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55-527: The site is approximately 180 miles (290 km) north by north east of Sittwe , and lies between the Kaladan River and Thare Chaung (Thare Stream). Like much of Northern Rakhine State, it is in a hilly locale. Much of it is now deserted, with the only signs of civilisation being the stalls around the Mahamuni and meditation centres, opened to cater to the influx of pilgrims to the Mahamuni shrine (not

110-566: A Buddhist relic , a rear section of Siddhartha Gautama 's jawbone . The area of modern Sittwe was the location of a battle during the conquest of the Kingdom of Mrauk U (later Arakan and now Rakhine State , Myanmar) by the Burmese king Bodawpaya . In 1784, a Burmese expeditionary force said to be 30,000 strong encountered the governor of U-rit-taung Province, General ("Saite-ké") Aung and his force of 3000. Although heavily outnumbered,

165-776: A city of oriental splendor after Friar Sebastian Manrique visited the area in the early 17th century. Father Manrique's vivid account of the coronation of King Thiri Thudhamma in 1635 and about the Rakhine Court and intrigues of the Portuguese adventurers fire the imagination of later authors. The English author Maurice Collis who made Mrauk U and Rakhine famous after his book The Land of the Great Image: Being experiences of Friar Manrique in Arakan based its accounts on Friar Manrique' travels in Arakan. Narameikhla

220-673: A protectorate of the Sultan of Bengal up until 1531. Narameikhla founded the city of Mrauk U, which was declared the capital of the Arakanese kingdom in 1431. As the city grew, many Buddhist pagodas and temples were built. Several of them remain, and these are the main attraction of Mrauk-U. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, Mrauk U was the capital of the Arakan kingdom, frequently visited by foreign traders (including Portuguese and Dutch). The golden city of Mrauk U became known in Europe as

275-460: Is classified as a tropical monsoon climate ( Am ), according to the Köppen climate classification system. The city experiences a dry season from December through April, and an extraordinarily rainy wet season covering the remaining seven months. Sittwe sees average rainfall in excess of 1 metre (40 in) per month during June, July and August. Conditions are noticeably cooler and less humid in

330-589: Is difficult to document the number of Rohingya who remain in the Internally Displaced Persons camps as the so-called "illegal people" were not permitted to register for the national census and the government refuses to address this minority Rohingya ethnic group by name. Human Rights Watch , Fortify Rights, Amnesty International and the UN Special Rapporteur have documented the spread of orchestrated anti-Muslim violence with

385-512: Is the capital of Rakhine State , Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan , Mayu , and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal . As of 2019 the city has an estimated population of over 120,000 inhabitants. It is the administrative seat of Sittwe Township and Sittwe District . The name Sittwe ( စစ်တွေမြို့ ) is derived from

440-631: Is the home ground of Rakhine United F.C. , a Myanmar National League (MNL) football club. Dhanyawaddy Stadium is the home ground of Arakan United FC of the Myanmar Amateur League. British writer Hector Hugh Munro , better known under his pen name Saki, was born in Sittwe in 1870. A road in Singapore is named after its old name, Akyab. Kingdom of Mrauk U The Kingdom of Mrauk-U ( Arakanese : မြောက်ဦး ဘုရင့်နိုင်ငံတော်)

495-708: The 2007 Burmese anti-government protests . In October 2011, as part of a recent bilateral trade deal signed by Myanmar and India, the two countries pledged a US$ 120 million port and multimodal investment to complete the infrastructure linking Indian north-eastern provinces to Sittwe overland via India's Mizoram by 2013. The port of Sittwe will undergo extensive dredging and the construction of new berthing terminals. Once operational it will offer direct passage to enable Burmese and Indian shippers to pick up mainline services to and from Kolkata . The two countries also pledged to double bilateral trade to US$ 3 billion by 2015 by reducing trade tariffs. The 7,000-seat Wai Thar Li Stadium

550-629: The Burmese pronunciation of Arakanese စစ်တွေ , meaning "the place where the war meets". When the Burmese king Bodawpaya invaded the Mrauk U Kingdom in 1784, the Rakhine defenders encountered the Burmese force at the mouth of Kaladan river. In the ensuing battle, which was waged on both land and water, the Mrauk U forces were defeated. The place where the battle occurred came to be called Saittwe by

605-569: The Konbaung dynasty of Burma. It was home to a multiethnic population with the Buddhists making up the majority with the city of Mrauk U being home to mosques, temples, shrines, seminaries and libraries. The kingdom was also a center of piracy and the slave trade . It was frequented by Arab, Danish, Dutch and Portuguese traders. Although Arakan kings paid tribute to the Pagan dynasty ,

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660-661: The Laungkrakca , creating instability within the kingdom After his ascension, the governor of Chittagong rebelled claiming the throne for himself. The rebellion was quashed, but in December 1643, the new governor of Chittagong rebelled, taking a large group of Portuguese mercenaries with him into Mughal territory. Narapati sent substantial army to quell this second rebellion, choosing to pillage Chittagong. His troops brought back 80,000 people - mostly weavers -- and several tens of thousands of cattle. This effectively destroyed

715-599: The Mahamuni Image ). The site can be reached by a one and a half to two hours bus ride from Mrauk U . Up until the mid-1950s, Dhanyawadi could also be reached by boat from the Thare Chaung, but pollution and silting has almost blocked the canal leading to the site. Its city walls were made of brick, and form an irregular circle with a perimeter of about 9.6 kilometres (6.0 mi), enclosing an area of about 4.42 square kilometres (1.71 sq mi). Remains of

770-651: The Naf River in southeast Bengal after the Mughal conquest of Chittagong. In 1660, Prince Shah Shuja , the governor of Mughal Bengal and a claimant of the Peacock Throne , fled to Arakan with his family after being defeated by his brother Emperor Aurangzeb during the Battle of Khajwa . Shuja and his entourage arrived in Arakan on 26 August 1660. He was granted asylum by King Sanda Thudhamma . In December 1660,

825-691: The Portuguese . It twice fended off the Toungoo Burma 's attempts to conquer the kingdom in 1546–1547, and 1580–1581. At its height of power, it briefly controlled the Bay of Bengal coastline from the Sundarbans to the Gulf of Martaban from 1599 to 1603. In 1666, it lost control of Chittagong after a war with the Mughal Empire . Its reign continued until 1785, when it was conquered by

880-688: The Shite-thaung and Htukkanthein Temples . Gold and silver coins serve as the heritage of the Mrauk-U period. The tradition of coin-making was handed down from the Vesali kings who started minting coins around the fifth century. The coins so far found are of one denomination only. Inscribed on the coins are the title of the ruling king and his year of coronation; coins before 1638 had Rakhine inscriptions on one side and Persian and Nagari inscriptions on

935-831: The Talaing . The new king who took power in 1404, Narameikhla , who was a great-grandson of Min Hti , was immediately ousted by the forces of the Burmese Crown Prince Minye Kyawswa , who captured Launggyet and forced Narameikhla to flee to the court of the Sultanate of Bengal at Gour . During Narameikhla's 24-year exile, Arakan became an extensive battleground for the Ava Kingdom and the Pegu Kingdom . The King of Ava installed his son-in-law on

990-601: The 16th century and to hold various relics of the Buddha : part of his rear jawbone , his thigh , his right shinbone , and his left shinbone respectively. The local defenses were stormed by the British under Gen. Morrison in 1825 during the First Anglo-Burmese War . Despite Morrison and many of his men succumbing to malaria , cholera , and other tropical diseases to the point the entire settlement

1045-494: The 4th and the 6th century CE or 1st century CE The most prominent Buddhist site is the Mahamuni Shrine . According to local legend, the Buddha visited Dhanyawadi during his life. In Dhanyawadi, the noblemen and the affluent donated their wealth and possessions (mainly gold and silver), to be melted and cast into an image of the Buddha. The Buddha is said to have provided seven drops of his sweat, taken from his chest, and

1100-510: The Arakanese era. Various royal court ministers, including the Laungkrakca became more aggressive in vying for power. On 31 May 1638, Thiri Thudhamma mysteriously died. His son and crown prince Min Sanay ascended the throne, only to die 26 days later. After this, the Laugkrakca ascended the throne as Narapati . Historian Jacques Leider ascribes this chain of events as a coup d'état by

1155-676: The Arakanese force tried to fight the Burmese forces on both land and sea, but were brutally crushed. This defeat opened the route towards the inland Arakanese capital of Mrauk-U , which was soon conquered, ending the independence of the Arakanese . According to Arakanese lore, all of the Arakanese defenders were killed. Saittwe or Sittwe was only a small fishing village at the time of the British conquest of Burma , but its four poorly-maintained stupas Akyattaw , Thingyittawdhāt , Letyatalundaw , and Letwetalundaw were later claimed to date to

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1210-477: The Arakanese king confiscated Shuja's gold and jewelry, leading to an insurrection by the royal Mughal refugees. According to varying accounts, Shuja's family was killed by the Arakanese, while Shuja himself may have fled to a kingdom in Manipur . However, members of Shuja's entourage remained in Arakan and were recruited by the royal army, including as archers and court guards. They were king makers in Arakan until

1265-423: The Arakanese throne in 1430 with military assistance from Bengali commanders Wali Khan and Sindhi Khan. The Bengalis who came with him formed their own settlements in the region. Narameikhla ceded some territory to the Sultan of Bengal and recognised his sovereignty over the areas. In recognition of his kingdom's vassal status, the kings of Arakan received Islamic titles, despite being Buddhists, and legalised

1320-618: The Burmese conquest. The Portuguese and Arakanese continued their raids of Mughal Bengal which includes a raid in Dhaka in 1625. The Mahamuni Buddha image, which is now in Mandalay , was cast and venerated some 15 miles from Mrauk U where another Mahamuni Buddha Image flanked by two other Buddha images. Mrauk U can be easily reached via Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. From Yangon there are daily flights to Sittwe and there are small private boats as well as larger public boats plying through

1375-637: The Dutch, pushed trade in eastern Bengal further west. Furthermore, advances in Dutch shipbuilding diminished the impact of Arakanese raids in Lower Burma , further pushing that trade back to Lower Burma. During Narapati's reign, Mrauk U's control of Chittagong and the Bay of Bengal trade had all but collapsed. The 1666 Mughal conquest of Chittagong marked a definite end of the Golden Age for most historians. Arakan lost control of end of western bank of

1430-721: The Kaladan river to Mrauk U. It is only 45 miles from Sittwe and the seacoast. To the east of the old city is the famous Kispanadi stream and far away the Lemro river. The city area used to have a network of canals. Mrauk U maintains a small archaeological Museum near Palace site, which is right in the centre of town. As a prominent capital Mrauk U was carefully built in a strategic location by levelling three small hills. The pagodas are strategically located on hilltops and serve as fortresses; indeed they are once used as such in times of enemy intrusion. There are moats, artificial lakes and canals and

1485-400: The Rakhine and then as Sittwe by the Burmese. The name was initially anglicized as Tset-twe and Site-tway . The colonial name Akyab ( အာကျပ် ) derived from the town's hill Akyatkundaw or A-khyat-dau-kun ( ကုန်း ), named for one of its four stupas whose own name Ankyeit , Akyattaw , Akyatdaw or Ahkyaib-daw ("Royal Rear-Jaw Pagoda") referenced its supposed possession of

1540-629: The South was mostly free of Pagan suzerainty and largely cut off from the rest of Burma. Separated from Pagan by the Arakan Mountains , Arakan developed more independently to other Burmese regions. its capital moved from Thaibeiktaung to Dhanyawadi to Vesali before the 11th century, and then to Pyinsa , Parein , and Hkrit in the 12th century, with the capital moving to Pyinsa again in 1180, and then Launggyet in 1237. Arakan had close contact with Bengal , coming into full contact with it as it

1595-642: The United States (Kolkata) had a consular agency in Akyab. The four stupas along the ridge overlooking the town were rebuilt in the late 19th century very plainly and unattractively. During World War II , Sittwe was an important site of many battles during the Burma Campaign due to its possession of both an airfield and a deepwater port. Sittwe is the birthplace of political monks in Myanmar. It

1650-449: The city wall, and the palace compound are still visible. Beyond the walls, the remains of a wide moat, now silted over and covered by paddy fields, are still visible in places. The remains of brick fortifications can be seen along the hilly ridge which provided protection from the west. Within the city, a similar wall and moat enclose the palace site, which has an area of 0.26 square kilometres (0.10 sq mi), and another wall surrounds

1705-589: The drops were added to the molten metals. This allowed the Mahamuni Image, once cast, to be able to preach the Dhamma. When Arakan fell to the Burmese in 1785, the Burmese tried to take away the statue back to Amarapura – then, their royal capital. But, here, Burmese and Arakanese sources diverge. The Arakanese claim that Buddha image disappeared – either from the temple, or when the Burmese tried to load it onto an awaiting barge at Thare Chaung. The Burmese, on

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1760-598: The export of the area's rice. Despite its bad reputation for disease, historical records indicate Akyab was no more dangerous to its European colonizers than other locations along the India coast. Its population increased to 15,536 inhabitants c.  1865 , 33,200 c.  1880 , and 31,687 by 1901, when it was the third largest port city in British Burma . In the 1860s, the Consulate General of

1815-508: The importance of Chittagong as a trade centre and created deep division in Arakan as the Dutch East India Company and various nobles protested the move. The sceptics of the king's plan were eventually proven correct as the resettled craftsmen were decimated by a famine in 1645 caused by the sudden change in population, effectively destroying Arakan's textile industry as well. This destruction and Narapati's attitude to

1870-452: The kingdom. Following many raids into Bengal, the slave population increased in the 17th century as they were employed in a variety of industries in Arakan. Slaves included members of the Mughal nobility. A notable royal slave was Alaol , a renowned poet in the Arakanese court. Some of them worked as Arabic , Bengali , and Persian scribes in the Arakanese courts, which, despite remaining mostly Buddhist , adopted Islamic fashions from

1925-495: The main departure point. In early 2024, as a result of the Myanmar Civil War , Sittwe was surrounded by Arakan Army forces, which gained control of most of Rakhine State. Sittwe and a number of other cities are the only remaining areas in the state still controlled by the ruling military junta . A mass population exodus has been reported, with the only remaining avenue of escape being the airport. Sittwe's climate

1980-559: The months of December, January and February than during the remainder of the year. The largest ethnic group in Sittwe is the Rakhine people . Alongside, there are Rohingya Muslims and some Burmese from other parts of the country. As of 2019, the General Administration Department reported 170,355 "Bangladeshi foreigners" living Sittwe' metro area- Sittwe Township and only 144,773 Rakhine residents in

2035-595: The neighbouring Chittagong region of British Bengal in 1799 to escape persecution by the Bamar and to seek protection under the British Raj . Arakanese chronicle records that more than six million shrines and pagodas flourished in Mrauk-U. A British archaeologist, Emil Forchhammer noted that "in durability, architectural skill, and ornamentation the Mrauk-U temples far surpass those on the banks of Irrawaddy." Illustrative examples of Mrauk U period architecture include

2090-430: The neighbouring Sultanate of Bengal. In 1628, the Laungkrakca (governor of Launggyet ) rebelled during Thiri Thudhamma 's reign. The rebelion was put down and many leading men executed, but this only furthered the importance of future Laungkrakca . At the time, the Arakanese chronicle tradition had prophecised that the Mrauk U lineage of kings would end by the turn of the first millenium- roughly 1638 according to

2145-533: The north, from the coast, and from the east. In 1544, the armies of King Tabinshwehti of Burma invaded and took Sandoway, beginning the Toungoo–Mrauk-U War . However, he was unable to march further, and was held there for two years. Thus, he brought in Talaing and Shan fighters and revitalized his offensive, marching north to Mrauk U. However, once he reached the city, Tabinshwehti retreated, as he realised it

2200-616: The other hand, claim that they transported the Maha Muni back to their capital (which was then moved later to Mandalay). But some Burmese academics are now supporting the fact that the Maha Muni never left Rakhine State. The first king of Dhanyawaddy is maryu 20°52′29.17″N 93°4′5.31″E  /  20.8747694°N 93.0681417°E  / 20.8747694; 93.0681417 Sittwe Sittwe ( Burmese : စစ်တွေမြို့ ; MLCTS : cac twe mrui. , Burmese pronunciation: [sɪʔtwè mjo̰] ), formerly Akyab ( အာကျပ် ),

2255-507: The palace itself. Aerial photographs indicate that Dhanyawadi's irrigation channels and storage tanks were centred at the palace site. It was the most Indianized of the four Arakanese kingdoms to emerge. Although local legend and folklore claim that the Kingdom of Dhanyawadi existed before the time of the Buddha (before 6th century BCE), most archaeological evidence points to a period between

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2310-584: The permission (and sometimes the direct involvement of) government and military authorities. In February 2007, India announced a plan to develop the port under the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project , which would enable ocean access from Indian north-eastern states, so called "Seven sisters", like Mizoram , via the Kaladan River. Sittwe's citizenry, especially Buddhist monks, have participated in

2365-585: The specific cutoffs- the 17th century is both the kingdom's golden age and the turning point towards it relative decline. Down the line of kings came Min Razagyi (1593–1612). In 1597, he joined the First Toungoo Empire in its siege of Pegu and requested the aid of Portuguese captain Felipe de Brito to assist him in it. Land levies and ships from Chittagong, and the city fell in 1599. de Brito

2420-407: The throne of Arakan, bestowing him the title of Anoarahtâ . Pegu forces later captured and executed him. The power struggle ended with Razadarit coming out on top, capturing Taunggyet and installing his own governor, who was in power until 1423. Following the death of Ahmed Shah in 1426, his son Nazir Shah took the throne of Bengal. After 24 years of exile, Narameikhla finally regained control of

2475-521: The township. Accordingly, 53.4% of the overall township adheres to Islam . There are no comparable statistics for just the city of Sittwe as the township's population nearly doubled between 2018 and 2019. The vast majority practises Theravada Buddhism and Islam . The Rohingya Muslim quarter used to be called Aung Mingala, until the Muslims were driven out by mobs during the 2012 riots in October. It

2530-404: The use of Islamic gold dinar coins from Bengal within the kingdom. The kings compared themselves to Sultans and fashioned themselves after Mughal rulers. They also employed Muslims in prestigious positions within the royal administration. Narameikhla minted his own, with Burmese characters on one side and Persian characters on the other. Despite ruling parts of Bengal, it continued to remain

2585-471: The whole area could be flooded to deter or repulse attackers. There are innumerable pagodas and Buddha images all over the old city and the surrounding hills. Some are still being used as places of worship today many in ruins, some of which are now being restored to their original splendor. Following Konbaung Dynasty 's conquest of Arakan in 1785, as many as 35,000 people of the Rakhine State fled to

2640-528: Was a kingdom that existed on the Arakan littoral from 1429 to 1785. Based in the capital Mrauk-U , near the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal , the kingdom ruled over what is now Rakhine State , Myanmar and southern part of Chittagong Division , Bangladesh . Though started out as a protectorate of the Bengal Sultanate from 1429 to 1531, Mrauk-U went on to conquer Chittagong with the help of

2695-535: Was abandoned for a time, the port was chosen to serve as Arakan's seat of government in 1826 largely because Mrauk U was considered even more unhealthy. It was renamed Akyab after the town's hill and its eponymous pagoda . The bell of the pagoda at the Mahamuni Buddha Temple south of Mandalay was removed to the basement of the Akyab courthouse until 1867. Under British occupation, the town grew into an important maritime base, particularly for

2750-424: Was appointed governor of Syriam by Razagyi. However, he shook off Arakanese power over the region, and, supported by Goa , he pushed away the many attacks of Arakan. Razagyi took three years (1602–1605) to take Sandwip from Manuel de Mattos and Domingo Carvalho. From 1531 to 1629, Arakanese raiders and Portuguese pirates operated from havens along the coast of the kingdom and brought slaves in from Bengal to

2805-457: Was expanding eastwards. Bengal captured Satgaon and later Sonargaon towards the beginning of the 14th century, and during the reign of King Min Hti of Arakan (1279–1374), Bengal invaded Arakan by sea, raiding the Hinya river at Chittagong . Following the collapse of Pagan power and the death of Min Hti, Arakan fell into an interregnum, and constant raids were conducted by both the Burmese and

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2860-566: Was succeeded by his brother, Min Khayi Ali Khan (reigning 1434–59), who annexed Sandoway and Ramu in 1437. Ali Khan's successor, Ba Saw Phyu (Kalima Shah, named after his coins bearing the Kalima , reigning 1459–82) occupied Chittagong with the help of the Portuguese, at the beginning of his reign. Although Barbek Shah, the new Sultan of Bengal, allowed Bengal to falter, Arakan remained subordinate to Bengal until 1531. Ba Saw Phyu

2915-472: Was succeeded by his son Dawlya , who launched a rebellion against him in 1482, taking his life. A line of weak kings followed. However, in 1531, Minbin took the throne, strengthening the fortifications of Mrauk U and fighting back against coastal raids by pirates. Minbin was responsible for the construction of the Shwedaung pagoda as well as the Shitthaung, Dukkanthein, and Lemyethna temples in Mrauk U. During Minbin's reign, Arakan came under attack both from

2970-701: Was the birthplace of U Ottama , the first monk who protested against the colonial British in Myanmar. Also, in the recent 2007 protest marches, known as the Saffron Revolution , it was the monks in Sittwe who started the protest against the military government in Myanmar. Sittwe houses the Dhanyawadi Naval Base, named after the ancient Rakhine city-state of Dhanyawadi. Since 2012, the Myanmar government has held tens of thousands of Rohingyas in camps at Sittwe. There are now some 140,000 Rohingyas living in poor condition huts with limited electricity and food. Rohingya refugees can not go out or move around and also not allowed to work outside of camp. The beach at Ohn Daw Gyi became

3025-465: Was too well-defended and he did not want to besiege or blockade it. From the north came the Raja of Twipra , who marched as far as Ramu. However, he was driven back, and upon the Arakanese reclamation of Chittagong, Minbin struck from producing coins with his name that styled him as sultan . Minbin's reign ended in 1553. In the historiography of Mrauk U, the kingdom's history is typically divided into early and late periods. Though historians disagree on

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