Golden Mrauk Oo

By Douglas Long

I

t is nearly impossible to think about the ancient ruins of Mrauk U without comparing them to

Bagan. Bagan is bigger, grander and more famous, but Mrauk U is more mysterious and remote, and therefore less crowded. While Bagan is a location as well as an experience, Mrauk U is both of these plus a journey, a destination book-ended by 65-kilometre boat trips away from Sittwe on the coast of Rakhine State and back again. Getting there is part of the adventure. 16 Air Mandalay

Kothaung Pagoda Founded around 1430, Mrauk U is quite a bit younger than Bagan, which entered its golden era around the 11th century AD. Mrauk U was the last capital of the Rakhine kingdom, preceded by royal cities such as Dhanyawaddy, Vesali and Launggret. The latter was founded in 1251 and served as the capital until 1406, when it was invaded by the king of Inwa. For the next 24 years, armies from central Myanmar, Inwa and Bago battled nearly constantly for control of the city, and it traded hands a number of times. Following the 1406 invasion, the Rakhine King Minsawmon had been forced to flee to Bengal. In 1429 he attacked Launggret and won it back once and for all. According to legend, a series of bad omens prompted him to seek another site for the capital with the help of astrologers. Historians say the king was simply dissatisfied with the geographical vulnerability of Launggret, which sat in the middle of a plain. He is said to have chosen Mrauk U because of its location in a valley surrounded by defensible mountains. Mrauk U was the Rakhine capital from 1430 to 1785, during which time it gained great wealth as a duty-free port that attracted large numbers of merchants from near and far, including western countries such as the Netherlands, Portugal and

According to legend, a series of bad omens prompted King Minsawmon to seek another site for the capital with the help of astrologers.

Spain. King Minbin (1531-1553) built a large naval fleet with modern cannon to patrol 1600 kilometres of coastal territory. Chronicles from the period claim the number of ships reached 10,000. In addition to defensive walls that were built to join higher natural points, a network of moats was dug to supply fresh water, and for transportation and defence. In 1623 the Rakhine became even more formidable when Japanese samurai came to Mrauk U to serve as royal guards. Much of this history and more can be digested at the Rakhine State Cultural Museum in Sittwe. Air Mandalay 17

The remote mysteries of Mrauk U

Rakhine State Cultural Museum in Sittwe While it is possible leave for Mrauk U by boat shortly after arriving at the airport, the museum and other sights around town make it worth staying for at least one night. My travel companion and I opted to linger, checking out the Jama Mosque, Lokananda Paya and the markets filled with products imported from neighbouring Bangladesh. In late afternoon we hired a trishaw to take us to the Point, an arrow of land where the Kaladan River flows into the Bay of Bengal. Along the way, we passed groups of locals strumming guitars by the road, playing football and repairing boats

The winding hallways are lined with Buddha figures and lead to the cave-like central chamber with the main Buddha image.

on the tidal flats, and pulling fishing nets in from the shallows. We reached the Point just in time to enjoy a drink while watching the sunset. Waves crashed on the rocks where black crabs scuttled. When darkness fell, red lights came on in the fishing boats off the coast. When the beauty of the sea became too much to bear, we walked back down the road to Gisspanadi Restaurant, deservedly famous for its fresh seafood dishes. Our boat for Mrauk U left at 7:15am the next morning. Like the locals, we huddled in our sling chairs against the chilly December morning as the ferry pulled away from the dock and into the wide river. Relative warmth came pretty quickly though, and after a couple hours I was able to snap photos without my hands shaking too badly from the cold. The river narrowed and twisted as we passed a series of picturesque towns – Po Knarr Kyaun (overlooked by a hilltop pagoda), Set Tharr (a small town with a long pier) and Pya Te (a big town with a short pier) – on our way to Mrauk U. We reached our destination just past 1:00pm, giving us time to explore a bit before dark. The

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The remote mysteries of Mrauk U

distances in Mrauk U are not as great as those in Bagan, so we took off on foot, heading north to the pagodas closest to our hotel. Our first encounter was with Shittaung Pagoda (Shrine of 80,000 Images), named for the number of religious images placed inside by its builder, King Minbin. The central stupa, surrounded by nearly 30 smaller shrines, has thick walls that lend a dark, eerie atmosphere to the interior. The winding hallways are lined with Buddha figures and lead to the cave-like central chamber with the main Buddha image. Also at the shrine is the three-metre-high Shittaung Pillar, brought to the site from Vesali by King Minbin in 1535. Three sides are inscribed with Sanskrit-language chronicles of Rakhine history.

The winding hallways are lined with Buddha figures and lead to the cave-like central chamber with the main Buddha image.

Northeast of Shittaung is the octagonal Andaw Paya, said to contain a Buddha tooth relic brought by King Minbin from Sri Lanka. Outside, we could hear monks chanting in a nearby monastery and children shouting and playing in the adjacent village. After a stop at the solid-brick Ratanabon Pagoda, we walked through a small valley on a dirt track that we shared with villagers carrying wood, as well as with wandering gangs of goats, cattle

Sunset at the Point in Sittwe

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The remote mysteries of Mrauk U

Thousand of Buddha images line the passageways of Kothaung Pagoda

To the east of Ratanamanaung Pagoda was Laykhinpyin field, once used as a training ground for Rakhine soldier archers.

and dogs. Despite the company, we basked in the late afternoon serenity of the place as we wandered past the awkwardly leaning Laungbyanpauk Paya, with its glazed tiles of red, yellow, blue and green, and the tiny Pitaka Taik, built in 1591 as a repository for the books of the Buddhist canon. From the valley floor we scampered up a hillside to check out Mahabodhi Shwegu and Ratanasanraway Pagoda before descending to a smoky village of barking dogs and children shouting “Bye bye!” as we approached. On the far side was the 55-metre-high Ratanamanaung Pagoda, to the east of which was Laykhinpyin field, once used as a training ground for Rakhine soldier archers. With the day and our strength waning, we bushwhacked to another hilltop to watch the sun go down. Local women sang, laughed and waved to us from the bottom of the hill. The bats that flitted across the darkening sky looking for insects to eat reminded us that we were hungry too, so we climbed back down and set out in search of dinner. The next day we opted to rely on our feet once again, even though we had much greater distances to travel. There was Laymyetnha Paya, with its small, circular hallway around a central Buddha,

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The remote mysteries of Mrauk U

followed by Dukkanthein Paya, whose layout is based on a creepy spiralling hallway lined with 146 Buddha alcoves that allows a smattering of sunlight to pass through and illuminate even the innermost chamber. We wandered footpaths through small villages and past jungle monasteries on our way to gilded Sakyamanaung Paya, and then followed a wider dirt road for the long trek to Kothaung Pagoda (Shrine of 90,000 Images), the biggest in Mrauk U. It was built by King Mintaikkha, son of King Minbin, in 1553 to outdo his father’s Shittaung pagoda by 10,000 images. Some say that’s why it was found in such a state of disrepair, having been struck by lighting for the disrespect King Mintaikkha had shown to his father. The last stop on our agenda was the old palace area. There’s not much left except the 3.5-metrehigh sandstone walls, which are impressive enough. Also on the site is an archaeological museum displaying artefacts from the Vesali, Launggret and Mrauk U periods. But where the magnificently lacquered and gilded teak residence of kings and queens once stood is now a weed-covered lawn pocked with pits dug by archaeologists working to uncover the lost glories of the past. After dark on our last evening before heading back to Sittwe, we went for a walk outside of town. Out there, past where the streetlights ended, twinkling stars and flashing fireflies competed to be the main source of light. We could see almost nothing, but we could hear disembodied voices singing, laughing and shouting from a nearby village. Despite the loss

of the ancient palace and other monuments to the ravages of time, it was easy to imagine that the nights would have sounded pretty much the same hundreds of years ago, when Mrauk U was at the height of its power.

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Still waters reflect the pagodas and sky of Mrauk U.