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INDIA BANGLADESH CHINA WEST BURMA RAKHINE STATE (Arakan) Sittwe • Mrauk U • Ngapali LAOS Bay of Bengal THAILAND
Rakhine State (Arakan) Along the Bay of Bengal, in the North West corner of Burma lie the splendid capital cities of ancient Arakan, full of immense temples built of stone. The Rakhine culture has flourished for over two thousand years and the strongly carved faces of the Buddha images are heritages of the Rakhine people’s pride in their culture. In the 2 nd c. AD, Ptolemy knew Arakan and mentioned it in his Geography. He named as Argyre (the Land of Silver) and was visited by merchants from southern India. With a capacity to produce 3 crops of paddy rice per year, it was very rich having also a lot of gold. Arakan was from then a cosmopolitan State with a vigorous and complex culture. Indian Brahmins and Buddhist monks spread their teaching, traders came by land and sea, and artists and architects used Indian and S.E. Asian models for inspiration. Arakan came into contact with other remote countries, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tibet and China. The art and architecture tell the story of the development of religious ideas and beliefs. Buddhist traditions are the most important in the formation of Arakan’s culture. It was a State between two cultures – Indian influence from Bengal but also from the Buddhist centers visited by monks and pilgrims, especially from Nalanda in north India. It was a fine time, with the kings hiring Japanese samurais as bodyguards and the naval fleet of 10,000 boats terrorizing neighboring countries from the Bay of Bengal. SITTWE (Akyab) Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine State and is located on the northern coast, near Bangladesh, on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers, emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Kaladan river forms also the international border between India and Burma. The waterfront location is striking and the town has about 200,000 inhabitants. Originally a small fishing village, Sittwe became an important seat of maritime commerce, especially as a port for the export of rice after the British occupation of Arakan, now known as Rakhine State. The British adopted the name Akyab for the place. Today it is used as a hub for visiting the temples of Mrauk U. The name Sittwe means “The place where the war meets”. When the Burmese King Bodawpaya invaded the Mrauk-U Kingdom in 1784, the Rakhine defenders encountered the Burmese force at the mouth of Kalandan River. In the ensuing battle, which was waged on both land and water, the Mrauk-U forces were defeated and all of the Arakanese defenders were killed. This defeat opened the route towards the inland Arakanese capital of Mrauk U, which was soon conquered, ending their independence. The largest ethnic group in Sittwe is the Rakhine people. Alongside, there are some Burmese and descendants of mainly Bengali immigrants during British rule. Approximately 60% of the city’s populace practices Theravada Buddhism. There is also a large Muslim population, roughly at 40%, and the central Jama Mosque is an impressive religious site in town. Sittwe is home to some of the most sacred Buddhist pagodas, some believed to have built in the days of Emperor Asaoka (r.269-232 BC). Sittwe’s greatest attraction is the morning colorful fish market, which starts around 6am on the Kaladan River bank. The fishermen bring their daily catch and the people are entering into the sea to unload them and sell them fresh. 86
Page 1 and 2: DIMITRA STASINOPOULOU BURMA’s PLE
Page 3 and 4: PRIVATE EDITION To the Lady of Burm
Page 5 and 6: PROLOGUE & MOTIVATION by Dimitra St
Page 7 and 8: In 1752, Alaungpaya became the firs
Page 9 and 10: INDIA BANGLADESH CHINA EAST BURMA I
Page 11 and 12: Inle Lake at dusk 19
Page 13 and 14: A rainbow appears above Inle lake -
Page 15 and 16: 26
Page 17 and 18: Houses made of teak wood, built on
Page 19 and 20: 34 Intha fisherman using his conica
Page 21 and 22: 38 Waiting for the royal barge, Pha
Page 23 and 24: Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival 43
Page 25 and 26: Regattas racing, Phaung Daw U Pagod
Page 27 and 28: Children selling wooden toys, entra
Page 29 and 30: 54 Kayan Padaung tribe long neck wo
Page 31 and 32: 58 Po O tribe woman, Shan States ro
Page 33 and 34: Women smoking cheroot (Burmese trad
Page 35 and 36: 66 Women from various Shan State tr
Page 37 and 38: 71
Page 39 and 40: 74 Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Nyaung
Page 41 and 42: Novice monks praying inside Shwe Ya
Page 43: 82 Dormitory, Shwe Yan Pyay Monaste
Page 47 and 48: 90 Kaladan River, early morning fis
Page 49 and 50: Open Central market, Sittwe 95
Page 51 and 52: 99
Page 53 and 54: City Center, Sittwe 103
Page 55 and 56: Dormitory, Phaya Gyi Pagoda & Monas
Page 57 and 58: Sunsetting over the Bay of Bengal 1
Page 59 and 60: 114 Escorting flight by seagulls, K
Page 61 and 62: Kaladan river 119
Page 63 and 64: Early morning fishing, Kaladan rive
Page 65 and 66: Tattooed women, Chin village 127
Page 67 and 68: Villagers carrying their daily wate
Page 69 and 70: 134 Returning from the fields, Mrau
Page 71 and 72: Htukkan Thein Temple (built 1571) &
Page 73 and 74: Andaw-Thein Temple or “The Tooth
Page 75 and 76: 146 Temple door guardians Nan-oo Im
Page 77 and 78: Fetching clean water, Mrauk U 151
Page 79 and 80: 154 Handmade cradle, Mrauk U villag
Page 81 and 82: 158 Mrauk U children
Page 83 and 84: Thanaka makeup paste, made from tha
Page 85 and 86: Selling fresh fish, Mrauk U open ma
Page 87 and 88: 170 Dock at sunset, Mrauk U
Page 89 and 90: Ngapali beach 175
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Page 93 and 94: 182 Daily catch, Ngapali fishing vi
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187
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190 Marks on the sand, made by very
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194
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Fishermen repairing their boats 199
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202 Young girl helping children wit
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Mount Popa & Taung Kalat Shrine Mou
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Macaque monkeys, Mount Popa 213
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216 Buddhist pagodas & temples, acr
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Standing Buddhas (10m height), faci
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224 Selling watermelon in the court
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Local transportation, Bagan village
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232 Hanging bird nests, village clo
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236 Village life
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240 Village festival parade, Bagan
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244 Lunch time, village festival, B
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248 Fish Market
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252 Rice Market
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Puppet show, Bagan 257
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260 Novice monks, on their morning
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264 U-Bein bridge, Amarapura
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268 Early morning, U-Bein Bridge
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272 Shwenandaw Kyaung Monastery (bu
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276 Maha Ganayon Monastery, Mandala
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280 Streets of Mandalay
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284 Snake Temple area, Pale
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288 Burmese traditional dances
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292 Horse-drawn Victorian carriages
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296 Tailor shop, Maymyo
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Morning alms round, Maymyo market 3
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304 Open market, Maymyo
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Train passengers on their way to La
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312 Train station, Maymyo
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316 Flooded street, Shan State vill
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320 Sunset, Irrawaddy River
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Chidren working on a river boat 325
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328 Yandobo village (specializing i
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332 Returning from the fields, Yand
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336 Yandobo river village, Sagaing
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340 Small shop, Sagaing village
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Sagaing Nunnary 345
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348 Sunset, Irrawaddy River
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INDIA BANGLADESH CHINA SOUTH BURMA
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Entrance to Shwedagon Pagoda, belie
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Shwedagon Pagoda devotees paying th
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364 The Shwedagon Pagoda is entirel
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368 Naga Hlainggu Aung Chantha, Mon
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372 Nuns at Naga Hlainggu Aung Chan
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376 Nuns praying before the daily m
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380 Waterfront, Hlaing River, Yango
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384 Reclining Buddha (measuring 54m
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Young nuns, Meditation Center, Bago
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392
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396 Bago countryside
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Hermit on the way to the Golden roc
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Worshipers placing gold leaf on The
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BURMΑ'S PLEA

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