Arakan Library - U Ga Byan Governor

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

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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.

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research papers on OLD ARBY - U SAN SHWE BU

U GA BYAN, GOVERNOR OF SINDIN, ARAKAN.

J.B.R.S Vol.IX , Part 3, 1919

Few figurers in Arkanese history are so attractive as that of the minister U Ga Byan the dashing soldier, the dilettante, the litterateur, the friend and companion of Min Khamaung. He flourished towards the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th when Razagri (1593 - 1612) was King of Arakan. Of his early life and parentage nothing is definitely known. He was created Governor of Sindin in Arakan and at the same time the king gave him the guardianship of the Crown Prince Min Khamaung who though very young led an extremely wild life. Somehow this guardianship did not prove to be of much benefit for the young prince continued to be as incorrigible as ever-wayward, reckless, and always ungrateful towards his doing father.

Besides U Ga Byan there were nine others, all mighty men of valour, who like the Paladins of romance formed a coterie to do and dare anything under the sun and from whom the prince was never for a moment separated. The brain and soul of the party was U Ga Byan. It was at his instigation that the prince sent a number of desperados to assassinate his father the king; but the plot being discovered Min Khamaung and his ten companions fled the country to take shelter at the Court of Hanthawaddi. During their short residence here U Ga Byan was much admired for his deep learning and showed himself up to be a poet of no mean order. On the promise of a free pardon the party returned to Arakan where everything went well with the prince on whom Razagri continued to pour his untiring affections.

Sometime after this Hanthawaddi was invested by the Arakanese. While this was going on and at the instigation of his guardian the prince attempted another assassination of his father. This again having fortunately failed the culprits fearing the king’s anger went over to the side of the enemy where they were received with every mark of joy and respect. But one of Min Khamaung’s wives who accompanied him pointed out that if death was to be their punishment it was far better to receive it at the hands of his father than be a friend of one who was the enemy of his own country. So the prince with his followers though opposed by overwhelming odds cut their way through and gained their own lines. The prince’s valour and might was so conspicuous on this occasion that everybody concerned in the attempt on Razagri’s life was entirely forgiven.

The next scene is laid at Sandoway. The prince went there with the avowed purpose of worshipping at the sacred shrine; but on arrival U Ga Byan his evil genius told him that two attempts at assassination had already failed and a third was not to be thought of. It was therefore decided upon to resort to open rebellion with thousands of dis-contented men who then resided at Sandoway. There he got together all the pagoda slaves - several thousands - who consisted of prisoners of war and under his personal command marched on Myauk-U the capital. The royal forces met and crushed the rebels, the majority of whom fled to Burma. The ringleaders, the prince and his companions, were captured. On this occasion Razagri was very angry and had it not been for the persuasive wisdom of his chief minister the royal rebel would have received a very severe but well merited punishment. U Ga Byan’s share of the blame was by no means a light one. He was told that the king conferred on him a unique distinction born of confidence when he was made the tutor and guardian of his son who was one day to rule the country. Since that confidence was seen to be sadly misplaced by the prince’s repeated acts of violence against the State as well as Society he could no longer be considered a fit person to continue in the same high position of responsibility and trust he formerly held. As a just punishment for his many misdeeds he was accordingly made a pagoda slave attached to the temple of Mahamuni.

In after years when Min Khamaung ascended the throne one of his first acts was an attempt to reinstate his great friend into society. But the latter politely declared that the immemorial custom of the country in such a case-to restore an outcast into society-required a king to be even more powerful than the one who first meted out the punishment and that, since he (Min Khamaung) had not yet proved himself a greater sovereign than his father he could not possibly accomplish what he so much desired without infringing one of the established customs which he had solemnly sworn to observe. All further efforts at persuasion having proved hopeless U Ga Byan was left to pass away the remainder of his chequered life in humble but disgraced obscurity and in the undisturbed contemplation of his many acts which constituted both his greatness and his failure.

As an author he is principally known for his gems of poetic thought with which he enriched the literature of his time. He has composed a ratu which consists of twelve verses representing the twelve months of the year and describes with great beauty of expression and accuracy of detail the customs and manners of the Arakanese of those days. Min Khamaung while still a Crowned Prince spent three long years of continued enjoyment at Hanthawaddi during which he entirely forgot Arakan. So U Ga Byan presented him with his ratu which so powerfully affected him that he soon returned home amid the rejoicing of his people.

It might be mentioned here in passing that this practice of sending ratus with those who sojourn in distant lands to remind them of their home was until quite recently a common enough thing among the Arakanese. But it died an earlier death in Arakan proper for in the tumultuous days under the Burmese regime the character of the Arakanese underwent a great change necessitating in the abandonment of many of their civil institutions. In the Chittagong necessitating in the abandonment of many of their civil institutions. In the Chittagong district however under the aegis of the mighty Company the Arakanese settlers found a tranquil home which enabled them to retain all their ancient customs and manners. These people coming over to Arakan either on pleasure or business used to carry with them such documents and disclosed the interesting fact that there had developed a class of professionals who entirely maintained themselves by such compositions.

On payment of a rupee a housewife procures a suitable ratu which she makes over to her husband on the eve of his journey to a foreign land and tells him not to open it till business is over. When the proper time comes he reads it and falls a victim to its many allurements consisting chiefly of intimate domestic touches which so strongly appeal to his simple affectionate nature that he generally returns home at the earliest opportunity. Sometimes the ratu is sent on afterwards when the traveler has been away for many months; but in each case it never falls to bring about the desired effect.