The caves of Myanmar: MyinMaHti cave

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P AKO LZW AungBan Loikaw road 1998

AKO LZW AungBan Loikaw road 1998

I first came to know about the MyinMaHti cave during my many visits to Kalaw. On the higher north side of the Kalaw Zay / market, facing the Taunggyi highway are several tour guide offices. They promote hiking tours and among them is the trek to the MyinMaHti cave. I have looked at their itenieries which include the trek to the Palaung village out of interest but never thought of hiking to the MyinMaHti cave from Kalaw although I had walked to the MyinTaik station and the Kalaw reservoir / dam during my student days.

I got to the MyinMaHti cave unexpectedly for the first time when I visited Loikaw in 1998. It lies in Kalaw township, 4 miles away as a crow flies from Kalaw, but on the road to Loikaw (4 miles) which began from the Taunggyi road just (2 miles) before it reaches Aungban. One has to go in an indirect way to reach it by road.

Once on the Loikaw road, the scene became very different, unlike any other place I have been. It is different from the view along the road to Pindaya and also from the rail track side view between Aungban and NyaungShwe which are also beautiful. Once one passed through a pass between 2 hills, one gets to a plain where there are hillocks as far as one can see and they are so beautiful that I stopped to take photos of the scene and some portraits.

When I saw the road side sign of the MyinMaHti cave, I dropped in to visit it. It was not in the original plan. This is the advantage of travelling by one’s car. One can stop anytime anywhere for a rest or a visit. Going along with tours also have their advantages of not being burdened with plans but one has to go along their iteniery which would most probably not suit you and travelling by bus or train, one cannot stop anywhere one chooses to.

The second time I got there was in 2000 when I went there intentionally while visiting Pindaya from Kalaw, but did not get there in 2008 when we went to Kalaw by bus and made tours by hired car from Kalaw.

At the MyinMaHti cave, there are many Buddha statutes, both outside and inside the cave as the cave is a Buddhist shrine. We went inside the cave and at the cave ends at another opening in the other side of the hill at some elevation from the entrance opening which lies near the ground level. The hill is not a very big one and rises out apart from others, unlike most limestone caves which occur inside massive limestone structures that have openings in the wall of the cliffs and extend inside to end somewhere.

The MyinMaHti cave is 1028 ft long from the entrance opening to the exit opening.

The original pagoda with 3 tiered Htis / umbrellas was first built by the king Thiri Dhammar ThawKa / ArThawKa / Asoka who built 84,000 stupas and have 84,000 lakes dug, and later repaired by king Anawratha and king Alaungsithu. Thus the presence of 3 Htis / umbrellas, although I wonder whether the Htis / umbrellas are actually the good deeds of the mentioned 3 kings as it is a well known fact that stupas of the Bagan era do not have Htis / umbrellas in their original form and the Htis / umbrellas now present in Bagan stupas are the good deeds of later donors.

There are also a collection of 28 Buddha statutes / HnaKyeit ShitHsu, 14 above and 14 below, donated by king Anawratha

OhnNaLone MywayShin stupa

Some of the Buddha images are of 3^rd century AD while the earliest stupa is over 2300 years BP and there are many Buddha images of Bagan era

The cave is lined by stalactites and there are natural formations on the walls which have uncanny resemblance to life like structures. They are:

YaThe. PhoWin Gu / Zawgyi Gu with YaThe. Gaung Pyat / headless YaThe. human body structure

NatThamee ThaNaKharr KyaukPyin / Angel’s ThaNaKharr grinding stone

Kyauk Hsin MiTharrSu / rock elephant family

Kyauk Hsin Phyu Taw / rock white elephant

Kyauk MaHar BawDi Pin / rock Bo tree

Hsin Chi Taing / elephant tying pole Myinn Chi Taing / horse tying pole

Kyauk Nwarr / rock cow

Kyauk KhaYuThinn / rock conch

Kyauk Shwe Hintha / rock Brahiminy duck

There are also natural wonders

Kyauk Si Kyauk Mauung / Shan Mauung / Danu Mauung / rock drums: multiple protrusions of rock on the wall which make different musical pitches

NatThamee Yay Kan / Angel’s pond where water seeps out from the wall to collect and is always full year round and which when applied is supposed to bring beauty and be mind cleansing

3 NatThamee Tharr Myat / Angel’s breasts

 

 

 

http://www.greentrail-indochina.com/myanmar/s_shan_state.html

Myin Mahti Cave : A 1,020 feet long cave circling through the limestone. It offers a variety of different little stupas and religious images, illuminated weakly by an old generator outside the cave. The first stupa was built in the cave over 2,300 years ago by King Thiri Damar Thaw Kayarzar and has three tiers of umbrellas.

 

Myin-ma-hti Cave Pagoda,near Taunggyi{A.D 17}

http://ladyphyu.multiply.com/photos/album/198/Myin-ma-hti_Cave_Pagodanear_TaunggyiA.D_17

A Salient Myin Ma Hti

Kalaw which lies on the hilly region in the northern Shan State is located 4315 ft above sea level. If you look at the town from a distance, you can see a beautiful town in the midst of green and lush mountain ranges.

Now, we¡¯ll be presenting to you a salient natural cave, called ¡° Myin Ma Hti¡±, which is an ideal spot to visit in Kalaw. Myin Ma Hti natural cave is situated in Myin Ma Hti village, Kalaw Township. It is bordered with Pin Laung Township in the south and Myin Kapar village in the north. The Myin Ma Hti hill is 1075 ft high. It is an enchanting hill for visitors to take a tracking tour. Myin Ma Hti natural cave lies on the Pin Laung-HpeKhon-Loikaw motor road, 4 miles from Kalaw and 2 miles from Aung Pan.

This natural cave has existed for thousands years ago. The length of the cave is 1028 ft and there are many small caves on the either sides. The cave is also named Yewin cave because water flowed into the cave in the ancient time. It has one entrance and one exit. In the cave, many pagodas and statues have been built since over 2300 years ago, in the reign of King Thiri Dahmar Sawka and their handicrafts are intricate and unique. According to the archaeological research, some of the statues were built earlier than 17 or 18 AD.

At the entrance of the cave, there are many stalactites, where cool water is dripping steadily.

While observing these stalactites, you can also pay homage to the ancient historical Mywe Taw Shin pagoda with a three-tiered finial.

That¡¯s why, if you happen to visit Kalaw, in the Southern Shan State, we would like to urge you, do come and study Myin Ma Hti natural cave to be able to revere the pagodas and to obtain general knowledge, while viewing the lovely natural vistas and breathing cozy fresh air from the hill.

Who is responsible?

When I attended the Hazop safety training in Kuala Lumpur in November 2006 with 2 colleagues from my Company, we (there were about 30 attendents from SEAsian and Middle east countries and the 3 of us were the only Myanmars in that course) were given an exercise in which we were given an unsafe situation with resultant death of a worker and asked “Who is responsible”?

At a construction site of a high rise building, in one of the top floors near the elevator shaft, there was no warning sign and barrier at the opening of the elevator and a construction worker fell down and died of injuries.

We were asked: asked “Who is responsible”?

Some answered Supervisor, some Manager, and so on, but the lecturer was not satisfied with any of our answers and soon, we ran out of answers.

The lecturer finally told us: CEO

The reason: if any of the staff does not know and practice safety regulations, it is the responsibility of the CEO because he should have made sure his managers and supervisors are trained properly.

I had written about part of my current problem in my earlier note Irresponsible Myanmar International Company: Wisara International.

The problem is that people (neighbours living in the same road and Ward) keep throwing rubbish near my home. I live in Thirimingalar road / Attia road, 8 Ward, Kamaryut Township, Yangon and there is a transformer and Municipal water well and pump house in a space between the end of the Pyay Yeikthar road and the coener of the Thirimingalar / Attia road near my house. This space has been where people threw rubbish but the Ward PDC has posted signs not to throw rubbish and that anyone doing so will be fined 10.000 Kts. There was planting of Jatropha plants at the space several years ago as part of the national Jatropha project and the plants are now over 6 ft high. But when the Jatropha project became neglected, people began to throw rubbish again, but many do not dare throw rubbish there but at the side of my compound across the road. I have to clear it every morning and evening whenever I am at home.

The municipal does not collect rubbish from homes and the official rubbish dumps are at the other ends of the Ward on the Hledan and NarNatTaw roads in the evenings while I live in between. While many dispose their rubbish properly as I do, some neighours dispose around my house. Of course, most are maids or handymen, not the actual family members of the neighbours. But the household heads and their house wives do not seem to know or care where their help throw their rubbish.

Who is responsible for such irresponsible behavior?

The same reasoning regarding the construction safety applies to rubbish throwing around my house. If the maids and handymen do not dispose the rubbish properly at the assigned places, it is the responsibility of their employers who should have trained them and checked that they do their rubbish throwing properly.

These people, I am sad to mention and record, are some of my neighbors, those who live on the Thirimingalar road / Attia road, the Pyay Yeikthar road, 8 Ward, Kamaryut Township.

Hinthar / Be-Hintha / Brahminy duck / Ruddy Shelduck

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hinthar / ruddy shelduck

 

Hinthar / Be-Hintha / Brahminy duck / Ruddy Shelduck

I found a post of Phoenix duck photo in FB by Aung Win, marked by a friend and thought how it looked like a Hinthar. Of course the colour is different, but ducks are ducks and they look alike as both are not white. I had heard about Hinthars since young from the tales, myths and seen them in pictures, utensils and in pagodas. Hinthars are part of our cultural heritage. We have tri-pidaka on hinthar, Thura ThaThi on hinthar, hinthar weights, hinthar toys, hinthar Yun / laquerware, etc. Later I saw them live in the Yangoon Zoological Gardens in the large bird cage.

Bago has a double hinthar as its emblem. It originated from the local myth that a long time ago, the area was water with only a small rock above the sea. A hinthar couple became tired when it reached this area and as there was only place for one bird to perch on, the male got down first and the female got on its back and rested. That is why, it is said, the wives get the upper hand in Bago.

There is also a story of how 90,000 hinthars entrapped in a cave got destroyed after they ate each other but I do not remember the exact plot. It is from the Buddhawin maybe one of the 550 jakatas.

Seeing the Phoenix duck led me to search for it on the net and I was dismayed not to find any duck on the first page. There were only I searched for hinthar and this led me to Brahmani duck which looks a little different but as it was flying, I thought it was a hinthar. But after reading Prof. Maung Maung Nyo’s comments “Hintha or Brahmani ducks as you called” I searched for hinthar again and got to “Brahminy duck” / Ruddy Shelduck which is the correct hinthar I have seen on the Ayeyarwaddy sand banks (Banks of clean sand are what the brahminy duck requires) while I was working with the Road to Mandalay back in 1997. I had seen them on sand banks between Mandalay and Nyaung Oo, far from human habitation. They are also seen around Minbu – Mann oil field Ayeyarwaddy shore but I have not observed them as I rarely get to the shore.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_Shelduck

The Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea, is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae. In India it is known as the Brahminy Duck.

There are very small resident populations of this species in north west Africa and Ethiopia, but the main breeding area of this species is from south east Europe across central Asia to southeast China. These birds are mostly migratory, wintering in southern Asia.

it has not been observed on the coastal mudflats, but along the Ayeyarwady it is probably the commonest duck in winter, and although it may arrive in flocks and break up into pairs as soon as the winter partners have been chosen, several pairs may collect together, but it is very unusual to see more than twenty five or thirty birds in any one gathering.

In winter it is the commonest duck on the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin rivers and on the larger rivers of southern Myanmar and Rakhine. It is occasionally seen on inland lakes and jheels and pairs or small flocks regularly visit the Sittwe and Ponnagyun mudflats in October or early November and are of the last to depart, staying till early in April.

In Tibet and Mongolia, Ruddy Shelduck is considered sacred by the Buddhists. It is also a sacred animal in Slavic mythology.^{[citation needed]}

In Hindi and Urdu (India/Pakistan) it is called Surkhab.

Phoenix Ducks

Nyi Win they look like Brahmani duck / Hinthar

Nyi Win the colour and pattern is different
but of course, ducks are ducks
I have not seen Brahmani duck / Hinthar for 13 years although they are said to be present on the Ayeyarwaddy banks around Minbu – Mann oil field

Maung Nyo There are Hintha or Brahmani ducks as you called on the sand banks of Irrawaddy, Chindwin and Pegu rivers. I recently saw their photographs and described as such by a foreigner photographer.

Nyi Win

thanks for the information Sayargyi
I first saw the Brahmani duck / Hinthar on the sand banks of the Ayeyarwaddy between Mandalay and Nyaung Oo when I worked for the Road to Mandalay and heard that they are also present around Minbu
the hinthar and nagarr murals and sculptures of Bagan era (the Nagayone temple, SulaMaNi temple, Phayarr Thone Hsu, etc.) in the Bagan temples look lifelike, real ducks and snakes, not the current day ones which look like myths

Nyi Win

when I searched for “hinthar” yesterday, I got Brahmani duck, which looks a little different from the ones I saw on the Ayeyarwaddy and the Yangon Zoo
today, it led me to “Brahminy duck” / Ruddy Shelduck which is the correct Hinthar on the …Ayeyarwaddy
please visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_Shelduck

Maung Nyo Dear Dr NW, TQ. I think they use Sheldrake and Shelduck for Hintha male and female.

Nyi Win it can also be seen in the Yangon Zoological Gardens at Kandawgyi

Maung Nyo Dear NW,TQ. The Hinthas are associated with Mon people. They called Pegu (Bago) as Hanthawaddy and a picture of Sheldrake bearing a shelduck is the national emblem of Mon. Gautama Buddha told the story of elimination of th whole tribe of 90,000 ducks by eating each other(Cannibalism). Henzada was named after a sheldrake(?).

Nyi Win thank you Sayargyi
I could not remember the source of the “hinthar koethaung pyet see chinn” in the cave

Harry Hpone Thant You will see a lot of Ruddy Shelduck on the sandbars of the Ayeyaewady and Chindwin from January to the beginning of the monsoon when the Ayeyarwady rises.

also see

http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/Perspective/persp1998/2-98/duc2-98.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_Shelduck

http://www.birding.in/birds/Anseriformes/Anatidae/ruddy_shelduck.htm

BRAHMINY DUCK
(BE-HINTHA) OF MYANMAR

http://www.myanmar.gov.mm/Perspective/persp1998/2-98/duc2-98.htm

• Local Name: Myanmar. Be-Hintha
• General Features

Length 25 inches. Black primaries and a white patch on the wing, nearly concealed at rest, are conspicuous in flight. The female has no black collar. Young birds are like the female, but duller, and have black vermiculated with brown and pale rufors and the tail narrowly barred and tipped with rufors.

• Voice

A loud melodious ‘ah-onk’, with variants, is uttered freely. The voices of the male and female are said to be distinguishable, the former having more of an “o” sound, the latter an “a” sound.

• Habits and Habitats

Banks of clean sand are what the brahminy duck requires, resembling in this respect the bar-headed goose. It is not typically a bird of the jheels, though it may be met with occasionally, and it has not been observed on the coastal mudflats, but along the Ayeyarwady it is probably the commonest duck in winter, and although it may arrive in flocks and break up into pairs as soon as the winter partners have been chosen, several pairs may collect together, but it is very unusual to see more than twenty five or thirty birds in any one gathering.

• Status and distribution

A southern palaearctic species. In winter it is the commonest duck on the Ayeyarwady and Chindwin rivers and on the larger rivers of southern Myanmar and Rakhine. It is occasionally seen on inland lakes and jheels and pairs or small flocks regularly visit the Sittwe and Ponnagyun mudflats in October or early November and are of the last to depart, staying till early in April.

Aung Moe Hein (F.D)

Ruddy Shelduck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_Shelduck

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Ruddy Shelduck
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Genus:	Tadorna
Species:	T. ferruginea
Binomial name
Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764)
Synonyms
Casarca ferruginea Anas ferruginea Casarca rutila

The Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea, is a member of the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae. In India it is known as the Brahminy Duck.

There are very small resident populations of this species in north west Africa and Ethiopia, but the main breeding area of this species is from south east Europe across central Asia to southeast China. These birds are mostly migratory, wintering in southern Asia.

Male & Female at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.

Although becoming quite rare in southeast Europe and southern Spain, the Ruddy Shelduck is still common across much of its Asian range. It may be this population which gives rise to vagrants as far west as Iceland, Great Britain and Ireland. However, since the European population is declining, it is likely that most occurrences in western Europe in recent decades are escapes or feral birds. Although this bird is observed in the wild from time to time in eastern North America, no evidence of a genuine vagrant has been found.

This is a bird of open country, and it will breed on cliffs,^[1] in burrows, tree holes or crevices distant from water, laying 6-16 creamy-white eggs, incubated for 30 days. The Ruddy Shelduck is usually found in pairs or small groups and rarely forms large flocks. However, moulting and wintering gatherings on chosen lakes or slow rivers can be very large.

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea at Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, Gloucestershire, England.

The Ruddy Shelduck is a distinctive species, 58–70 cm long with a 110–135 cm wingspan. It has orange-brown body plumage and a paler head. The wings are white with black flight feathers. It swims well, and in flight looks heavy, more like a goose than a duck. The sexes of this striking species are similar, but the male has a black ring at the bottom of the neck in the breeding season summer, and the female often has a white face patch. The call are is a loud wild honking.

In captivity this species is generally aggressive and antisocial and is best housed in pairs unless in a very large area. Then it may mix with other species, although it will still be feisty at breeding time.

The genus name Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and means “pied waterfowl”, essentially the same as the English “shelduck”.^[2]

In Tibet and Mongolia, Ruddy Shelduck is considered sacred by the Buddhists. It is also a sacred animal in Slavic mythology.^{[citation needed]}

In Hindi and Urdu (India/Pakistan) it is called Surkhab.

The Ruddy Shelduck is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.

[edit] References

1. ^ Stockley C H (1923) Some notes on Indian game birds. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 29:278-279
2. ^ Kear, Janet (2005). Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press. pp. 420. ISBN 0 19 861008 4. http://books.google.com/books?id=MfrdBcKd79wC&pg=RA1-PA439&lpg=RA1-PA439&dq=crested+shelduck&source=web&ots=RS734hgSmI&sig=006C0Hb6hpDK1aAEwu-ivfssJBk#PRA1-PA441,M1.

• BirdLife International (2004). Tadorna ferruginea. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Madge and Burn, Wildfowl ISBN 0-7470-2201-1
• Mullarney, Svensson, Zetterstrom and Grant, Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0-00-219728-6
• http://www.birding.in/birds/Anseriformes/Anatidae/ruddy_shelduck.htm

[edit] Gallery

Female at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.

Female at Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India.

Ruddy Shelduck  http://www.birding.in/birds/Anseriformes/Anatidae/ruddy_shelduck.htm This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Kingdom: Animalia     Phylum: Chordata     Class: Aves (Birds)     Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae Ruddy Shelduck – photograph © Rajiv Lather Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), also called Brahminy Duck, is a common winter visitor in India. This bird is found in large wetlands, rivers with mud flats and shingle banks. Found in large congregation on lakes and reservoirs. It breeds in high altitude lakes and swamps in Jammu & Kashmir. Arrives in north India by October and departs by April. Size: 66 cm Identification: Orange brown duck with a buff colored head. The male develops a black collar in breeding season. Black primaries. Local name: Surkhab, Chakwa (male), Chakwi (female) Food: grain, vegetable shoots, tubers, aquatic insects, molluscs, reptiles

Gokteik Viaduct

 

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GokTeit viaduct

I have always been perplexed by the term Gokteik Viaduct but has not looked into the matter until recently, when I saw the BaWaThanThaYar bridge photo posted by my friend and classmate May Chan (her father’s photo).

The relation between the 2 might seem queer to many, but they are the 2 must-see railway bridges built by the British during the colonial times. I have experience with both as my father was a railways civil engineer who had taken the posts of D.E. Bridges, D.E. Mandalay (which controls the Thazi ShweNyaung tract) and finally before retirement, Dy. C.E., Bridges. He was involved in the rebuilding of the Sittaung bridge when I was young and the building of the Gokteik Viaduct bypass tract just before his retirement.

Although it is a bridge it is called viaduct by Westerners and I recently looked in the Wikipedia for Viaduct: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viaduct

A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early viaducts comprised a series of arches of roughly equal length. Viaducts may span land or water or both.

The first time I got to the Gokteik Viaduct was about my 6^th Standard summer vacation when we travelled to Lashio and Monywa by train. We dropped off the train at Gokteik and visited the bridge while waiting for the next train with which we continued our journey.

We had the opportunity to go onto the bridge by trolley as my father was a railways engineer and the local IOW (inspector of works) showed us around. We stopped in the middle of the bridge and got off the trolley and had a great view from the bridge which passengers had only for a few moments. The valley is very deep and we were at great height. Later, when we got back to the end of the bridge, we got down to the base of the middle spans. There is no water beneath the bridge as the stream had gone underground somewhere up and only surfaced downside before it reaches the road GokTwinn bridge. The 2 bridges have different names because of their locations: at the top and the bottom of the Gokteik ridge.

Even at the time, the age of the Gokteik Viaduct was over the certified period but there is no budget to rebuild it. Trains have to go very slowly over it, giving the passengers more time to enjoy the sight.

Later, the government ordered a bypass tract to be built as rail contact with the eastern part would be lost if anything happens to the bridge. Although it was finished, it became covered with sand and gravel during the first rainy season after its completion. I do not know of more news about it.

From HighestBridges.com

http://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=Gokteik_Viaduct

Gokteik Viaduct
Nawnghkio, Shan, Myanmar
335 feet high / 102 meters high
120 foot span / 37 meter span
1901

The largest railway trestle in the world upon its completion in 1901, the Gokteik Viaduct is the highest bridge in Myanmar. Located in the center of the country about 60 miles (100 kms) northeast of the largest city of Mandalay, the rail line was constructed as a way for the British Empire to expand their influence in the region. Constructed when the country was originally called Burma, the bridge was designed and fabricated by the Pennsylvania Steel Company and shipped overseas. Construction was overseen by Sir Arthur Rendel, engineer for the Burma Railroad Company. Stretching 2,260 feet (689 mtrs) from end to end, the viaduct has 14 towers that span 40 feet (12 mtrs) along with a double tower 80 feet (24 mtrs) long. These 15 towers support 10 deck truss spans of 120 feet (37 mtrs) along with six plate girder spans 60 feet (18 mtrs) long and an approach span of 40 feet (12 mtrs). Many sources have put the height of the bridge at 820 feet (250 mtrs). This is supposedly a measurement to the river level as it flows underground through a tunnel at the point it passes underneath the trestle. The true height of the bridge as measured from the rail deck to the ground on the downstream side of the tallest tower is 335 feet (102 mtrs).

Although larger concrete viaducts and steel cantilever bridges were constructed before and after Gokteik, no other conventional box tower and girder type steel trestle has ever exceeded it in size except for the monstrous Lethbridge Viaduct in Alberta, Canada which is about the same in height but more than twice the length. The Joso bridge in the U.S. state of Washington, the Poughkeepsie bridge in the U.S. state of New York and the original Kinzua viaduct in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania are the only other traditional steel trestles that are equal in size to Gokteik.

The bridge can be reached by taking a train from Mandalay or Pyin U Lwin north towards Nawnghkio where the bridge is located about 3 miles (5 kms) further east. A round trip ticket from Mandalay to the bridge costs around $8 for foreigners. Burmese soldiers are stationed on the train as well as on top of and underneath the bridge to prevent any potential attacks.

King Narathu / KalarKya Minn 529-533 M.E. / 1167 to 1170 A.D.

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Dhammayangyi_Paya,_Bagan,_Myanmar

NW P AKO Dhamayangyi 2003

The Dhamayangyi pagoda is the largest and the most solid pagodas of Bagan and It looks like a pyramid. Although it is not a stupa and can be called a temple due to internal corridors and rooms, it hardly looks like a temple as the structure is near solid and the internal places are not spacious.The workmanship of the masons is the best in Bagan. It is said that those who are of poor workmanship had their hands cut off. The Dhamayangyi was built by king Narathu and is still unfinished as there was troubled times after the death of king Narathu when Naratheinkha became king (the new king was greeted with multiple rebellions by the Kudus in the Tagaung region in the north and the Mons of Tenasserim coast in the south. The new king failed to deal effectively with rebellions, and appointed his younger brother Narapatisithu as the heir apparent and commander-in-chief of his armies.) There were 2 conentric internal corridors as with the Anandar temple, but the inner one was blocked off completely.

I have been to the Dhamayangyi in all my visits to Bagan (although of course not every time I got to Bagan during the weekly trips the Road to Mandalay made to Bagan) and I believe most pilgrims reach it if they have at least half a day in Bagan. It lies on the west of the Bagan walled city on the same road to the SulaMaNi, another famous temple reached by most pilgrims and tourists, said to be the most beautiful design.

In his old age, king Alaungsithu (Burmese: အလောင်းစည်သူ, pronounced [ʔəláuɴ sìθù]) (c. 1090 – 1167) fell a victim to a court intrigue engineered by three of his sons. One of them, Narathu, murdered his father and seized the throne.^[2]

Alaungsithu / Sithu 1, became ill and was moved from his palace to the Shwegugyi temple (also his good deed) nearby, by his son Narathu while he was unconscious. He later regained consciousness but was smothered by Narathu. His elder brother Min Shin Saw was away from Bagan at the time because he was banished by king Alaungsithu due to his misconduct. Min Shin Saw who was staying in HtunTone MuTet east of current Mandalay near AungPinLae marched on to Bagan with his army on hearing about Alaungsithu’s death. Narathu asked the abbot PantThaKu MaHarThei to convey to Min Shin Saw to come to Bagan quickly ahead of his army to be coronated. Min Shin Saw was made king when he arrived and was poisoned the same night. PantThaKu MaHarThei got angry, scolded Narathu and went off to Sri Lanka saying he would not live under such a bad king.

Narathu was very cruel and the royalty and population suffered much under his reign. Many monks were made to leave the monkhood and many monks left and went to Sri Lanka.

Narathu (Burmese: နရသူ, pronounced [nəɹəθù]; Born: c. 1117 Died: 1170) was king of Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1167 to 1170. Narahthu ascended to the throne by murdering his father King Alaungsithu and his elder brother Min Shin Saw. In atonement for his many cruelties, Narathu built the largest of all the Pagan temples, the Dhammayangyi.^[1]

Narathu’s conduct lowered the prestige of the dynasty, and he was widely unpopular. Narathu’s reign came to an abrupt end in 1173 when the king was killed by the mercenaries sent by the chief of Pateikkaya, a tributary kingdom in the west (near or today’s Chin State / (also mentioned in other sources as in current Bangaladesh). The reason was to avenge for Narathu’s murder of the chief’s daughter, whom the chief had sent to Narathu as tribute. Narathu did raise the chief’s daughter as queen but killed her with his own hands in one of his episodes of violence.^[2]

In traditional Myanmar chronicles, it was mentioned that the Kalar / Pateikkaya princess who was offered to king AlaungSithu and was taken into Narathu’s harem on his accession, was killed because she avoided Narathu as Narathu did not use water after toilet. When the Pateikkaya king heard of it, he sent 8 Kalarr warriors disguised as soothsayers / Ponnas to Narathu’s court with orders to kill Narathu which was done successfully. Narathu was later known as KalarKya Minn king who fell to Kalars.

After murdering his own king father, Narathu ascended the throne of Bagan and due to that, he built this temple. It is said that Narathu oversaw the construction himself and that masons were excecuted if a needle could be pushed between bricks they had laid. But he never completed the construction because he was assassinated before the completion. It was said that he was displeased by the Hindu rituals and one of them who made those rituals was the Indian princess who was the daughter of Pateikkaya. So he executed her for such reasons. The princess’s father wanted revenge for his innocent daughter and sent 8 officers in the disguise of Brahmans and assassinated Narathu in this very temple.

However, according to Sri Lanka sources, King Narathu was assassinated by the King of Sri Lanka. At the time, Bagan and Sri Lanka did not have good relationships and they were always on attack against one another. Bagan was undertaken by the Sri Lankans for a few days.

Parākramabāhu

(Parākramabāhu the Great);^[1][2] 1123–1186) was king of Sri Lanka from 1153 to 1186

Parākramabāhu’s reign is memorable for two major campaigns—in the south of India as part of a Pandyan war of succession, and a punitive strike against the kings of Ramanna (Myanmar) for various perceived insults to Sri Lanka. He also had to suppress revolts against him in Ruhuna on several occasions.

War with Bagan, 1164–1165

The kingdom of Bagan (Arimaddhanapura) in what is now Myanmar, and Sri Lanka had been enjoyed a cordial relationship based on trade and a common faith (Theravada Buddhism) for a long time. Bagan has emerged as a power in the 9th century and by the 11th century its capital city, Arimaddhanapura, was a centre of Buddhist learning.

However with the accession of Narathu (1160–1165), the ???grandson [son] of Alaung Sithu, to the throne, the situation changed dramatically. Initially he deprived the envoys of the King of Sri Lanka the maintenance they were previously granted.^[74] He also issued an order prohibiting the sale of elephants to foreign countries and did away with the age old custom of presenting an elephant to every foreign vessel which brought him gifts. He later had the Sri Lankan envoys imprisoned and tortured, and had all their possessions, including their money, their elephants and their vessels confiscated. He later summoned them and declared,

“

“Henceforth no vessel from the Sinhala country shall be sent to my kingdom. Give us now in writing the declaration that if [messengers] from there are again sent to us, in case we should slay the envoys who have come here, no blame of any kind will attach to us. If ye give not the declaration ye shall not have permission to return home.”[74]

”

It is not certain whether this was part of a particular moved against Sri Lankan merchants, or a general closing down of Baganese borders. Whatever the reason, Parākramabāhu was incensed. Assembling a fleet at Pallavavanka, he dispatched to Bagan a formidable force. The size of the army is not known, but it is recorded as containing a year’s supply of grains, specially modified arrows, and Sri Lanka’s fearsome war elephants. Despite setbacks en route, including the sinking of one ship and the loss of a few others, the army arrived at the city of Kusumiya (modern Pathein) on the banks of the ??? Bago river, and captured it.^[8][75] Thereafter, the armies captured several other cities, including Arimaddhanapura, killed Narathu, and restored relations between the two countries to normal.

The account of the campaign in Bagan is possibly exaggerated, particularly as Burmese chronicles do not contain any information on a massive invasion from Lanka. Nevertheless there is evidence to indicate that there was some form of campaign undertaken, and that it was a successful one. The story of a Sri Lankan invasion that dethroned Narathu is ???known in Myanmar.^[76] Furthermore, contemporary inscriptions from Devanagala mentions the awarding of land to the general Kitti Nagaragiri for his leadership in a campaign to ‘Ramanna’, naming the king of Bagan as ‘Bhuvanaditta‘, a possible Lankanization of ‘Narathu’.^[77]

Comments on:King Narathu / KalarKya Minn 529-533 M.E. / 1167 to 1170 A.D.

Maung Nyo Dear Dr Nyi Win, TQ for the accounts and photos. I’m not sure Narathu was killed by the agents of Sri Lankese king. Dr Htin Aung denied it and the Sri lankese DG of history concurred with him. There is an inscription in Sri Lanka describing the despatch of Sri klankese forces to Ramanna and conquering it, but not Pagan. Prof. Luce denied the existence of a king between Narathu and Narapatisithu.Is it right? I don’t know, just curious!

Nyi Win

yes, Sayargyi, it was only recorded that the Sri Lanka forces were sent to Ramana and the interpretation about it being Pathein, Bagan and Narathu is by later historians
more significantly, it was only mentioned in Myanmar chronicles that th…e warriors sent by the Pateikkayar king killed Narathu

I read from Dr. Than Tun that the kings mentioned in Myanmar chronicles is incorrect (he would be quoting Luce) and that one king mentioned (maybe Naratheinkha) is non-existent
Dr. Than Tun only accepted facts in contemporary inscriptions so although his facts are correct, they might be incomplete
I do not have Dr. Than Tun’s book with me now to refer to
but I have data I got from the internet that shows both versions:

Narathu 1160 – 1165
Narapati Sithu 1165 – 1211

and in Wikipedia
Narathu 1167–1170
Naratheinkha 1170–1173 Succeeded by Narapatisithu

Maung Nyo Dear Dr NW,Thank you. Dr Than Tun admitted that he was wrong to rely only on the stone inscriptions as to the existence of Burmese kings as the Pagan Stone Inscriptions are mainly concerned with the alms giving and pagoda building etc.It’s good you are studying burmese history as a hobby.