Arakan Library - Report of the Honorary Part -I

Arakan: - One Who Preserves and Takes Care of Their Own Nationality.

Publication by Arakan Action Association (AAA.)

Arakan Library was founded by a group of Arakan Action Association (AAA) in exile in Thailand from Burma in 2007 doing to voice for the knowledge, the people democratic and human rights.

Arakan Action Association (AAA)

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research papers on OLD ARBY - U SAN SHWE BU

Report of the Honorary

Archaeological Officer, Arakan,

For The Year Ending 31st March 1921.

Conservation. - During the year under report a great deal of activity in monument restoration and conservation has taken place. Wealthy men in Myohoung and elsewhere are eagerly vying with each other in repairing their old pagodas and temples. Conspicuous among them is one Tha Tun U of Myohoung who, with creditable enthusiasm, repaired no less than six pagodas during the year and has adequately provided for their permanent upkeep. The Shitthaung Temple Trustees, appointed last year, have not been less active on their part. By means of their paid emissaries they have been collecting funds from every part of this district throughout the year. And as soon as they understood that Government was prepared to assist them and to undertake the repairs to the temple, they deposited the sum of Rs. 3,000 to the credit of Executive, Akyab, in the Sub-Treasury at Myohoung. This is merely a first instalment; but other sums will be made available from time to time in the same way whenever subscriptions are collected together from the various parts of the country. In this connection I must state that Government help has come in at a very opportune moment. The people are much impressed by their generosity and as a direct result of this the subscription towards the repairs of the temple are freely coming in from every side. These are very encouraging signs indeed giving rise to the hope that in no distant future the principal, monuments of the country will receive the active sympathy and support of the people in regard to their proper repairs and upkeep.

Tour of the Superintendent, Burma Archaeological Survey, in Arakan. -

By far the most outstanding feature of the year’s work was the visit to Arakan of M. Chas Duroiselle, superintendent, Archaeological Survey, Burma. Being the first of its kind it marks a distinct epoch in the annals of this country. For several years such a visit was contemplated, but owing to some thing or other the project did not come off. It was however reserved for M. Duroiselle to usher in a new era of goodwill, understanding and hope for the patient people who were on the verge of despair. His visit has been a great success from every point of view. It has stimulated enthusiasm in every quarter and paved the way to a fuller consciousness on the part of the people of the great importance of their historic monuments. Which on the other historic monuments. While on the other hand it will enable the department to direct the processes of corservation from a more intimate knowledge of the country.

Owing to other pressing arrangements elsewhere M. Duroiselle could not remain here long. Altogether he spent thirteen clear days in Arakan, the greater portion of the time being taken up at Myohoung where he inspected some of the principal monuments of the place. From Myohoung he proceeded to the site of ancient Wesali and remained there in camp for a couple of days. There he saw Shawedaung, originally intended to be excavated during this visit but postponed owing to want of time. A hurried survey of a part of the city site revealed the ruins of demolished buildings and stone sculptures scattered about and overgrown with jungle. A double-lined inscription in old Devanagari was also found there. Estampages were taken and the stone itself was entrusted to the care of a local man who undertook to safeguard it.

Kudaung Caves. - Close to the northern coast of the Akyab Island separated only by the width of the Moze River, which is about 3 miles in extent, stands the Moze Island. It is in the form of an irregular quadrilateral, having an area of 51 square miles. Running down the length of the island in the eastern border than the western, is a low range of hills known as Uggataung. But in addition to this there are also small low lying ridges scattered about in various parts of the island, some rising gently from the surrounding plain, while others are more precipitous resembling lofty walls put up in defence of a city.

Tradition has it that Buddha in one of his many previous incarnations roamed about the forests of Arakan as an elephant king. One day a terrific rain storm swept over the country and the poor animal was compelled to run about in search of a suitable shelter. When he came to this island the rain stopped. From this fact alone the place was subsequently called Moze Island, literally, the island where the rain ceased.

Situated in the centre of the northern third of this island stands the village of Kudaung, at the foot of one of the precipitous ridges already mentioned. The name is so derived because of the existence of certain kus or cave temples which are hewn out of the living rock on the eastern face of the ridge. Originally the village has undoubtedly a settlement of temple slaves (Thinchis) who are mostly Yambyes; but of late years it has received considerable additions from other tracts and the people now as a whole exhibit symptoms of increasing prosperity.

When Min Ba, the greatest of Mrauk-U kings, came to the throne in 1531 A.D. Arakan was still nominally a part of the Kingdom of Bengal - a condition brought about ever since the time of King Saw Mwan, the founder of the dynasty in 1430 A.D. In the year 1533 AD King Min Ba conceived the idea of throwing off this foreign yoke which to him appeared to be disgraceful. So he gathered together an immense army and a strong navy and marched on Bengal. On the way he had to pass through the island of Moze; and while he encamped there he caused three cave temples to be constructed out of the living rock. History states that in addition to these caves four Buddha images were also modeled out of the solid rock. After finishing these he ordered his workmen to carve on the entire eastern face of the hill the figures of all living beings both of sea and land. At the present day the caves and the Buddha images still exist, but the rest of the other figures cannot now be found to any large extent or variety, at least to the extent to which recorded history has led us on to believe.

To reach these caves one has first to climb up a broad stone stairway which leads on to an extensive terrace. From this a second terrace, somewhat smaller then the first, is reached by another stairway. When you have reached this the caves are before you, though somewhat on a higher elevation. But before entering them let us first examine the outer face of the hill. Originally the carvings extended to 170 feet of the hill; but in 1836 A.D. owing to some cause a large slice of the rock peeled off, leaving 135 feet of the area intact. The figures represent birds, beasts and men, with profuse intermingling of fabulous monsters so common to the Buddhist iconography of that age. As usual Garudas are there in plenty, one is about to swallow a man while a hunter is in the act of shooting it down with his bow and arrow. The devas are there too, all occupied with the business of worshipping the imcomparable Master.

At the present day there are six caves altogether. The three on the left being the ones constructed by King Min Ba in 1533, and the other on the right being recent additions, done up in imitation of the old. Of the latter, two were constructed by Thugyi Aung Gyaw We in the year 1887 and in the following year the one on the extreme right was constructed by San Shwe Bu, a wealthy cultivator of Laungzin Village. There is nothing remarkable about these caves for they are more or less copies of the originals.

The three caves on the left have three corresponding openings facing the seated Buddhas in the centre of the caves. A stone stairway, 6 feet 6 inches broad and partially out of repairs, leads up to the central cave which is in turn connected with the other two. The entrance to the central chamber measures 3 feet 3 inches broad, 4 feet 6 inches long and 7 feet 8 inches high. The chamber itself measures 16 feet 8 inches by 16 feet 2 inches and is in the form of an irregular square. The roof may roughly be described as pointed concave and is 12 feet 4 inches in height. The centre of this chamber contains a seated stone image of the Buddha 6 feet in height in the usual earth-touching mudra. The palin on which it sits is 2 feet high. Then surrounding this image and in juxtaposition to the walls are a row of sitting Buddhas hewn out of the living rock. They are all of the same pattern measuring 3 feet 6 inches in height. The spaces on the walls in between the images are filled with beautiful arabesque designs, in low relief, carried up from the altar to a height of 7 feet 6 inches.

From this chamber a communicating passage 4 feet 8 inches long, 2 feet 7 inches broad and 6 feet 4 inches high leads into the chamber on the right. This measures 13 feet by 16 feet 8 inches and is 12 feet 2 inches high. The centre is occupied by a large sitting image, and behind this again, stretched along the length of the wall, is a large Buddha image 8 feet 6 inches long, in the Mahaparinirvana attitude. On each of the side walls there are two large niches 4 feet in height. And these are in turn surrounded by smaller niches. They all contain images. Unlike the other two this chamber contains wonderful specimens of carving which for grace and variety can hardly be surpassed by those of other countries. There are four pilasters on each side of the chamber, complete with abacus and capital. The latter is enriched with beautiful figures of animals and birds in attitudes which convey the impression of pleasing realism. The most characteristic feature of this chamber is the roof. It is exactly like that of an ordinary Arakanese house, with beams and rafters prominently brought out in the living rock. The spaces between these rafters are studded with elegant representations of lotus buds and flowers.

To reach the other cave on the extreme left, the central chamber must again he traversed and then by means of a broad and irregular passage it can be entered into. This chamber is somewhat smaller than the other two, being only 12 feet 4 inches long, 11 feet broad and 8 feet 6 inches high. Its general appearance is more of an irregular circle. In the centre of this there are two small Buddha’s seated side by side. The surrounding walls contain six similar images altogether. Architecturally as wall as artistically the chamber is undoubtedly inferior to the other two. It is devoid of ornamentation of any sort; and the chiseling of the images reveal an inferiority most difficult to account for the only reasonable explanation seems to lie in the fact that the workmen were probably hurried off before the completion of their task.

These caves are looked after by the neighbouring villages who do all they can towards their upkeep. But their slender resources are quite unequal to the tremendous problem which now confronts them. For in the rains the roofs leak very badly and the constant percolation of water trickling a most unhappy result on the splendid sculptures represented thereon. The question is can anything be done to top this leakage? Any sum of money utilized for such a purpose would be well spent.

Origin of the name “Mug”. -

The “History of Burma” Sir Arthur Phayre writing under the heading “Note of the Mag or Mage applied to the Arakanese by the people of Bengal” states: “The Rakhing people of the Mongoloid race do not know this term. It is given to them by the people of Bengal, and also to a class of people now found mostly in the district of Chittagong, who call themselves Rajbansi. The latter claim to be of the same race as one dynasty of the kings of Arakan, and hence the name they have themselves assumed. They are Buddhists in religion; their dialect; and they have a distinctive physiognomy, but it is not Mongolian. Their number in the Chittagong District, by the census of 1870 - 71, was 10,852 (Hunter’s Bengal). A few are found in the district of Akyab. I was formerly of opinion that these people were a mixed race, the descemdants of Arakanese, who, when their kings held Chittagong during the 17th century, had married Bengali wives. Further enquiry and consideration have led me to a different conclusion. I now think it most probable that the self-styled Rajbansi descend from immigrants into Arakan from Magada and that the name given to them by the people of Bangal correctly designates their race of the country from which they came. It is very probable that one of the foreign dynasties of Arakan came from Southern Bihar, though, from modern jealousy of foreigners, the fact has been concealed by Arakanese chroniclers. The former existence in Southern Buhar of princes having the race name of Maga is an undoubted fact. The researches of Dr. Francis Buchanan, and later enquiries instituted by Dr. W.W. Hunter, show that the kings of Magada reigned at Rajagriha in the modern district of Patna. They were Buddhists, and that a dynasty of this race reigned in Arakan may be considered to be true. The name Rajbansi has no doubt been adopted by the remnant of the tribe in later times, from a desire to assert their importance as belonging to the same race as the kings of Arakan. This term has been adopted in the district of Rangpur by the Chandalas and other low castes, which had not the reasonable claim to it possessed by the class now under consideration. The name Maga having been extended to the whole of the Arakanese people, who are Mongoloid in race, is an ethnological error which has caused confusion among European writers upon this subject. But this error does not extinguish the fact of the people descended from an Aryan race called Maga, who migrated from Bihar, being still in existence in Arakan and the adjoining district of Chittagong.” Able as these arguments are they do not appear to be very convincing, though since 1883 they have been left unchallenged.