King Anawrahta, the builder of the First Myanmar Union
Okkar
Tuesday, 9 September, 2003
King Anawrahta, the builder of the First Myanmar Union
King Anawrahta the builder of the First Myanmar Union 42nd was the
42nd king in the long Bagan dynasty of 55 rulers. He ruled from AD
1044 to 1077. During that long reign of 33 years he carried out with
outstanding successes many works of merit in the fields of politics,
economics and religion.
With might and main he weilded power and maintained law and order and
peace. With the assistance of his faithful commanders and knights
errant who led his four armed forces - the Infantry, the cavalry, the
elephantry and the chariotry he extended his domains to the four
directions where his writ ran and his influence deeply felt. Prominent
among his brave men were five paladins (1) Kyanzittha the spearman of
Payeinma, (2) Byatta the swift runner and horse rider of Thaton (3)
Nyaung U-hpi the great Swimmer of Nyaung U (4) Nga Htwe Yu the toddy
climber of Myinmu and (5) Nga Lon Letphe the ploughman near Popa Hill.
For the defence of his far-flung Kingdom, Anawrahta organized armed
forces on levy system which required every town let and village to
raise a levy and built 43 outposts along the eastern foothills from
where external invaders used to come. Thirty three outposts still
exist today as villages. They are (1) Kaungton (2) Kaungsin and (3)
Shwegu in Bhamo district, (4) Yinkhe (5) Moda (6) Katha and (7)
Htigyaing in Katha district, (8) Mya-daung. (9) Tagaung (10) Hintha
Maw (11) Kyan-hnyat and (12) Sampanago in Mogok district, (13) Singu
(14) Konthaya (15) Magwetaya (16) Yenantha (17) Son-myo (18) Madaya
(19) Thetkegyin (20) Waynidoke (21) Taung-byone (22) Myo-din in
Mandalay district, (23) Mekkaya (24) Ta-on (25) Myin Saing (26) Myitha
in Kyaukse district (27) Hlaing-det (28) Thagaya (29) Nyaung Yan in
Meiktila district, (30) Shwe Myo in Yamethin district (31) Myohla (32)
Kelin and (33) Swa in Taungoo district.
With his armed forces Anawrahta toured his Kingdom and made
expeditions to neighbouring countries such as Bengal and Gandalayit
(China) for worshipping sacred shrines and relics of the Buddha. He
sent Kyansittha with a small body of men to Utha Pegu to defeat and
drive out the raiders from the Mekong Valley.
He gave military aid to Vijaya Bahu I of Ceylon at the latter's
request at the time of Cholas invasion.
Agriculture was Bagan's main economy and dry cultivation was the
general practice of the farmers in upper Myanmar. Networks of
irrigations were constructed throughout the Kingdom. Anawrahta
repaired the old water reservoirs like Meiktila Lake and constructed
the irrigation system which still enriches Kyaukse areas. He built
four weirs and canals such as Kinda, Ngalaingzin, Pyaungbya, and Kume
on the Panlaung River, and three weirs and canals, Nwadet, Kunhse and
Nga Pyaung on the Zawgyi River. Anawrahta personally supervised the
construction of irrigation works. He peopled the irrigated areas with
villages which under royal officers served the canals.
Eleven irrigated districts in Kyaukse areas came to be known as
"Le-dwin" or "the rice country. They are (1) Pinle (2) Myitmana (3)
Myittha (4) Myin-gon-daing (5) Ya mon (6) Pa-nan (7) Mekkhaya (8)
Ta-pyet-tha (9) Thin-daung (10) Ta-mok-so and (11) Khan-Lu-Six paddy
lands in Minbu areas are (1) Saku (2) Salin (3) Lei Kaing (4)
Mapinsaya (5) Phaung Lin and (6) Kya-bin. These irrigated paddy lands
were economic zones of Anawrahta's Bagan.
Anawrahta ecouraged internal trade and external commerce. With Bagan
as the Power House in the centre of Myanmar, natural water ways - the
Ayeyawady the Chindwin, the Shweli, the Tapaing, the Duthtawady, the
Zawgyi, the Panlaung and the Samon Rivers and yearly maintained
man-made roads and bridges provided access for internal trade and
movement of armed forces. Land routes in the remote regions though
difficult and not all weathered because of mountainous terrains and
heavy monsoon rain brought in cross-border swapping and bartering of
goods through border outposts and towns. Seaports on Myanmar coastline
such as Pathein, Dalla, Thanlyin, Negrai, Martama, Yey, Taninthayi,
Dawei and Myeik were gateways through which oversea contact for trade,
politics, religion and culture was made. Mentions of foreigners and
foreign missions are found recorded in the stone inscriptions of
Anawrahta's time.
In religion Anawrahta was accredited with "the Introducer of Theravada
Buddhism to Bagan." He was also the royal patron promoter and
supporter of Buddha Sasana, which flourished throughout his domains.
It was Maha Thera Shin Arahan, a learned missionary Mon monk from
Thaton who came to Bagan and advised Anawrahta to bring pure form of
Buddhism in written Tipitaka from Thaton (Suvanna Bhumi). Under the
guidance of this Raja Guru Shin Arahan and with the assistance of his
colleague missionary bhikkhus as well as the patronage and support of
Anawrahta, pure Buddhism was established, spread and flourished.
Debased Buddhism was stamped out and animistic practices and
superstitions beliefs were eliminated by royal orders. He sent monks
to Ceylon to help the Ceylonese King revive Buddha Sasana in his land.
Many religious buildings such as stupas, pagodas, temples,
monasteries, meditation caves, religious libraries and rest houses
were built by Anawrahta. Among many religious edifices to the credit
of Anawrahta, Shwezigon Pagoda at old Bagan is the most prominent one.
Anawrahta built it in A.D. 1059. In it were enshrined sacred relics of
the Buddha. The Pagoda was built of stone blocks brought by a human
chain from the quarries at the Tuyin hills about 7 miles away from the
site of the Pagoda. Pious devotees, by turn, lined up every day along
that distance and stone blocks were passed on by hands to the
construction site. Shwezigon Pagoda at old Bagan is held in great
veneration by the Buddhists at home and abroad. It is a solid,
cylindrical structure
resting on three square terraces, a prototype of Myanmar Stupa.
Reconstruction of the golden palace where Anawrahta had resided at a
well-chosen site in the archaeological zone of old Bagan is the
greatest tribute paid by the Myanmar people of today to King Anawrahta
the founder of the First Myanmar Union. The ground breaking ceremony
held at the construction site on the morning of 2 September 2003 was
graced with the attendance and participation of Prime Minister General
Khin Nyunt who took the leading role in the performance of the
rituals. Based upon stone inscriptions, mural paintings, old
chronicles, and historical records and accounts, archaeologists,
historians and architects have designed a scale model of the golden
palace of Anawrahta which will be constructed on the consecrated
ground in due course.
Author : Dr Khin Maung Nyunt
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