Bodawpaya

Bodawpaya launched a massive invasion of Siam with nine armies totaling over 140,000 men. The campaign aimed to conquer the newly established Rattanakosin kingdom. However, the invasion was repelled by Siamese forces under King Rama I, marking a major defeat.

Bodawpaya's forces conquered the kingdom of Arakan (Rakhine) on the western coast of Burma. The annexation brought the region under Konbaung control and led to the flight of many Arakanese refugees into British India, creating tensions with the British East India Company.

Bodawpaya began construction of the Mingun Pahtodawgyi, a massive unfinished stupa near Mandalay. The project was abandoned after a prophecy that its completion would bring disaster. The structure remains the largest pile of bricks in the world.

Bodawpaya commissioned the casting of the Mingun Bell, the largest functioning bell in the world at the time. Weighing over 90 tons, it was intended for a massive pagoda at Mingun. The bell remains a major historical artifact and tourist attraction.