lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

280

WESTERN MYANMAR

RAKHAING STATE

For visitors coming on pre-arranged pri-

vate boats, it’s necessary to let the driver

know how much time you’ll need in Mrauk

U (though it can often be changed, with an

extra charge). Two full days is the minimum

necessary to see the area; add on another for

the day trip to the Chin villages (recommend-

ed) and another if you plan to explore on your

own after you’ve seen the greatest hits.

History

Mrauk U (meaning, bizarrely, Monkey Egg)

was the last great Rakhaing capital for 354

years, from 1430 to 1784, when it was one

of the richest cities in Asia. In its heyday, it

served as a free port, trading with the Mid-

dle East, Asia, Holland, Portugal and Spain.

The Portuguese Jesuit priest, A. Farinha,

who visited in the 17th century, called it

‘a second Venice’ while other visitors com-

pared it to London or Amsterdam. Little

remains of the European quarter, Daingri

Kan (about 3 miles south of Mrauk U’s cur-

rent centre) other than ruins and a Hindu

temple.

The Mrauk U dynasty was much feared

by the peoples of the Indian subcontinent

and central Myanmar. Japanese Christians

fl eeing persecution in Nagasaki were hired

as bodyguards for the king. At Mrauk U’s

peak, King Minbin (1531–53) created a

naval fl eet of some 10,000 war boats that

dominated the Bay of Bengal and Gulf of

Martaban. Many of Mrauk U’s fi nest tem-

ples (Shittaung, Dukkanthein, Laymyetnha

and Shwetaung) were built during his

reign.

In the late 18th century, the Konbaung

dynasty asserted its power over the region

and Mrauk U was integrated into the Bamar

kingdoms centred on Mandalay.

After the First Anglo–Burmese War of

1824–26, the British Raj annexed Rakhaing

and set up its administrative headquarters

in Sittwe, thus turning Mrauk U into a politi-

cal backwater virtually overnight.

A rare incidence of the military bowing to

popular opinion occurred here in late 2010

when a few brave locals protested against

the planned route of a new railway linking

Sittwe with Minbu, construction of which

was damaging temples and sites within the

archaeological area. The project was halted

and the railway’s route changed.

 1 Sights

The original site of Mrauk U is spread over

17.5 sq miles, though the town today and

bulk of the temples to visit cover a 2.7-sq-

mile area. With a bike, a packed lunch and

R

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