Mandalay couple finds ancient royal treasures buried under their home

A married couple has stumbled upon buried relics from the old royal court in Mandalay while digging the foundations of their new home.

The trove included two gold earrings, two gold buttons and pieces of bronze caskets dating back to the Konbaung dynasty, which ruled from 1752 to 1885, the Myanmar Times reported.

The dynasty ended when the British removed King Thibaw and sent him to India. He would be the country’s last monarch.

According to the report, the precious items were the handiwork of the royal court in Mandalay, when the city was called Yadanarbon.

After the recent discovery, in Kyaukse district, the couple’s son, U Sunanda, passed the precious finds onto the government’s Department of Archaeology last week.

“When we inspected the discoveries, we found that they were from Yadanarbon. They are genuine antiques, and very precious,” U Nyo Myint Tun, the department director, told the Myanmar Times.

“The state has awarded [the finders] a certificate of honor and reward. I encourage anyone who discovers antiques like this to hand them in so they are retained for the nation.”

Photo / (From Right} King Thibaw, Queen Supayalat and her sister Princess Supayaji, made from a negative found in the Royal Palace, Mandalay / Wikicommons

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