After the loss to the British in the Battle of Yangon during the First Anglo-Burmese War, Maha Bandula retreated to Danubyu.
When the British arrived in early 1825, they started a siege but was unable to break through Bandula's defences after a few months despite their superior weaponry.
[1] During the Battle of Danubyu, Bandula defended against the first attack but lost after a failed counter-charge with elephants.
Bandula was killed in Danubyu by a mortar shell while walking around in the open against the warning of his generals in an attempt to boost morale.
[2] As the area around Danubyu is fertile and nutrient-rich, agriculture is the town's main industry.