The Serpent and the King: The Dutch-Arakanese Relationship (Re-submitting)

by Stephan Van Galen

Remains of Dutch factory in Mrauk U, Arakan

D.G.E. Hall, the eminent historian of Southeast Asia, in his ‘’Studies in Dutch relations with Arakan’’, was the first to point out the importance of the Dutch language sources for a study on the history of Arakan. Hall pieced together a preliminary overview of the Dutch-Arakanese relationship on the basis of the published Daghregisters or diaries of Batavia. In his history of Southeast Asia Hall even based his description of 17th century Arakan almost entirely on the Daghregister and further source publications: the Corpus Diplomaticum Neerlando-Indicum and De Jonge’’s Opkomst van het Nederlandsch gezag in Oost-Indie.

THESE BUDDHIST KINGS WITH MUSLIM NAMES

by Dr Jacques P. Leider

 

A discussion of Muslim influence in the Mrauk-U Period

‘Shut off from Burma by a hill range, Arakan has a separate history, but it is the same in kind’, is one of those unhappy generalizations of Geoffey, Harvey, the British colonial historian, which are waiting to be shaken by thorough research.

If Arakanese history were the same in kind, why should we care to study it in lengthy detail? It might turn out to be a case study of general Myanmar history and as such be local history. But can Rakhaing history be reduced to be a case study of Myanmar history?

If Arakan has a separate history, while having a common past with the country it belongs to, I wonder why there has been so little interest in Arakanese history.

Arakanese History

The Arakanese history records the early Arakanese to migrate in Arakan and settled down in their true land since time immemorial. The independent and sovereign Buddhist Kingdom of Arakan had been splendidly flourishing from 3325 B.C. till the Burman invaders occupied it in 1784. The history of Arakan can be divided in to four major period throughout its thousand-years-long history.
They are:
- Dhannyawaddy Period

• The 1st Dhannyawaddy Period (King Marayu, BC. 3325 – BC. 1483)
• The 2nd Dhannyawaddy Period (King Kanrazagree, BC. 1483 – BC. 580)
• The 3rd Dhannyawaddy Period (King Chandra Surya, BC. 580 - AD. 326)

- Vesali Period (King Dvan Chandra, AD. 327 – AD. 1018)
- Laemro Period (King Nga Tone Munn, AD. 1018 – AD.1406)
- Mrauk-U Period (King Munn Saw Mwan, AD.1430 – 1784)

Dhannyawaddy Era [?????????]
The 1st Dhannyawaddy Period (BC. 3325 – BC. 1483)
According to the legend, Dhanyawadi [????????????????] (the first independent Arakan kingdom) was established in 3325 B.C by King Maryu [?????] (the Arakanese legendary hero-ancestor). It is said that King Rarayu [?????] had married the daughter of the chief of Mro [????] tribe and had founded Dhanyawadi [????????????????] after defeating the bilus [??????] (demon-like creatures) who arrived earlier in the area.

The Lost of Chittagong and Twelve Bengal Districts
Even though Arakan had reached zenith of power in the Bay when it was under the rule of the skilled and powerful kings, the country's glory and fame has steadily declined when it was succeeded and ruled by the unqualified kings. Chittagong and other districts of Bengal were invaded and occupied by the Moghal in 1666 AD.

The Lost of Arakan Kingdom, its nation and national identity
After the Moghal invaded and annexed part of the Arakanese territories, internal instability and dethroning of kings had happened very often in Arakan Court. Taking opportunity in the overall weakness inside the country, the Burmese King U Wine violated the good-friendly neighbour's ethics and dispatched his invading forces into Arakan in mid-November, 1784 and occupied it by the end of 1784.

Arakan oil lamp dance

The brass open-oil lamp found in the city of Vesali

          The second open-oil lamp can be found in the ancient city of Vesali. It is made of brass. It measures 9 inches high from the plinth to the edge of the statue. It is a female figure and stretching her hands in parallel. The brass open-oil lamp in the form of hemisphere of the gourd, is held with her fingers. The front edge of the open-oil lamp was used to put the loop of the wick. The oil to light the open-oil lamp, was not gasoline, coconet oil and wood oil, but the butter made from the milk.

Why the open-oil lamp was used

          Nowadays, lighting offering to Buddha becomes a traditional custom in Rakhine state because Rakhine people made lighting offering to Buddha from time immemorial as they believed that light offering dedicating to the three gems called Buddha, Dhamma and Samgha(or) gods, was superior to any other offerings.

The history of the open-oil lamp

          The historians believe that Greek and Roman arrived in the southern part of India in order to trade goods bringing the female statues with the oil lamps in the 2 century AD. Besides, they also believe that the southern Indian cast the oil lamps with their wanted figures modeling the statues the European took.

Kyin: The traditional Rakhine (Arakan) wrestling

Htay Win

Kyin wrestling is favorite sports of the Rakhine National people since ancient

time. Kyin wrestling, being a kind of national identity for Rakhine people, is one of national

sports in Arakan (Rakhine) that is very popular up to this day. Kyin means a spinning top

in Rakhine language. Some point out that Kyin was derived from Kyar Yin. 

The Kyar Yin was being corrupted to Kyin. Literally, Kyar means the tiger and Yin means the fly. But some people there called wrestling jun. In many part of Rakhine any large festivity wouldn’t be completed without the Kyin tournament. 

In the first round, one athlete has to act like a tiger or as an offensive wrestler while another one is acting like a fly or as a defensive wrestler. During the second round, defensive one in the first round becomes the offensive one while the offensive

one in the first round becomes the defensive one. They change the roles alternatively until the game is over. 

In a wrestling tournament, it needs two athletes to compete for the first  session. and the winner has to compete against another opponent in the second session. Thus, winner

competes against a new opponent in each session eliminating them until he reaches the  final session for getting the trophy. The offensive wrestler is called Aphan and defensive wrestler is called Akhan in Rakhine language. 

We Fight,We Win!

In the so-called Myanmar , Army and Police are not true to their duty. Myanmar
Army is considered to be one among the worst in the world.

Instead of guarding people,Myanmar Army is killing,raping,persecuting. The society and minority ,there in, are being subjected the worst persecution all the time by Myanmar Army.

Revolutionary Army named Arakan Army clashes in Arakan ,which is being occupied and colonized by Myanmar, nowadays with Myanmar army is that Arakan people are , at the end , unable to bear colonization of Myanmar or Burma.
 To gain freedom from Myanmar colony, Arakan Army is struggling and fighting for its people against Myanmar Army with a Motto (We fight,We win!) and with genuine determination ( We will never ever give up)

https://ula.today/category/news/