ARAKAN INDOBHASA Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2015

The Maha Muni Image and its Rough Path

U Khin Maung Saw, Berlin 1. Introduction : Maha Muni Image  is a colossal image cast in bronze and inlaid with gold. Hence, this statue became the envy of almost all of the kings of  Burma . Whenever they expanded their empire, they tried to rob this holy image. Finally in the year 1784 A.D, the Burmese King Bodawphaya succeeded to annex  Arakan  into the  Burmese Empire  and took the holy image. Here again some  Arakanese , headed by U Htun Zan (U Htuan Zan) and U Thande, went to Ava to request the  Burmese king  to liberate Mrauk U from the incompetent King Maha Thamada of Arakan like the way some Arakanese requested King Min Gaung (Man Khaung) of Ava in 1403 that Min saw Mun (Man Saw Muan) be overthrown. It cannot be ruled out that it was a conflict between the  Arakanese  from the North and those from the South because  Maha Thamada  and his predecessor were not from Mrauk U but from Rambree Island. Believe it or not, according to some  Arakanese Chroni

Nat Worshipping Arakan

A rakan state is in western Burma and borders Bangladesh to the northwest. It is a narrow coastal strip of land open to the Bay of Bengal. The area is subject to heavy rainfall that enables the cultivation of rice, one of the region’s most important resources. It is separated from Central Burma by the Arakanese mountains ( Rakhine Yoma ), with their dense vegetation, and both sides regard them as a natural border. The successive capitals of the ancient Arakanese Buddhist kingdom, including the city of Mrauk-U between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, were built on the largest plains of the region, the fertile area located between the River Kaladan and the River Lemro. In Arakan, like anywhere else in Burma and in many other parts of Southeast Asia, religious practices have been a mix of Buddhism and spirit ( nat ) worship. During my field work in Mrauk-U , Mra Swan Dewi (Mra Svan Devi) was the first nat I was informed about when I started research into local wo

Vesali

Vesali by San Tha Aung Anandacandra inscriptions on Shitethaung Pillar in Mrauk-U describe King Dven Candra as the father founder of Vesali. Not only nine Candra Kings but also sixteen kings descended from Dven Candra and other kings ruled over the country with Vesali as the Capital. Situation and Structure    Vesali was the Capital when Candra dynasty reigned over the country. It lies five miles north of Mrauk-U. The city walls and palace site can be clearly observed in photographs taken from aerial view. By studying these photographs and the article 'Rakhine Capital' written by Prof. Daw Thin Kyi (Journal of Myanmar Research Society Vol 52 Part 2, 1970, December) and through field-works, the structure of Vesali will be described as follow. To the west of Vesali runs Rann-Chaung, a tributary of Kaladan Ri