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From the book of S. Manrique
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.....that Royal
City of Mrauk U, which gives to
the Kingdom the name
of Arakan, the
Metropolis of the
other kingdoms
subject to its
crown, as we shall
say in its own
place. This great
city is built in a
beautiful valley,
about fifteen
leagues in circuit,
and entirely
surrounded by high
rough hills, walls
of nature's make,
and dispensing with
artificial ones. On
the inside, these
hills have been
leveled in necessary
parts with rammers,
and where they have
been cut through
from top to bottom,
gates have been
erected for going in
and out, whilst
above them are some
bulwarks provided
with artillery, so
that the city Would
naturally be
impregnable, as if
it belonged to
another more warlike
nation.
Through the middle
of the city runs a
large and copious
river, which
branching off
through various
parts, makes the
greater number of
its streets
navigable for
different kinds of
craft, big and
small, the vehicular
service public and
private, depending
mostly on these.
These boats bring
for sale along the
aquatic streets all
kinds of foodstuffs
and provisions, rice
country-wine, meat,
fish (fresh, salted
and dried), butter,
vegetables, fruit,
and other food;
also, sundry
commodities and
household utensils;
and all these
things, the eatables
chiefly, are very
cheap. Besides this
convenience for
traffic, there also
many squares
(places), called
Bazaars, where the
same articles are on
sale.
The river, a few
hours down of Mrauk
U at present day
Sittwe, enters the
sea in two places
first, at the harbor
of Orialan; and
secondly, on the
side of the Dobazi,
where live merchants
of different
nations, the greater
number Maumetans,
their captain also
belonging to that
sect. At the high
tide the sea enters
the town with great
violence by seven
gates and at the low
tide runs off with
equal force. The
violence of the sea
is greater or
smaller according to
the rise of the
water at the full
moons; and then it
is very interesting
to watch the small
boats, going in and
out of the gates,
for the water is so
violent that the
least carelessness
of the part of the
pilots makes the
boats heel over, but
the only damage to
those inside is that
they get a ducking,
and lose those of
their goods that are
badly covered and
secured.
The greater number
of the houses in the
city of Mrauk U are made of
bamboos, which, as I
have said, are
strong canes, some
of them being very
thick. These houses
of reed are covered
with plaited
palm-leaves, called Olas. These houses
are made according
to the means and
position of those
who get them made,
for much labor and
ingenuity is spent
on the curious
designs of fine
variegated mats,
very neat and
beautiful things.
And they manage all
that without any
kind of nailing,
for, instead of
nails, they use
strong better
ligatures, or
Bengala canes, as we
call them in
Portugal; while they
are still tender and
thin, they work them
with some iron
instruments, called
Daos, and make them
as thin and slender
as they live. With
these ligaments of
reed they bind the
pieces of the
structure in such a
way that, if the
supports and pillars
are of wood, it
lasts twelve or
fifteen years. Some
princes and lords
have also in their
palaces some rooms
made of wood, the
different sculptures
and moldings of the
wood-work being gilt
and painted in
various colors.
The Royal palaces
of Mrauk U are also constructed
with the same
materials; and they
have massive wooden
columns of such
extraordinary length
and straightness
that one wonders
there are trees so
tall and so
straight. The inside
columns are entirely
gilt, without any
admixture of other
materials. These
places contain also
some rooms made of
odoriferous woods,
such as white and
red sandal-wood,
wild or forest
eagle-wood, so that
in those apartments
the sense of smell
has its special
delight, in the
natural fragrance of
those scented woods.
In the same Mrauk
U palace
there is a hall gilt
from top to bottom,
which they call the
"golden House",
because it has a
vine of the purest
gold which occupies
the whole roof of
the hall, with a
hundred combalengas
of the same pure
gold. These
combalengas are in
breadth and shaped
like big pumpkins of
the kind we call
Guinea pumpkins, and
they- say that each
one of them weights
ten bissas, or forty
pounds Spanish.
There are also in
that very rich house
seven idols of gold,
each of the size and
proportions of an
average man; they
are hollow within,
but two inches
thick. I could not
ascertain the weight
of each of these
idols, on account of
the various
estimates given by
those whom I
questioned. Those
idols are adorned on
the forehead,
breast, arms and
waist with many fine
precious stones,
rubies, emeralds and
sapphires, as also
with some brilliant
old Rock diamonds,
of more than
ordinary size. In
the same golden hall
stood eight pitchers
of gold each four
palms high,
seven-inch
circumference, and
one inch thick.
There were also nine
dishes of the same
metal, each three
palms high thirteen
inches in
circumference, and
one inch thick.
This grand and very
rich hall of Mrauk U contain
still those equally
ancient and most
celebrated precious Chanequas of the
Tangu, the prime
cause, past, and
present, of so many
wars and so much
bloodshed on the
part of various
nations, such as the
Siames, the Pegus,
Tangus, Bramas, A
was, Sions and now
at present the Mogos
and Mogars. This
unique treasure is
contained in a
casket of gold, two
palms long and
proportionately
broad, the whole of
it is covered with
very artistic and
boughs, flowers and
birds, and within
this tracery are
encased very fine
diamonds, rubies and
pearls of
extraordinary
greatness. This
admirable casket
stands in the centre
of the hall on a
square table of
gold, three palms
long; this table too
is elaborately
engraved, and set
with many rich gems.
To stimulate the
more human cupidity,
it is covered with a
cloth of white
satin, entirely
embroidered with
gold and pearls of
ordinary size. I
freely confess that,
albeit I had seen in
other parts of the
East many things of
great price and
value, yet, when
they opened the
casket for me, and I
beheld the chanequas,
I stood amazed,
especially on seeing
that I could
scarcely fix my eyes
on them, due to the
splendor they cast.
These Chanequas are
two rubies shaped
like an obelisk and
pyramid, of the
length of the small
finger, and the
bottom of each has
the circumference of
a small hen's egg.
These most precious
jewels are used only
at the coronation of
the Mogo Kings, or
in their greatest
solemnities. The
word chancqua means
the same as a
pendant, or
ear-ring, an article
worn at the ears
both by the Mogos,
and the Pegus and
Bramas; for this
purpose, they pierce
their ears when
young, and put in
them something
heavy, which keeps
stretching and
enlarging them until
they reach almost
the shoulders.
In one of the
inner courts of the
Mrauk U
palace there is also
a statue of the King Braka, Tyrant of the
Empire of Pegu, who
was slain by a Pegu
lord called Xemi'
Decatam, whom he had
ordered to be
killed. While
quartering at a
small country-house
some uses belonging
to a Verela, or
temple, with four
thousand Bramas,
this Brama King was
waiting for the rest
of his army, which
he had ordered to
collect, with the
intention of
marching against a
prince who had
revolted in Martaban
- or
Mottama, as it is
known today 2009,
south of Yangon.
Now, one night, Xemi
Decatam with six
hundred Pegus fell
unexpectedly on him
at the houses of the
Vaakto. Luck would
have it that they
found the Tyrant
busy in a closet,
for he was suffering
at the time from a
flux of the belly,
and they killed him.
The Burmans hold him
for a Saint, and as
such they dedicated
a temple to him,
because he had so
greatly aggrandized
and exalted their
nation, and, to
perpetuate his
memory forever, they
resolved to make an
image of him. So,
they made a bronze
figure and seated on
a table, also of
metal and around him
are sundry monsters
in bronze of
surprising size. The
most wonderful are
four giants of both
sex, each sixteen
palms high and
holding maces in
their hands: a
monstrous brood.
With them there is
another monster of
the same material,
half elephant, half
bull, eleven palms
high, another
horrid-looking
object. Still other
animals, also of
bronze from port of
that cortage; but as
they are one of
ordinary shape and
size. The statues of
the four Giants
were, they say,
adorned with many
precious stones, and
in the places where
they were encased
there are still the
traces of them. That
statue is venerated
by many of those
Gentiles, who come
to see it, and out
of devotion anoint
it with sandal and
fragrant oils. And
when people are
afflicted with
diarrhea, they came
to him as to their
advocate against
that infirmity,
bringing vases full
of water, they bathe
him, and the water
which flows out,
after passing
through his body, is
collected and given
to drink to those
who suffer from the
illness.
At a small distance
from that Mrauk U Royal
Palace, there is a
lake, the water of
which is dammed off,
and they say it is
more than thirty
leagues long. The
lake is divided into
several arms,
containing many
islets, quite cool,
and planted with
fruit-bearing trees.
The greater number
of these islets
(island) are
inhabited by Raulins.
Some of these live
in Varelas, some of
their Varlas being
built like our
Convents. Others
live in private
houses. I shall give
a special account of
them all, when I
describe the warship
of those nations. On
that big lake there
are many boats, but
they do not
communicate with the
interior of the
city, as the passage
is dammed up.
Their ancient
histories of Mrauk U
say that
this lake was opened
and begun when that
Kingdom seperated
and made itself
independent from the
Empire of Pegu, the
purpose of it being
this. In case they
should be besieged,
they would retire to
the suburbs
contiguous to the
Lake, and, as a last
resource, let the
waters escape, and
the violence of the
onrush would be such
that they would
inundate the city
and at the same time
destroy the enemy.
It is for this
reason that they
still keep these
waters.
To go back to the
thread of our
golden Myanmar, I say that
the city of Mrauk U
in Arakan
must have, according
to the common
estimate, one
hundred and sixty
thousand
inhabitants,
exclusive of the
foreign merchants,
who are very
numerous, as the
place is a very
important roadstead
for vessels coming
there from Bengala,
Mussulapantan,
Tanaussarim,
Martaban, Achem, and
Jakarta: there are,
besides, other
foreigners, both
merchants and
soldiers who are
fixed there and in
the King's pay, as I
have said: these are
Portuguese, Pegus,
Bramas, and Mogos.
In addition to these
there are also many
Christians, Japons,
Bengalas, and of
other nations.
The Kingdom of
Arakan is
bordered on
the south by the
Kingdom of Pegu from
which it is divided
by mountains, on the other
side, it borders on
the Kingdom of
Bengal through the
Kingdom of Chatigan, the
coast-line runs up
to the Kingdom of Chudube, and Cape
Negrais. The whole
of that coast is
very wild; and,
though it has some
harbors and islands,
yet these are very
unsafe, owing to
certain winds
blowing there, which
are dangerous to
vessels.
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