurandMeghalayabecame a parts ofIndia.

By the 1947 Constitution of the Union of Burma, Pakokku Province was established with two districts in 1948. They arePakokku Districtand Kanpetlet District with 11 townships. Townships are Pakokku,Kanpetlet,Yesagyo,Pauk,Seikphyu,Myaing,Gangaw,Htilin,Saw,MindatandMatupi.Pakokku was occupied by Communist rebels in 1949 and held until 1955, when it was liberated by government forces. In 1958,the name of Kanpetlet District was changed intoMindat Districtand Kanpetlet District's Capital was moved toMindatfromKanpetlet.Province's Capital city was Pakokku.

On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état, and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military. A new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted in 1974.

By the 1974 Constitution, Pakokku Province was abolished andPakokku Districtwas added to theMagway DivisionandMindat Districtwas added to theChin State.On 4 April 1998,Pakokku Districtwas divided into two districts. Pakokku,Pauk,Yesagyo,MyaingandSeikphyubecamePakokku DistrictandGangaw,SawandHtilinbecameGangaw District.

Pakokku Bridgeconstruction was started on 15 December 2009 and ended on 31 December 2011. It was opened on 1 January 2012, and is the longest bridge inMyanmar.

Notable Places

• Thihoshin Pagoda

Climate

Located in the powerfulrain shadowof theArakan Mountains,Pakokku has ahot semi-arid climate(KöppenBSh), receiving only about two-fifteenths as much rain asSittweat the same latitude on theBay of Bengalcoast. Unlike most monsoonal semi-arid climates, the rainy season is relatively long at around five to six months, while variability and extreme monthly and daily rainfalls are much lower than usual with this type of climate.

Climate data for Pakokku (1981-2010)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	29.1 (84.4)	32.3 (90.1)	36.4 (97.5)	39.0 (102.2)	37.5 (99.5)	35.3 (95.5)	34.9 (94.8)	33.9 (93.0)	33.5 (92.3)	32.7 (90.9)	30.6 (87.1)	28.7 (83.7)	33.7 (92.7)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	13.2 (55.8)	14.7 (58.5)	18.6 (65.5)	22.1 (71.8)	24.2 (75.6)	23.6 (74.5)	23.8 (74.8)	23.5 (74.3)	23.0 (73.4)	21.6 (70.9)	18.1 (64.6)	15.1 (59.2)	20.1 (68.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.9 (0.04)	0.3 (0.01)	3.9 (0.15)	11.1 (0.44)	88.2 (3.47)	89.7 (3.53)	38.2 (1.50)	90.6 (3.57)	117.8 (4.64)	132.0 (5.20)	29.6 (1.17)	4.0 (0.16)	606.3 (23.88)
Source:Norwegian Meteorological Institute

Transport

Pakokku's strategic location in Central Myanmar makes it an important hub for transport of people and goods. The city is connected to other parts of the country and to China, Thailand and India by multiple modes of transportation.

Air

• Pakokku Airport

River

Theirrawaddy Riverremains an important arterial route for transporting goods such as farm produce including rice, beans and pulses, cooking oil, pottery, bamboo and teak. Pakokku river port is one of the most important ports, the third largest port inMyanmarafter Yangon port and Mandalay port. Pakokku port is a major port ofMagway Region.

Rail

Myanmar Railwaysstation map
Division 10 Pakokku

Pakokku Railway Station is the terminus ofMyanmar Railways's main rail line fromYangonand the starting point of branch lines toPyin U Lwin(Maymyo),Monywa,Mandalay,Kalay,Gangaw,and to the south,Bagan,Minbu,Thayet,PyayandKyangin.Pakokku Railway Station is the major Railway Station ofMagwe Division.

Pakokku does not have an intra-citymetro railsystem.

Roads

Pakokku is a part of Myanmar's road network. The highway network includes roads towards:

• Upper Burma and China—

Pakokku—Myingyan-Mandalay-Tagaung–Bhamo–MyitkyinaRoad, Pakokku-Chaung Oo-Sagaing-MandalayRoad, Pakokku-Mandalay–Lashio–MuseRoad (part ofAsian Highway)

• Western Burma and India—

Pakokku-Pauk-Saw-Htilin-Gangaw-Kale-TamuRoad, Pakokku-Pauk-Kyaukhtu-Mindat-MatupiRoad, Pakokku—Chaung Oo–Monywa–Kalewa–TamuRoad (part ofIndia–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway)

• Lower Burma and Thailand—

Pakokku-Nyaung-Oo-Chauk-Pyay-Bago-YangonRoad, Pakokku-Meiktila–Nay Pyi Taw–Thaton–Hpa-an–Kawkareik–MyawaddyRoad (part ofIndia–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway)

Most stretches of these highways are one-lane roads in poor condition.Pakokku Bridgeis part of theIndia–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highwayand is the longest bridge in Myanmar.

Education

List of universities and colleges in Pakokku

• Pakokku Teacher Training Degree College (Pakokku Education Degree College)
• Pakokku University
• Computer University, Pakokku
• Technological University, Pakokku
• Nursing College, Pakokku
• East Pali University of Buddhism, Pakokku (Maha Vijara Rama)
• Middle Pali University of Buddhism, Pakokku (Maha Visuta Rama)
• West Pali University of Buddhism, Pakokku (Mandalay tike)

Sports

The 7,000-seat Pakokku Stadium is a multi-usestadiumused mostly forfootballmatches.

List of Ethnic Groups in Pakokku

Ethnic Composition in Pakokku Township (Rough Estimate) Bamar   94.81% Chin   2.09% Yaw   1.02% Mon   0.5% Rakhine   0.3% Kayin   0.02% Shan   0.02% Kachin   0.01% Kayah   0.01% Other groups including Pa'O,Wa,Naga,Lahu,LisuandPalaung   0.96%

Religion

Religion in Pakokku (2014)

Buddhism (99%)

Islam (0.5%)

Christianity (0.29%)

Hinduism (0.16%)

Atheist (0.05%)

Buddhismis the practised by the majority of the population. A sizable minority, however, adheres toIslam,Christianity,Atheism,andHinduism.

Pakokku is the second most important and populated city ofBuddhist monksinMyanmarwith three Pali university of Buddhism.

Health care

Public Hospitals

• Pakokku General Hospital
• Pakokku Traditional Medicine Hospital
• Pakokku Women's and Children's Hospital
• Pakokku Sangha Hospital

Private Hospitals

• ChanMyae Hospital
• ThaPyaeNyo Hospital

Future Plans

• Pakokku Airport as an international Airport
• Pakokku Inland port development project in Irrawaddy River
• A new bus terminal as a largest bus terminal in Upper Myanmar
• Fuel Refineries economic Zone
• Shopping Malls and Supermarkets
• Pakokku-Bagan Circular high speed Railway