As we saw in the previous Chapter, “Tsai Htomg” became a city-state which in the course of time became the capital of Suvarna Bhumi, the Pa-oh kingdom. “Tsai Htomg” in the Pa-oh language means “picking of gold” which came from the silt washed down by the Salween, Bilin and Sittang rivers and deposited in their estraries. It is fitting therefore, that Lt. Col. A.R McMahon should have designated the area as “The Golden Chersonese”. When in later years the Bhamah min Anawratha captured “Tsai Htomg”, he erased the name and renamed it “Thaton” in order to bury its historical importance. While the Pa-oh kings ruled in the east, the Pwaoh kings had set up seven principalities at the estuaries of the Irrawaddy river, where (as we saw earlier) they were the original settles.
Suvarna Bhumi was to become important historically on account of a rare event which occurred co-incidentally at the time of the birth of Thuriya Sanda. The brith took place at exactly the same time when the sun and the moon were both shining on the king who was to rule “Tsia Htomg” was name “Hkun Mu-lah”. It means the appointment of the sun and the moon on the horizon. The brith took place on the full moon day of Dein-thi-lah, the lunar month of Pa-oh which corresponds to March.
According to the chronicles of the kings of Burma, Suvarna Bhumi was founded by the king father of Thuriya Sanda and said to be two years after the end of Inzana Raza era, to correspond to 680 B.C. Inzanz Raza was the descendent, 28th in line, of the Second Maha Thamada Raza in the Brahman history and said to be the forefather of Gautama Siddhahta (568-480 B.C.)
The most important event which occurred during the reign of Thuriya Sanda was the personal contact made with Gautama Buddha. In the year after Gautama Siddhahta attained Enlightenment and Perfection, though intense meditation, he paid visit to Suvarna Bhumi. Thuriya Sanda was over a hundred year old at that time during his visit. Three visits he made altogether, and during each visit, he expounded his principles of life and the philosophy of Buddhism to the animist Pa-oh. But at the end of his visit, before with him not to leave him and his people. But Gautama told him that his mission was to sread Buddhism to all mankind and he could not stay with them forever.
Instead, he plucked a lock out of his hair at the end of each visit and entrusted them to Thuriya Sanda, telling the king to keep the locks and consecrate them as symbols of Buddha. Thus Thuriya Sanda and the Pa-oh people were converted as the first Buddhists in the land. They followed and practiced the first Buddhists of Gautama Buddha. For the Pa-oh, it was the beginning of a new era of culture and behavior which preconditioned them to become ardent and humble followers of Buddha. As a true disciple of Buddha, Thuriya Sanda built a sedi called Shwe Za Yan where he enshrined one lock of hair. The second lock was sent to Siam where it was enshrined at a Sedi in Nakkon Patton. The remaining lock was entrusted to the eldest of Thuriya’s twin sons, who had already renounced the throne and devoted themselves to meditation. When Thuriya Sanda died, his brother succeeded him and continued to rule the Pa-oh kingdom in there was dying, he entrusted the lock of hair to his younger brother. But the brother decided that he too was getting old and would soon die. So he searched for a place where he would enshrine the third lock. He chose a cave under a huge rock and on top of the rock, he built a sedi which today i known as the famous Kyaik-Hti-Yo paya (in Pa-oh Phara-dung-lone) in Thaton district.
The Pa-oh people continued to live in harmony with many principalities of the Pwaoh and Sgaoh protecting Suvarna Bhumi from external incursion. In the near west, Sgaoh kingdom was established later to be known as Ussa by the Indian, and in modern time Pegu, while Pwaoh-way better known as There-Kitara flourished at the month of Ce-wah river, the Irrawaddy. Today it is known as Prome. All these Karen principalities were located at the estuaries in lower Burma.
After king Thuriya Sanda, there followed many less important kings until the reign of Dhama Pala. It was this period when king Asoka (274-136 B.C.) from India revived Buddhism and expanded it across Asia. Asoka played down the Hindu caste system and tried to end the expensive sacrificial rites. During his rule, Buddhism revived and produced refined architecture- Stupa, Shrine and sculpture. Buddhism made a tremendous impact on the Pa-oh people of Suvarna Bhumi and with it the Indus civilization expanded to the east. Animism brought down from China dissipated soon as Buddhism took root among the Pa-oh. Trade relationship improved with foreign states as king Dhama Pala established cultural mission with India and Ceylon in the west and neighboring states in the east. From the contact with India and Ceylon, the Pa-oh learned to Ceylon became frequent, for this was considered to be religious atonement for sin. Pilgrims from China passed through Suvarna Bhumi, and from these pilgrims and traders, Suvarna Bhumi became to be known as Piao land in Chinese history during the T’ang dynasty. (618-907 A.D). During this period, in China, written language was standardized; so were the laws, weight and measures, water clocks and sundials were perfected and paper invented.
Thus the two civilizations from India and China, enhanced the Pa-oh culture leading into a new era. Suvarna Bhumi become the centre where Indian and Chinese merchants exchanged their merchandise. King Dhama Pala had one son, Dhama Kawtha, who was a genius. He was sent to Ceylon to study Buddhism under the chief abbot. There he was fortunate to be selected to attend the third Buddhist Synod in B.C. 261, which was compiling the Buddhist scriptures, the Tripitaka, the 30 volumes of Buddha teachings. The script used was Sanskrit and the brilliant Dhama Kawtha was found to be clever and could master both the written and spoken language. At the tripitaka was compiled, Dhama Kawtha was the only novoice who could re-write from memory what had been composed the previous day. When the tripitaka was completed, he asked for and was given the privilege of taking back a complete set of the work to Suvarna Bhumi. There he built a temple and commenced to translate the entire work from the Sanskrit to the Pa-oh written language, generally known as “Pyu letter a script the Karen describe as being “half round like an egg”.
Shang Dhama Kawtha took great pains into the translation of the Tripitaka into “Pyu letter” and it was then taught to the novices in the monasteries. This Renaissance brought foreign relationship on equal footing and trade with India expanded. Suvarna Bhumi flourished into a city kingdom of splendor. The city had birck walls and the houses were built of hardwood called kyet mauk. From India, sculptors, architects masons and painters were hired to teach the arts to the Pa-oh, and so they helped themselves to become self-sufficient and independent.
The parallel kingdoms of the Sgaoh and Pwaoh-Ussa and There-Kitara on the other hand decayed. Then a new society emerged as a result of trading Indias from Talingana and Orissa. The new society increased in number and intermarried the locals as they came prosperous and in affluence. Gradually they built their institution and settlements along the coastal tracts then known as Ramanyadesa. The two main principalities were Prome and Pegu, later to develop as the Talaing kingdom . Since the Talaing control a much large area in the west, the Pa-Oh were sensible enough to rely that peaceful co-existence was essential. So there began inter- Communication in both trade and religious activity. The Shwezayan in Suvarna Bhumi and Shwe Maw Daw in for festival, celebrated yearly and where the two people, Talaing and Pa-Oh came into Social contact with one another.
During the region of the last Pa-Oh king. Suvarna Ghumi reached the zenith of important. However, the people became greedy and lost much of their religious Puritanism becoming quasi-Buddhists and dabbling in the quick”. These magic practices and alchemy were introduced by merchants from Egypt and Persia. Monastic life corrupt and drinking liquor and gambling became a common vice.
The sad state of affairs was brought about as the bad example set by the last Pa-Oh king, Manuha. Against the advice of his counselors, he took to wife a Pwguean Princess of bad repute and under her influence engaged the whole country.
There was dissension throughout the land, vice and lust thrived, the people forgot their religion, and morality collapsed, one only man, Shang Arhan, tired to warn the king, The monks and the people of the impending danger, unless they mend their ways. His warning fell on deaf ears and Shang Arahan, in despair and frustration, journeyed to Pagan. His intention was to instill the correct teachings of Gautama Buddha to people who were the victioms of the Ari Doctrine. In Pagan, Shang Arahan tired to keep his mission a secret. But the long training in Buddhist rites and the practice under rigid discipline gave him away. He was noticed in early morning, walking barefoot and carrying his alms bowl down the street. The strange sight of a monk, in yellow robe, head shaven, collecting alms, soon attracted attention. The news soon reached Anawrahtah, the king of new Pagan, who summoned him to the throne. There he told the king about the philosophy of Buddhism and monastic rites. When Anawarahtah heard from Shang Arahan about the Tripitake and how the monks and the Pa-Oh people had advantage of their written language-Pyu Script, he became envious and anxious to obtain for himself such an important treasure.
The Burmese king had by this name designated his people as "Bamah" He had no official relation with Suvarna Bhumi and lower Burma where Theravada Buddhism was well established. Whereas, in Pagan, the people were poor and loosely organized and in the grip of the from the religious illusion of the Ari priesthood who for years had humiliated hiw Bamah people. He had no sccared books to set up a school of thought: as it was done in Suvarna Bhumi which was then a refined and religious centre. He therefore sent an envooy to Suvarna Bhumi with a request to the king of Suvarna Bhumi, Manuha, that how would share to text of the Tripitika. Manyha underr the bad influence of his queen made a fata ddecision and insulted. The envoy with a slanderous outbrust. He told the envoy that the "Bamah" were ignorant people who would be unable to read the Pitaka. The arroogance of Maanuha, lacking a decorum befitting a king inflamed the savage rage of Anawrahtah who immediately faised a formidable army to destroy Suvarna Bhumi.
In 1057 A.D. Subarna Bhumi was laid waste, every artifice, stupa and idols was destroyed. Total Devastation took placce with hleft not trace of the ancient Pa-Oh culture. The proud but foolish Manuha was given no second chance. The whole kingdom was looted; the people robbed of their gold and silver. The king and queen, their place retainees, together with scholars, script writers, sculptors, painter, masons and musicians were rounded up and treates as a slaves. They were marched to Pagan, being towed by a rope which passed through the palms of their hands, holes having pierced through them. The monks, with all the complete text of the Tripitaka, in Sanskirt and Pyu letter were forced marched to Pagan wherre they were instructed to start a new era of Buddhist civilization among the "Burmah". Altogetherr 30,000 Pa-Oh was taken as slaves to construct the splendor of Pagan.
In Pagan, Anawrahtah announced to his people that captives came from the south. In Burmese, their languages is "Taung Thu-Taung_Thu" and from onwards the Pa-Oh people were referred to as Taungthu. Further insult was added to injury when, during the British occupation, the word " TaungThu" was said mean" Peasent" . So the once cultured and refined Pa-Oh was classified simply as lowly "Peasent".
Note:
- Burma by Sir K.G. Ccott, PP 21-22
- History of Burma by Harvey, pp 6 and 7
- The Administration of Burma by Daw Mya sein, p.3. Oxford University Press 1973.
- See appendix I
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