Suvanabhumi : the golden land
By Hpone Thant
Sandwiched between the Dawna Ranges and the Moattama Gulf is the land supposed to be the legendary Suvanabhumi or the Golden Land. The majority of people living here are Mons but the name could as well be synonymous with their nature for they are also blessed with hearts of gold. Not only the hearts of the people are golden, the land is also gold. Vast areas of paddy land and forests of white gold or rubber plantations mark this land, making it into one of the most resource-rich areas in Myanmar.
Thaton is said to be the original capital of the Mons but now that distinction has shifted to Mawlamyine. However, Thaton still boasts some historical links.There is a remnant of an old city wall with the shrine of a Bagan hero, Byatwi, who became a nat (spirit) after being killed by the lord of the town when he fell in love with his beautiful daughter. Now he is regarded as the guardian nat of the town and people come here to pray. New novitiates to the monkhood are also brought here to "be presented" to Byatwi not. The Mya tha beik Pagoda is situated on top of a high hill offering a grand view of the countryside for those hardy enough to scale the steps.
But just before arriving at Thaton there are many interesting places just off the main high- way. The Kelatha Hill overlooks the area and a small village ofAyetthema still stands there. Many scholars say this was the original site of Thaton. Ayetthema here means a weaving woman and the village got its name presum- ably because there were many weavers in the village. Another village of renown here is the Zoke thoke Village. The village is made famous because of the Kyaik hti saung pagoda and the so-called "wall of cavalry". It is a high wall of laterite depicting soldiers on horses and elephants. Local lore is that long time in antiq- uity cannibals frequently emerged from the sea to terrorize the inhabitants and this wall was erected to frighten them. Both the villages are now far away from the sea but it could be that at some time it was much nearer.
The pagoda on top of the Kelatha Hill and the Kyaik hti saung pagoda are remarkable in that the htis (umbrellas) on top of them are not of iron as is usual but of laterite. The Kyaik hti saung pagoda compound is supposed to be sacred and all visitors are requested to be vegetarians while inside the pagoda compound.
Driving over the new Mawlamyine Bridge a small island is seen underneath. This is the Gaungsay kyun or the head-washing island. According to old customs the Myanmar kings would use the water from this junction of three rivers to have a royal head-washing ceremony and hence the name. This small island is dotted with pagodas and monasteries.
Mawlamyine was supposed to be an old Mon city. Legend tells that there was a king who ruled at this place at the junction of Thanlwin (Salween), Attaran and the Gyaing Rivers and he called his City Yamawaddy. His name was Mut pi raza as he has a distinction of having a third eye on his forehead or in the Myanmar language "A King with Three Eyes". But later due to some Circumstances the third eye disappeared and he was called in the Mon language as Mut mei lein. The town also losts its original name and came to be called Mut mei lein and this had evolved into Mawlamyine.
Mawlamyine as we know it today remained obscured until after the First Anglo-Myanmar War of 1824 A.D. According to the Peace Treaty of Yandabo concluded between the Myanmar Imperial Court and the British East India Company in 1826 A.D the Tanintharyi(Tenessarim) and the Rakhine coastal strips were ceded to the British. As a result Mawlamyine became the main port for seagoing traffic even before Yangon.
Teakwood and rice were exported to western markets from this port. Many British trading companies had branches here. Even the first English language newspaper “The Maulmain Chronicle” was published here in 1840 A.D.
Consequently it combines the charm of the old city superimposed with the characteristics of a burgeoning commercial centre.
When there were disturbances in Mandalay regarding the succession to King Mindon and the British occupation of the city afterthe 3rd Anglo- Myanmar War of 1885 A.D many fled to Mawlamyine, which was already under the British. One of the most notable was Queen Sein Don, one of King Mindon's queens.
Residing in Mawlamyine she became homesick, longed for the quiet life she led at Mandalay and so she commissioned the local carpenters to build a monastery with replicas of palace architecture. This monastery, called Yadana Bon Myint Monastery is still standing on the Kyaikthalan Ranges.
On the Kyaikthalan Ranges and accessible by car is the magnificent Kyaik Thalan Pagoda, supposedly the pagoda referred to in Kipling's poem as "the old Moulmein Pagoda". The sound of small golden bells hanging from the pagoda's hti make quiet background music in the breeze as you gaze on the distant Dawna Ranges in the East as well as the wide estuary of Thanlwin River in the west. But regrettably the dawn does not come out of the bay or out of China as Kipling wrote!
Keeping Mawlamyine as a hub there are many places to visit. One is the town of Than Byu Zayat, literally "tin-roofed rest house". The town is not very old. It was supposed to have been built in 1900 A.D only. As a story goes, there was an eight-pointed tin-roofed shed at this place before the town was born, maybe to shelter the travellers and the name stuck as a settlement grew in the place. However, this place became synonymous with the notorious “death railway” during WWII. Local conscripted labour regiments, known as "sweat battalions” as well as many Allied POWs were forced to build this railway to connect Kanchanaburi in Thailand with Than Byu Zayat which was the terminal on the Myanmar side. The conscript labourers and the POWs were housed at this place and many died from a variety of causes. A small war cemetery under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission where the Allied Deaths are buried sadly remindsvisitors of the sufferings and the sacrifices made by these POWs. Old trenches and bunkers can also still be seen at this place.
Another place is Kyaik Khami. This town was previously called Amherst in honour of Lord Amherst who was one of the earliest British colonial administrators stationed here after the 1st Anglo Myanmar War of 1824 A.D. It reverted back to its original name after Independence. Nearby is the Kyaik Khami Pagoda on a small spur of land just off the coast. The pagoda legend tells of a Buddha image that floated here on a rock cart-wheel and how the devotees had salvaged this wheel and built the pagoda. In olden days the rock causeway that links the pagoda to land would be submerged at high tide while the pagoda platform remains above the swirling waters due to the powers of the Image according to the devotees' belief. Now this causeway has been raised and pilgrims can reach the pagoda at anytime.
Another large island near Mawlamyine called Bilugyun is renowned as a village of artisans. Here cottage industries manufacture a variety of household goods. It is accessible by boat only and visitors wishing to see the local workshops leave their vehicles on the Mawlamyine side and take a ferry to reach the island.
Setse is a beach facing the Andaman Sea. It is still a little known beach for the international travellers.The majority of visitors here are local pilgrims coming to pray at Kyaik Khami Pagoda and getting to enjoy the sea at the same time.
The Win Sein Meditation Centre is one of the famous meditation centres in the country. Situated on the way to Kyaik Khami it has a big shaded compound with accommodations of both the monks and the lay people, inside the compound is one of the biggest Reclining Buddha images, over 200 metrest long. It is the largest Image in the world. Kyaik Maraw is about 45 kilometres from Mawiamyine by car. The road is very picturesque, meandering under tall swaying toddy palm trees. The remarkable feature of the Kyaik Maraw pagoda is that it is seated on a chair!
Book Title - Enchanting Myanmar Vol.5 No.3 July-September 2006.
