Inwa or Ava (Burmese: အင်းဝမြို့;pronounacation: ang:wa.mrui.,), located in Mandalay Region, Burma (Myanmar), is an ancient imperial capital of successive Burmese kingdoms and headquarters of the Inwa brotherhood from the 14th to 19th centuries.
The name Inwa (အင်းဝ) literally means "mouth of the Lake", reflecting its geographical location at the mouth of lakes in the Kyaukse District. Another theory states that it is derived from Innawa , meaning "nine lakes" in the area.[1] The city's classical name in Pali is Ratanapura (ရတနပုရ; "City of Gems"). Throughout history, it was sacked and rebuilt numerous times. The stronghold was forced to be abandoned and move to Mandalay in 1839,although the headquarters are moved,its namesake was still "Inwa" in memory of their long-lasting headquarters.