Pyin U Lwin or Pyin Oo LwinMLCTS=prang u: lwang mrui.), formerly Maymyo is a scenic hill town in Mandalay Division, Myanmar, located in the Shan Highland, some 67 kilometers (42 miles) east of Mandalay, and at an altitude of 1070 meters (3510 ft).
History
The town began as a military outpost established near a small Shan village with two dozen households [1] situated on the Lashio-Mandalay trail between Nawnghkio and Mandalay. In 1896, a permanent military post was established in the town and later, because of its climate, it became a hill station and the summer capital of British Burma. The establishment in Burma (civil, commercial and military) would move to Maymyo during the hot season to escape from the high heat and humidity of Rangoon. During British rule and through the 1970's, Maymyo had a large Anglo-Burmese population, but this steadily declined. During the Japanese occupation, as many Anglo's were concentrated in and around Maymyo, the Japanese incarcerated many of them for fear of their loyalty to the British very close to Maymyo. Today though, Maymyo still has one of the larger hold over populations of Anglo-Burmese in the country. The British named the location Maymyo, literally May's Town in Burmese, after Colonel May, a veteran of the Indian Mutiny and commander of the Bengal Regiment temporarily stationed at the location of the town in 1887. [1][2] The military government of Burma renamed the town Pyin U Lwin.
[edit] Demographics
The town has approximately 10,000 Indian and 5,000 Nepali inhabitants who settled in Maymyo during British rule. Today, Pyin U Lwin has a thriving Eurasian community, consisting mostly of Anglo-Burmese and Anglo-Indians.
[edit] Educational institutions
Maymyo was an important educational centre during colonial times, with the GEHSs (Government English High Schools), such as St. Mary's, St. Michael's, St. Albert's, St. Joseph's Convent, and Colgate, all based in the town. British settlers and colonial administrators sent their children to be educated here, both European and Anglo-Burmese children. The town was also the location of the various schools of military education open to all ethnicities.
It is today home to the Defence Services Academy (DSA) and the Defence Services Institute of Technology (DSIT). There is a large military presence in the town.
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