Our Ayeyawady

If you look at a map of Myanmar, you will see the two great things: Ayeyawady River and Chinndwin River. The first one is more influence then latter one. When we mention the history of Myanmar, we need the first place for the first one, which is Ayeyawady, than whatever.

This first one has long history and its glory is forever to Myanmar people from her started time and to the present days. She had said that her love is forever and had stood alongside Myanmar people. We can understand our glory, history, myths, religion, land, town, villages, and notion of our thoughts and habits by understanding my first one, Ayeyawady. 

Here you and I precisely need to look at Ayeyawady as our mother. We had and still have our Ayeyawady civilization, the culture of art in valley of Ayeyawady. Tagaung city is situated at the eastern bank of river, Ayeyawady. We proud of it, that what we have is our river, mother. Our ancestors had found this kingdom, takaung on her land as if her hand. Before the Buddha, sakyan people migrated to the area of Ayeyawdy, and then they settled down there and built a grand city they named it takaung where later known as the cradle of Myanmar culture, a dynasty of Myanmar later they sail along the river which is Ayeyawady.

At that time, it come into my mind, the water may be  pretty cool, both side of river have the snow, a sound of birds goes like the water fall than we have  seen it ,nowadays, Because they sailed their first trip. Every situation gives them an interesting and they were welcomed with beautiful wavelets. they were carrying away putting them on her back. That scenery was vivid and clear.

Here I would like to mention our first kingdom as it is mentioned in ‘the glass palace of chronicle’ it goes like that’

“Takaung was known as Thanthanapura in the time of Kakusandha the Buddha, as Ratthapura in the time of konagamana the Buddha, as thintwe in the time of Kassapa the Buddha, and as Takaung in the time of our Buddha Gotama. Abhiraja the Sakya Sakiyan was its first ruler”.

 (The glass palace chronicle of the kings of Myanmar. P. 1 by Pe Maung Tin and G.H. luce).

‘Wow’ when we look at this point, we have had a very long history of our land as contemporary of Indian culture. According to that event, we had, I dare say, stood up on ourselves and on own feet from the very ancient time. 

Later the great city has come out as a result of their sailing though alongside the Ayeyawady.  Above city was also situated eastern bank of the river. The city’s glory was spread in all places of the country. The birth place of the teaching of elder monks (Theravada) in Buddha’s Order is in that city. “If someone has not been that city, he real is not Myanmar”, said that by people, as the saying.

That city was full of pagodas, and gives cool and colorful radiation to all directions in Southeast Asia. Everybody knows the name of city that is pagan which second city of upper Myanmar.

 King Aniruddha (Anoyathar) was the most powerful one in Arimaddhanapura, victory city. Later it was change as pagan which means a village of Pyu- the ancient tribe in Myanmar. First our kingdom was built in the bank of Ayeyawady and the heart city was known as pagan also built in bank of Ayeyawady. The last one, ok, here I want to say is Mandalay- gems city. Mandalay where there last two kings ruled the father and his son. Father was record as the great benefiter of Buddha’s teachings. He, the king of gems city, supported monks to collect Buddha’s teachings and made the fifth Buddha’s synod which was most excellence than what had done by others kings in the history.

Ajatasathu who was second king and made first Buddha’s synod, after three months demised of the Buddha- got into Nibbana, in Rajagaha, now it was known as Patna in India.  In Myanmar the king Mindon was last one who made Buddha’s fifth synod, as the remark of 2400^th of Buddha’s Parinibbana, in Mandalay. This last kingdom, gems city was also situated in the eastern bank of Ayerawady River. 

Ayeyawady, our mother knows the initial, the middle and the last of our historical events, the golden ages and the wooden ages, ups and downs of life.

‘Ask, if it has doubts, ask it’

If any doubts come into your thoughts,

you do ask river our mother she taught.

A history and the glory to flee our doubts.

Splendid her dynasty to see about.

For embrace our grace what she’d sought,

And forever, forever.. She’ll give a new fought,

For future with struggle- real struggle thoughts.