The Ancient Capital of Rakhine State
Mrauk-U (Myo Haung) is
another interesting historical site in Rakhine, fast becoming a tourist
attraction. Mrauk-U was founded in 1430 AD and flourished till 1785 as
recorded in its history. Known as the Golden City by foreign travelers
of the era it was a focus of trade due to its strategic on the coastal
region of Bay of Bengal. Many historical sites such as the old palace
grounds and ancient pagodas principally Shitthoung Pagoda (Eighty
thousand pagodas), the old city of Vesali, the Mahamuni Image of
Kyauktaw offers a glimpse into the Rakhine history.
A
new tourist site which is becoming increasingly more popular in recent
years is the old capital of Rakhine (Arakan) called Mrauk-U. Some of the
local people refer to it as Myo ( or Mro) Haung, the old city. It was
first constructed by the Rakhine King Min_Saw Mon in 1430 AD, and
remained its capital for 355 years until 1784 when the Rakhine Kingdom
ceased to exist as a separate entity and became an integral part of the
Myanmar Kingdom - Myanmar Tour.
The Golden City of Mrauk-U became known in Europe
as a city of oriental splendor after Friar Sebastian Manrique visited
the area for about (8) years between 1629 to 1637 AD and though he was a
Portuguese Augustinian missionary he wrote his fascinating "Travels" in
Spanish and published it as a book in 1649 and 1653. Father Manrique's
vivid account of the coronation of King Thiri_Thudhamma in 1635 and
about the Rakhine Court and intrigues of the Portuguese adventurers
fired the imagination of later authors, especially after an English
translation was published by the Hakluyt Society in 1927 in 2 volumes.
In Volume One of this English translation we can read the intriguing
account of Rakhine in mid-17th century. Manrique wrote of his
astonishment when he was shown a pair of pendant ear-rings, set with
priceless rubies as large as a small hen's egg. He said when he beheld
these kyauk-nagats he could scarcely fix his eyes on them due to the
radiant splendor they cast; he just stood amazed. In the markets also he
saw "being sold in abundance, diamonds rubies, sapphires, emeralds,
topazes, gold and silver in plates and bars, tin and zinc, which were
very difficult to get in his home country.
It
was the English author Maurice Collis who made Mrauk-U and Rakhine
famous after his book The Land of the Great Image based on Friar
Manrique's travels in Arakan, was published in 1942. The Great Image is
of course, the Maha Muni Buddha Image which is now in Mandalay, though
originally it was made and venerated in this area about 15 miles from
Mrauk-U where another Maha Muni Buddha Image flanked by two other Buddha
images is now worshipped. You can visit this place also on the hillock
called Sirigutta, about (6) miles east of Kyauktaw town.
How to get there
About ten years ago it was difficult to travel to this area but you can
easily visit Mrauk-U now. From Yangon there are daily flights to
Sittway the capital of Rakhine State. There are Travel and Tour
Companies in Yangon and Sittway which operate tours to Mrauk-U and the
surrounding area.
In Sittway you should
visit the newly built Rakhine State Cultural Museum and Library and the
Buddhist Museum where many interesting antiquities of Rakhine's colorful
past are on display.
From Sittway to Mrauk-U you can take a boat
on the Kaladan River and then go into some of its tributary streams.
Mrauk-U, on Thinghanadi creek is only 45 miles from Sittway and the sea
coast. It is a very pleasant river journey. If you are visiting in the
winter months you can see flocks of wild geese, ducks and other
migrating waterfowl. To the east of the old city is the famous
Kiccapanadi stream and far away the Lemro River. The city area used to
have a network of canals.
In Mrauk-U itself you can visit the
Archaeological Museum which is near the Palace Site. This site is right
in the centre of Mrauk-U which was built in a strategic location by
leveling three small hills. Recently the Archaeology Department has been
excavating the Palace Site which was occupied by Rakhine Kings for over
two hundred years.
Even the pagodas are strategically located on
hilltops and look like fortresses as indeed they were once used as such
in times of enemy intrusion. There are moats, artificial lakes and
canals and the whole area could be flooded to deter or repulse
attackers.
There are innumerable pagodas and
Buddha images all over the old city and the surrounding hills. Some are
still being used as places of worship today; many in ruins are now
being restored to their original splendor. You should at least visit
some; the most famous and well worth seeing are the Shitthaung, the
Andaw, the Dukkhan Thein (Sima or Ordination Hall), the Koethaung, the
Laymyetnha and the Shwe Daung pagodas.
The Shitthaung or "temple
of the 80,000 Buddhas" is a fascinating place full of small images,
scenes in sculpture of Buddhist stories with the kings and queens,
courtiers and common people portrayed in their mediaeval costumes and
head-dresses, all frozen in stone throughout the ages. You should take a
good torch-light to examine the myriad interesting scenes and figures
lining the dark corridors of this temple. You can see some Rakhine men
boxing and wrestling, some girls dancing and playing, and then there are
also the mythical birds, beasts and half-human celestials and demons.
Try and find the figures of both the male and female Vasundhra/
Vasundhari symbolizing the God /Goddess of the Earth.
The
Shitthaung Pagoda, located about half a mile to the north of the palace
site was built by one of the most powerful kings of the Mrauk-U Dynasty,
called by the people, Minbargyi, but according to records on
inscriptions as King Minbin who reined from 1513 to 1553. The king built
this fortress-temple after repulsing a Portuguese attack. The
Portuguese mercenaries later served under Rakhine kings. There was also
surprisingly an elite corp of Japanese bodyguards protecting the kings
of Rakhine.
The Andaw (meaning the tooth relic of Buddha) is a
pagoda only 86 feet to the north-east of the Shitthaung Pagoda. Built by
King Min Hla Raza in 1521 it is said to enshrine the tooth relic
received from a Sri Lankan king by King Minbin.
This temple is a
hollow octagonal building made of pure sandstone blocks; there are two
internal concentric passages, with a prayer hall on the east. Like other
temples it is on a small hillock.
Visitors should see the frescoes
giving detailed portrayals of life in the Mrauk-U court; these frescoes
are found in Laymyetnha and the Shwe Daung Pagoda. Laymyetnha Pagoda was
built by King Min Saw Mon in 1430 AD as one of the original pagodas at
the time of the founding of Mrauk-U. The name of the Pagoda means "Four
faced" as there are four entrances to this square sandstone structure
with a central solid stupa 80 feet high. There are 28 Buddha images as
mentioned in the Sambuddha scripture.
The
Shwe Daung pagoda or the "Golden Hill Pagoda" is also believed to have
been built by King Minbin between the years 1531-1553. It is a landmark
pagoda as it is the tallest in this area and can be seen as far away as
20 miles from the main Kaladan River. The hill itself is 250 feet high
and is about half a mile to the south-east of the Palace Site. It is a
solid stupa with a circular base. During the First Anglo-Burmese War,
1824-26, the Myanmar forces built earthen fortifications on this hill
and mounted guns which inflicted heavy losses on the British forces.
Some of these fortifications can still be seen today.
Standing on a
plain of rice fields is the Koethaung Pagoda; the name means 90,000 and
probably signified the number of Buddha images it was supposed to
contain. It was built by King Min Taikkha, the son of King Min Bin who
built the Shitthaung or temple of 80,000 images, so the son exceeded the
father by 10,000! It is the biggest pagoda in the Mrauk-U, Myanmar. Like
the Shitthaung, this pagoda is also a massive fortress-like structure
built with stone walls and terraces. There are 108 smaller pagodas
surrounding it, all made of sandstone. With a winding corridor it is
like a cave tunnel which you have to traverse until you reach the
central chamber. The inner gallery has collapsed and is no longer
accessible. There is an octagonal pagoda in the middle surrounded by
over one hundred smaller pagodas. Unlike some of the other temples, not
only sandstone, but bricks were also used in this pagoda.
Apart
from the pagodas, visitors should not miss seeing the Ordination Hall,
Htukkan Thein, and the exquisite little library the Pitakataik. Htukkan
(or Dukkhan) Thein is located about 300 feet to the north-west of
Shitthaung Pagoda. Built in 1571 by King Min Phalaung it is on a hillock
30 feet high, with two stone stair ways (8) feet broad on the east and
south.
Ordination Hall in Mrauk-U
No longer used as an
Ordination Hall, it is now one of the well-known pagodas of Mrauk-U.
There is a long vaulted passageway which leads to the central shrine
room which is 15 feet in height. This room is said to be the place where
the Buddhist Archbishop used to sit to discuss religious affairs with
Senior Monks. See the seated stone ladies preserving in sculpture the
ancient hair-styles, among the many other interesting figures. There are
also 140 niches with Buddha images.
The little library or
Pitaka-taik, the Repository for the Buddhist scriptures was built in
1591 also by King Min Phalaung. It measures only 14 feet from east to
west, 10 feet from north to south and is only 9 feet in height. Built
entirely of stone there are lovely designs on the outer walls making it
look like a tiny jeweled casket shaped like a blooming lotus. There were
48 libraries in Mrauk-U but only this one is preserved, though it is
sometimes obscured by thickets of bushes and partly covered by moss and
weeds which flourish in the 200" of annual rainfall in the region.
This
library is reputed to have housed 30 sets of the Buddhist Tipitaka
which King Narapatigyi (1638-1645) received from Sri Lanka.
Unfortunately it acquired an unpleasant appellation due to its dark
windowless interior. It is now known as Chin-kite library, Chin-kite
meaning mosquito-bite. The Rakhine people say that Chin-kite is a
Myanmar mispronunciation of the Rakhine word Khraung kaik, the name of
the city wall which is close to the north of the library. If you have
difficulty in finding this library asks for the Htupayon Pagoda as it is
just north of this pagoda.
The artificial, man-made lakes named
Anomakan and Letsekan on the southern part of Mrauk-U were once part of
the defense system. They are now peaceful havens for visitors as well as
for the local people, and for animals, birds and fish. Letsekan is (3)
miles in length and half a mile wide. Some of the old city walls can
also be seen.
The Portuguese and other Europeans were
given a separate quarter at Mrauk U, only about half a mile west of the
palace site. The place is called Daingripet and this place for the
European settlement is on the other bank of Aungdat creek. The old
church built by Father Manrique, now in ruins, can still be seen in this
place. It is near the Daingri tank built by King Ba Saw Phyu
(1459-1482).
Rakhine has other historical sites which are earlier
than Mrauk U, at Vesali, only 6 miles to the north, and at Launggret a
little further away, but easily reached by car in about half an hour.
If
you are interested in spectacular places of historical interest and
natural beauty Mrauk-U is the place. There are now comfortable hotels
and guest houses where you can stay while exploring this ancient land,
which was once a seat of oriental splendor.
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