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80-480: The bell weighs about 23-25 tons and measures 2.13 metres (7.0 ft) high, 2.01 metres (6.6 ft) wide at the mouth and 0.305 metres (1.00 ft) thick. There are twelve lines of inscription on the bell. The inscriptions describe King Singu, who came to the throne on 9 June 1776, who ruled over the country of 16 provinces, cast and donated the bell to the Shwedagon Pagoda on 17 January 1779. The bell

160-568: A British demand to pay an indemnity of one million pounds sterling , and signed a commercial treaty. The war was one of the most expensive in British Indian history. Fifteen thousand European and Indian soldiers died, together with an unknown number of Burmese military and civilian casualties. The high cost of the campaign to the British, 5–13 million pounds sterling (£500 million – £1.38 billion as of 2023) contributed to

240-571: A British naval force of over 10,000 men (5000 British soldiers and over 5000 Indian sepoys) entered the harbor of Yangon, taking the Burmese by surprise. The Burmese pursuing a scotched earth policy, left an empty city, and instead chose to fortify positions along an east–west 10-mile arc outside the city. The British forces led by General Archibald Campbell took position inside a fortified Shwedagon Pagoda compound. The British launched attacks on Burmese lines, and by July 1824, had successfully pushed

320-465: A counter charge, with foot soldiers, cavalry and 17 fighting elephants. But the elephants were stopped by rocket fire and the cavalry found it impossible to move against the sustained British artillery fire. On 1 April, the British launched a major attack, pounding down on the town with their heavy guns and raining their rockets on every part of the Burmese line. Bandula was killed by a mortar shell hitting his reproductive organs. Bandula had walked around

400-520: A fellow palace guardsman Nanda Bala for no apparent reason. Duly arrested and brought before the crown prince, Yit explained that he just wanted to be called "Nga Yit" by the crown prince just once, and that he would gladly go to prison for his behavior. Impressed by Yit's bold behavior, the crown prince pardoned Yit and made him a messenger in his Privy Council ( ဗြဲတိုက် သံဆင့် ). Yit did not disappoint. In about six months, in June 1813 (Nayon 1175 ME), he

480-423: A four thousand strong British force supported by a flotilla of gunboats attacked Danubyu. The first British attack failed, and Bandula attempted a counter-charge, with foot soldiers, cavalry and 17 fighting elephants. But the elephants were stopped by rocket fire and the cavalry found it impossible to move against the sustained British artillery fire. On 1 April, the British launched a major attack, pounding down on

560-478: A frontal attack on British positions. The British, with superior weaponry, withstood several Burmese charges at the Shwedagon fort, cutting down men by the thousands. By 7 December, the British troops, supported by rocket fire, had begun to gain the upper hand. On 15 December, the Burmese were driven out of their last remaining stronghold at Kokine. In the end, only 7,000 of the 16,000 Burmese soldiers returned to

640-503: A long supply line up the Chindwin river . The Ahom King of Assam , Chandrakanta Singha tried to free himself from Burmese influence. He collected mercenaries from Bengal and started to strengthen his army and constructed fortifications to prevent further invasion of Burmese. King Bagyidaw again turned to Bandula to reclaim Assam. In February 1821, a Burmese army of 20,000 (including 10,000 Hkamti Shan and Kachin levies) crossed

720-716: A severe economic crisis in British India which cost the East India Company its remaining privileges. Although once strong enough to threaten the interests of the British East India Company (especially with respect to the eastern border regions of Assam, Manipur, and Arakan), the Burmese Empire now suffered "the beginning of the end" of its status as an independent nation. They would be economically burdened for years to come by

800-599: A severe economic crisis in India, which by 1833 had bankrupted the Bengal agency houses and cost the British East India Company its remaining privileges, including the monopoly of trade to China . For the Burmese, the treaty was a total humiliation and a long-lasting financial burden. A whole generation of men had been wiped out in battle. The world the Burmese knew, of conquest and martial pride, built on

880-535: A small town not far from Yangon, in the Irrawaddy delta . Having lost experienced men in Yangon, the Burmese forces now numbered about 10,000, of mixed quality, including some of the king's best soldiers but also many untrained and barely armed conscripts. The stockade itself stretched one mile (1.6 km) along the riverbank, and was made up of solid teak beams no less than 15 feet (4.6 m) high. In March 1825,

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960-611: A stall when Thado Minsaw died in April 1808. While he continued to be part of the Palace Guards, Yit was no longer in the inner circle of the new crown prince, the Prince of Sagaing . Yit dutifully served for the next four years in the background but still was not noticed. Deeply frustrated, Yit made a bold move to be noticed one day in late 1812, (soon after the second son of the crown prince was born on 27 October 1812): he punched

1040-412: Is also possible that he is well remembered as there are a number of British accounts who mentioned Bandula admiringly despite his failures. In particular, the British have praised Danubyu's defenses and had expected a long taxing siege. Indeed, some would say the ignominious setbacks continue up to this day. For whatever reason, Maha Bandula remains the most famous general in Burmese history. Team Bandula

1120-414: Is estimated to be about 173 cm or 5′ 8″ —Yit proved a quick study in martial arts, horseback riding and war elephant riding, and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming one of the crown prince's personal bodyguards in 1806. It was here as a royal bodyguard that Yit became exposed to military arts, receiving a further education in military strategy and tactics. However Yit's rising career ran into

1200-646: The casus belli was Burma occupying Shalpuri Island near Chittagong , which was claimed by the East India Company. In January 1824, Burma sent one of their top generals, Thado Thiri Maha Uzana , into Cachar and Jaintia to disperse the rebels. The British sent in their own force to meet the Burmese in Cachar, resulting in the first clashes between the two. The war formally broke out on 5 March 1824, following border clashes in Arakan. The British reason for

1280-481: The Battle of Danubyu .) After a few days of fighting, the Burmese forces at Mrauk-U were defeated on 1 April, coincidentally the same day Maha Bandula fell at Danubyu. Sa and the remaining Burmese forces evacuated and left Arakan. The British proceeded to occupy the rest of Arakan. On 17 September 1825, an armistice was concluded for one month. In the course of the summer, General Joseph Wanton Morrison had conquered

1360-581: The Battle of Ramu , 10 miles (16 km) east of Cox's Bazar , on 17 May 1824. Sa's column then joined Bandula's column on the march to defeat British forces at Gadawpalin, and went on to capture Cox's Bazar. The Burmese success caused extreme panic in Chittagong and in Calcutta. Across the eastern Bengal, the European inhabitants formed themselves into militia forces. A large portion of the crews of

1440-434: The Battle of Ramu , inside British territory, causing a great panic in Calcutta. But Bandula, not wanting to overstretch, stopped Myawaddy from proceeding to Chittagong . Had Bandula marched on to Chittagong, which unbeknown to him was lightly held, he could have taken it and the way to Calcutta would have been open. Instead of fighting in hard terrain, the British took the fight to the Burmese mainland. On 11 May 1824,

1520-704: The First Burma War in English language accounts and First English Invasion War ( Burmese : ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ် ကျူးကျော် စစ် ) in Burmese language accounts, was the first of three wars fought between the British and Burmese empires in the 19th century. The war, which began primarily over the control of what is now Northeastern India , ended in a decisive British victory, giving the British total control of Assam , Manipur , Cachar and Jaintia as well as Arakan Province and Tenasserim . The Burmese submitted to

1600-485: The Tenasserim coast as well as two million pounds sterling of indemnity. The Burmese would not agree to give up Arakan and the large sum of indemnity. In November 1825, the Burmese decided to throw everything they had into a last-ditch effort. Starting in mid-November, the Burmese forces, consisting mainly of Shan regiments led by their sawbwas , threatened Prome in a daring circular movement that almost surrounded

1680-459: The 3,000 ft (910 m) high Arakan hills or 10,000 ft (3,000 m) high Assamese ranges, heavily forested and with only narrow footpaths, open to attack by tigers and leopards, would be difficult. To do this at the height of the drenching monsoon season was no easy task. Yet Bandula (from Arakan) and Uzana (from Assam) in a testament to their generalship and logistical skill, managed to do just that. The king granted both Bandula and Uzana

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1760-495: The Assamese army at the battle of Ghiladhari. A fresh Assamese force was raised to defend the capital. The new Assamese army made a stand at Kathalbari near the Assamese capital Jorhat but was promptly defeated. King Chandrakanta Singha now agreed to become a tributary of Burma, and gave many presents and Ahom princess Hemo Aideo in marriage to the Burmese king. A year later, the pro-Burmese prime minister Badan Chandra Borphukan

1840-428: The British cannons fired exploding shells. Unbeknown to him, the British had just received the first shipment of Congreve rockets , a new weapon in the war that the Burmese had never seen. More ominously for the Burmese, the speedy march through the hilly regions of Rakhine Yoma and Assamese ranges had left their troops exhausted. On 30 November, in what turned out be the biggest mistake of his career, Bandula ordered

1920-408: The British cannons fired exploding shells. Unbeknown to him, the British had just received the first shipment of the newest weapon in war that the Burmese had never seen– Congreve rockets . On 30 November, in what turned out be the biggest mistake of his career, Bandula ordered a frontal attack on British positions. The British with far superior weaponry, withstood several Burmese gallant charges at

2000-456: The British forces because the Burmese, who had been fighting in the jungles of Manipur and Assam for nearly a decade, were more familiar with the terrain which represented "a formidable obstacle to the march of a European force". Uzana had already defeated the British units in Cachar and Jaintia in January 1824. In May, Burmese forces led by Lord Myawaddy defeated units of British India Army in

2080-416: The British only needed a few to vanquish a vast horde sent against them. According to the Burmese royal chronicles, the number was around 16,000. Bandula believed that he could take on a well-armed British force of 10,000 head-on. Although the Burmese were numerically superior, only around half the army were musketeers with the rest armed with spears and swords. The Burmese cannons fired only balls whereas

2160-583: The Burmese by 5 December. The defeat in Prome effectively left the Burmese army in disarray, and it was in constant retreat from then on. On 26 December, they sent a flag of truce to the British camp. Negotiations having commenced, the Burmese capitulated to the British terms to end the war, signing the Treaty of Yandabo in February 1826. The British demanded and the Burmese agreed to: The Treaty of Yandabo

2240-445: The Burmese forces now numbered about 10,000, of mixed quality, including some of the king's best soldiers but also many untrained and barely armed conscripts. The stockade itself stretched a mile along the riverbank, and was made up of solid teak beams no less than 15 feet high. In March 1825, a four thousand strong British force supported by a flotilla of gun boats attacked Danubyu. The first British attack failed, and Bandula attempted

2320-559: The Burmese towards Kamayut , five miles from Shwedagon. Burmese efforts to retake Shwedagon in September failed. King Bagyidaw ordered a near complete withdrawal from the western front—Bandula from Arakan and Bengal, and Uzana from Assam, Cachar and Jaintia—and meet the enemy in Yangon. In August, in the midst of monsoon season, Bandula and his army crossed the Arakan Yoma . Even in good weather, moving tens of thousands of men over

2400-565: The Burmese were able to put up a fight. The Burmese remember Bandula's last words in this way: Ironically, this very courage to take on the enemy head on and use the daring tactics that led to the improbable victories in Manipur and Assam would prove to be his undoing against the much better armed and world conquering British, who had defeated Napoleon 's armies only a decade earlier. For all of his fame, Bandula failed to change tactics in face of far superior British weaponry. He failed to imagine

2480-486: The Burmese, who had been fighting in the jungles of Manipur and Assam for nearly a decade, were more familiar with the terrain, which represented "a formidable obstacle to the march of a European force". Uzana had already defeated the British units in Cachar and Jaintia in January 1824. The British sent reinforcements but they were largely indecisive. In May, a Burmese column of some 4000 men led by Maha Thiha Thura , fought their way into Bengal, defeating British troops at

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2560-564: The Burmese. Convinced that war was inevitable, Bandula became a main proponent of offensive policy against the British. Bandula was part of the war party at Bagyidaw's court, which also included Queen Me Nu and her brother, the lord of Salin. Bandula believed that a decisive victory could allow Ava to consolidate its gains in its new western empire in Arakan, Manipur, Assam, Cachar and Jaintia, as well as take over eastern Bengal. In January 1824, Bandula sent in one of his top lieutenants Thado Thiri Maha Uzana into Cachar and Jaintia to chase away

2640-548: The Burmese. Convinced that war was inevitable, Burmese commander-in-chief Maha Bandula became the main proponent of offensive policy against the British. Bandula was part of the war party at Bagyidaw's court, which also included Queen Me Nu and her brother, the Lord of Salin. Bandula believed that a decisive victory could allow Ava to consolidate its gains in its new western empire in Arakan, Manipur, Assam, Cachar, and Jaintia, as well as take over eastern Bengal. In September 1823,

2720-537: The Chindwin to invade Manipur in order to place their nominee on the Manipuri throne. Yit served under the command of co-commander-in-chief, Ne Myo Yazathu , and commanded three regiments (3000 men). The Burmese forces easily overran Manipuri defenses; Yit's regiments participated in the capture of the Manipuri capital. Yit was noticed for his leadership skills. Bodawpaya's next target was Assam , another kingdom to

2800-410: The East India Company's ships was landed to assist in the defense of Calcutta. But Bandula, not wanting to overstretch, stopped U Sa from proceeding to Chittagong. Had Bandula marched on to Chittagong, which unbeknown to him was lightly held, he could have taken it and the way to Calcutta would have opened. Had they been able to threaten Calcutta, the Burmese could have obtained more favourable terms in

2880-460: The Shwedagon fort, cutting down men by thousands. By 7 December, the British troops, supported by rocket fire, had begun to gain the upper hand. On 15 December, the Burmese were driven out of their last remaining stronghold at Kokine. In the end, only 7000 of the 30,000 Burmese soldiers returned. Bandula fell back to his rear base at Danubyu , a small town not far from Yangon, in the Irrawaddy delta . Having lost experienced men in Yangon,

2960-498: The back of the impressive military success of the previous seventy-five years, had come crashing down. The Court of Ava could not come to terms with the loss of the territories and made unsuccessful attempts to get them back. An uninvited British resident in Ava was a daily reminder of the humiliating defeat. In addition, the burden of indemnity left the Burmese royal treasury bankrupt for years. The indemnity of one million pounds sterling

3040-479: The city. The British forces led by General Archibald Campbell took positions inside the Shwedagon Pagoda compound, which was fortified. The British launched attacks on Burmese lines and, by July 1824, had successfully pushed the Burmese towards Kamayut , five miles (8 km) from Shwedagon. Burmese efforts to retake Shwedagon in September failed. King Bagyidaw ordered a near-complete withdrawal from

3120-455: The coast, as well as a squadron of cavalry under the command of Gen. Morrison, attacked Burmese positions in Arakan. Despite their superior numbers and firearms, the British had to fight depleted Burmese forces for nearly two months before they reached the main Burmese garrison at Mrauk-U , Arakan's capital. On 29 March 1825, the British launched their attack on Mrauk-U. (At the same time, Campbell also launched an attack on Bandula's positions in

3200-721: The command of General Campbell: Defence at Prome: Maha Bandula General Maha Bandula ( Burmese : မဟာဗန္ဓုလ [məhà bàɰ̃dṵla̰] ; 6 November 1782 – 1 April 1825) was commander-in-chief of the Royal Burmese Armed Forces from 1821 until his death in 1825 in the First Anglo-Burmese War . Bandula was a key figure in the Konbaung dynasty 's policy of expansionism in Manipur and Assam that ultimately resulted in

3280-509: The conquests of Manipur and Assam had brought a long border between British India and the kingdom of Ava. The British, based in Calcutta , had their own designs on the region, and actively supported rebellions in Manipur, Assam and Arakan . Calcutta unilaterally declared Cachar and Jaintia British protectorates, and sent in troops. Cross border raids into these newly acquired territories from British territories and spheres of influence vexed

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3360-623: The cost of the indemnity. The British, eventually waging the Second and Third Anglo-Burmese Wars against a much-weakened Burma, would assume control of the entire country by 1885. By 1822, Burmese expansion into Manipur and Assam and its "forward policy" of probing into the hill states of Jaintia and Cachar , had put pressure on British Bengal . Calcutta unilaterally declared Cachar and Jaintia British protectorates and sent in troops. Cross-border raids into these newly acquired territories from British territories and spheres of influence vexed

3440-427: The country for future British plans whereas previous envoys were concerned principally with trade concessions. Anglo-French rivalry had already played a role during Alaungpaya's endeavours of unifying the kingdom. The Burmese in these wars were advancing into smaller states not ruled by the British or the subject of expansionist goals by the British before the war began, and the British were not so much preoccupied by

3520-465: The country has known more successful generals like Gen. Maha Thiha Thura who defeated the Qing dynasty's invasions in 1766, 1767 and 1769, Gen. Maha Nawrahta and Gen. Ne Myo Thihapate , who dismembered Siam in 1767, or King Bayinnaung , the soldier king, who captured much of western mainland South East Asia in the 16th century. Then again, they never fought against the British, the world superpower of

3600-447: The country's most decorated soldiers, men like the lord of Salay and the governors of Danyawaddy, Wuntho and Taungoo. Bandula's plan was to attack the British on two fronts: Chittagong from Arakan in the southeast, and Sylhet from Cachar and Jaintia in the north. Bandula personally commanded the Arakan theater while Uzana commanded the Cachar and Jaintia theaters. Early in the war, battle hardened Burmese forces were able to push back

3680-488: The day. Rather, Bandula's continued popularity is because of his courage to fight on against an overwhelmingly superior enemy. Perhaps, it is also because the Burmese view Bandula as the proxy for the last glory days of the Third Burmese Empire. The Burmese remember that Bandula's death was followed by a series of one ignominious setback after another that eventually led to the loss of sovereignty in 1885. It

3760-544: The death of his father. He worked the sesame fields with his mother and looked after his younger siblings. He got married a few years later to Shin Min Bu ( ရှင်မင်းဘူး ). They had a son named Kyan Gyi ( ကျန်းကြီး ). Later in his youth, Yit moved to Amarapura , then the kingdom's capital, to serve as the lowest grade retainer in the royal service of Crown Prince Thado Minsaw , who had his hometown Dababyin in fief. Stockily built and loud—based on his body armor, his height

3840-538: The firstborn son of a minor gentry family of Pauk Taw ( ပေါက်တော ) and his wife, Nyein ( ငြိမ် , as in "calm"; not the more common ငြိမ်း as in "finality/completed"). He had three siblings: brother Aye ( အေး ), sister Dok ( ဒုတ် ), and brother Myat Ne ( မြတ်နေ ). As customary with Burmese boys of the era, Yit from age of 6 received education at the local Buddhist monastery. He had to quit his studies before he turned 13 after his father died of illness. He had to take on early responsibilities in his youth after

3920-490: The fort to boost the morale of his men, in his full insignia under a glittering golden umbrella, discarding the warnings of his generals that he would prove an easy target for the enemy's guns. Maha Bandula looms large in Burmese history for his courage to take on the British. Due in large measure to Bandula's leadership , the First Anglo-Burmese War was the only one of the three Anglo-Burmese wars in which

4000-404: The governors of Danyawaddy, Wuntho, and Taungoo. Bandula's plan was to attack the British on two fronts: Chittagong from Arakan in the southeast, and Sylhet from Cachar and Jaintia in the north. Bandula personally commanded the Arakan theatre while Uzana commanded the Cachar and Jaintia theater. Early in the war, battle-hardened Burmese forces were able to push back the British forces because

4080-577: The heavy cost in lives and money which the war had entailed. Some 40,000 British and Indians troops had been involved, of whom 15,000 died. British casualties were blamed on poor planning and logistics as only a quarter of the casualties were from the fighting while almost 70% were from tropical diseases. In the Arakan Campaign alone, 659 Europeans out of 1,500 and some 3,500 Indians out of a total of 8,000 died in hospital. The 1st Madras European Regiment lost 600 out of 900 men in two years. Despite

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4160-438: The new Ahom king of Assam and a military governor-general was appointed to look after the administration. The defeated Assamese king Chandrakanta Singha fled to British territory of Bengal . The British ignored Bandula's demands to surrender the fugitive king, and instead sent reinforcement units to frontier forts. Maha Bandula left a military garrison of 2000 men commanded by Gen. Maha Thilawa , and returned to Ava. By 1822,

4240-629: The official reports' emphasis on the disparity of death from disease and combat casualties, Captain Frederick Doveton commented on the British casualties that they were nevertheless high for the troops that engaged, "in the case before us the proportion of killed and wounded to the numbers engaged and space of time occupied may bear in comparison to the palmy and bloody days of Talavera and Waterloo!" The cost to British India's finances had been almost ruinous, amounting to approximately 13 million pounds sterling. The cost of war contributed to

4320-525: The overall commander-in-chief. Though a junior commander, Yit proved his worth on the battlefield, and his input was valued by the senior commanders. After a successful campaign in Assam, he was promoted to governor of Ahlon-Monywa in June 1819 (Nayon 1181 ME) by his lord the Prince of Sagaing who had just ascended to the Burmese throne as King Bagyidaw . On 3 November 1819 (2nd waning of Tazaungmon 1181), Yit

4400-675: The pagoda. The bell is housed in a pavilion located on the northwest side of the pagoda's middle terrace. 16°47′54″N 96°8′58″E  /  16.79833°N 96.14944°E  / 16.79833; 96.14944 First Anglo-Burmese War British victory [REDACTED] British Empire [REDACTED] Konbaung dynasty [REDACTED] Royal Burmese Army 72 percent of European casualties died from disease (25 percent killed in action) Over 3,500 Indian and others The First Anglo-Burmese War ( Burmese : ပထမ အင်္ဂလိပ်-မြန်မာ စစ် ; [pətʰəma̰ ɪ́ɰ̃ɡəleiʔ-mjəmà sɪʔ] ; 5 March 1824 – 24 February 1826), also known as

4480-512: The province of Arakan; in the north, the Burmese were expelled from Assam; and the British had made some progress in Cachar, though their advance was finally impeded by the thick forests and jungle. Peace negotiations that began in September broke down by early October after the Burmese would not agree to British terms. The British had demanded no less than the complete dismemberment of the Burmese western territories in Arakan , Assam, Manipur, and

4560-454: The rebels. The British sent in their own force to meet the Burmese in Cachar, resulting in the first clashes between the two. The war formally broke out on 5 March 1824, following border clashes in Arakan. As the commander-in-chief of the Burmese army, Maha Bandula was supported by twelve of the country's best battalions, including one under his personal command, totaling ten thousand men and five hundred horses. His general staff included some of

4640-472: The refugee problem initially as by the threat posed by the French until further incidents forced their hand. The commander in chief of the Burmese army, Maha Bandula , was supported by twelve of the country's best divisions, including one under his personal command, all totaling 10,000 men and 500 horses. His general staff included some of the country's most decorated soldiers, men such as the Lord of Salay and

4720-419: The remaining side, was said to be nearly impregnable. Bandula sent in commandos who scaled the hills at night and broke open the stout gates, allowing the Burmese to take the fort and the capital. Raja Marjit Singh fled to the neighboring state of Cachar , which was ruled by his brother Chourjit Singh . The daring operation made him famous. After the conquest, the Burmese left a garrison in Manipur, backed by

4800-430: The royal army. Campbell's despatches stated the Burmese suffered some 6,000 casualties over the fifteen day battle. The rest of the Burmese army, most of them conscripts fled and returned to their homes. The British losses were considered heavy in proportion as well: 40 officers and 500 other ranks were killed or wounded in combat with a much larger number ill from disease. Bandula fell back to his rear base at Danubyu ,

4880-563: The snow-clad mountains to Assam from their northernmost forts along the Hukawng valley . After nearly a year and a half of hard-fought battles in some of the most difficult terrains in the world, the Burmese forces finally defeated Chandra Kanta Singha and the Assamese army in July 1822. Bagyidaw installed Jogeshwar Singha, a brother of Hemo Aideo, the Ahom princess who was married to Bodawpaya as

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4960-468: The subsequent peace negotiations. Instead of fighting in hard terrain, the British took the fight to the Burmese mainland. On 11 May 1824, a British naval force of over 10,000 men (5,000 British soldiers and over 5,000 Indian sepoys) entered the harbour of Yangon (Rangoon), taking the Burmese by surprise. The Burmese, pursuing a scorched earth policy, left an empty city behind and chose to fortify positions along an east–west 10-mile (16 km) arc outside

5040-441: The title Agga Maha Thenapati ( Pali : Aggamahāsenāpati ), the highest possible military rank. Bandula was also made the governor of Sittaung . By November, Bandula commanded a force of 30,000 massed outside Yangon. Bandula believed that he could take on a well-armed British force of 10,000 head-on. Although the Burmese were numerically superior, only 15,000 of the 30,000 had muskets. The Burmese cannons fired only balls whereas

5120-437: The title Agga Maha Thenapati ( Pali : Aggamahāsenāpati ), the highest possible military rank. Bandula was also made the governor of Sittaung. By November, Bandula commanded a large army outside Yangon. There is great disparancy of the numbers ranging from 30,000 to 60,000 mostly from British sources. Terrance Blackburn discuss the numbers and felt that Campbell had exaggerated the Burmese numbers in his reports to imply that

5200-416: The town and cut off communications lines to Yangon. In the end, the superior firepower of the British guns and missiles won out. On 1 December, Gen. Campbell, with 2500 European and 1500 Indian sepoys, supported by a flotilla of gunboats, attacked the main Burmese position outside Prome. On 2 December, Maha Ne Myo was killed by a shell launched from the flotilla. After Maha Ne Myo's death, the British dislodged

5280-414: The town with their heavy guns and raining their rockets on every part of the Burmese line. Bandula was killed by a mortar shell. Bandula had walked around the fort to boost the morale of his men, in his full insignia under a glittering golden umbrella, disregarding the warnings of his generals that he would prove an easy target for the enemy's guns. After Bandula's death, the Burmese evacuated Danubyu. U Sa

5360-523: The treaty and in the territories such as the Rangoon area which were occupied for several years to guarantee compliance with the financial terms of the treaty. While both nations suffered heavy military and financial losses, the treaty imposed a more severe financial burden on the Burmese Kingdom and effectively left it crippled. The British terms in the negotiations were strongly influenced by

5440-671: The use of guerrilla tactics or any innovative strategy. Had he pursued guerrilla style tactics, the ultimate outcome of the war might not still have changed but the terms might have been less severe. Bandula remains extremely popular in Burmese imagination, and is often the only general ranked alongside famous Burmese kings. His popularity is perhaps not just due to his skills as a military commander. After all, Bandula's victories came with able, experienced lieutenants like Gen. Ne Myo Thura Min Hla Nawrahta in Manipur, Gen. Myawaddy Mingyi U Sa in Arakan and Gen. Maha Thilawa in Assam. Besides,

5520-472: The war and the beginning of the downfall of the dynasty. Nonetheless, the general, who died in action, is celebrated as a national hero by the Burmese for his resistance to the British. Today, some of the most prominent places in the country are named after him. Maha Bandula was born Maung Yit ( မောင်ရစ် [màʊɰ̃ jɪʔ] ) on 6 November 1782 (Wednesday, 2nd waxing of Tazaungmon 1144 ME) in Dabayin ,

5600-516: The war was, in addition to expanding British Bengal 's sphere of influence, the desire for new markets for British manufacturing. The British were also anxious to deny the French the use of Burmese harbours and concerned about French influence at the Court of Ava , as the kingdom was still known to them. British Ambassador Michael Symes 's mission was equipped to gain as much knowledge as possible of

5680-547: The west but larger one than Manipur. In 1816, the Assamese governor of Guwahati , Badan Chandra Borphukan sought help from the Burmese king in order to oust his political rival Purnananda Burhagohain , the Prime Minister. Bodawpaya agreed, and in December 1816, sent a 16,000-strong force led by Gen. Maha Minhla Minkhaung to Assam. Yit was a junior commander. The Burmese forces entered Assam in January 1817 and defeated

5760-514: The western front—Bandula from Arakan and Bengal, and Uzana from Assam, Cachar, and Jaintia to meet the British in Yangon. In August, in the midst of monsoon season, Bandula and his army crossed the Arakan Yoma . Moving tens of thousands of men over the 3,000-foot-high Arakan hills, or 10,000-foot-high Assamese ranges, heavily forested with only narrow footpaths and open to attack by tigers and leopards, would have been difficult even in mild weather conditions. The King later granted both Bandula and Uzana

5840-409: Was appointed governor of his hometown Dabayin with the title of Ne Myo Thura Yegaung ( နေမျိုး သူရ ရဲခေါင် ). In the next decade, Yit would participate in the expansionist wars of King Bodawpaya and his successor King Bagyidaw. Yit's first battlefield experience came in Manipur . On 15 February 1814 (11th waning of Tabodwe 1175 ME), a 20,000-strong Burmese army left their forward bases along

5920-469: Was assassinated, and the Ahom king Chandrakanta Singha was deposed by rival political faction led by Ruchinath Burhagohain. Chandrakanta Singha sought help from Bodawpaya. Yit was again called on to serve in November 1818 and in February 1819, the Burmese forces invaded Assam and reinstalled Chandrakanta Singha on the throne of Assam. In both Assamese campaigns, Yit was a regimental commander, two ranks below

6000-482: Was cast between 1776 and 1779. In 1825, British attempted to take it from the pagoda during first Anglo-Burmese War . However, the ship that carried the bell to Calcutta sank in Yangon River together with the bell. After several unsuccessful attempts to salvage the bell, British finally gave up. Then, a group of Burmese people successfully raised the bell from the riverbed and restored to its original position at

6080-573: Was considered a large sum in Europe at that time. It appeared even more daunting when converted to the Burmese kyat equivalent of 10 million. The cost of living of the average villager in Upper Burma in 1826 was one kyat per month. The British would wage two less expensive wars against the weaker Burmese in 1852 and 1885 , and annex Burma by 1885. Under the command of General Cotton: Under

6160-421: Was given the title of Maha Bandula ( Pali : 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀩𑀦𑁆𑀥𑀼𑀮 , Mahābandhula ) by the king. It is a title by which he would be remembered. Maha Bandula's first major military action as a senior commander came soon after in Manipur. The small kingdom in the west was a rebellion-prone protectorate between 1758 and 1782, and had been retaken by Bodawpaya since 1814. When the raja of Manipur, Marjit Singh , who

6240-650: Was left to command the remaining Burmese troops in Arakan after Bandula's death and the main battalions were ordered to withdraw from Arakan by Bagyidaw to meet the British invasion in Yangon in August 1824. Sa held on to Arakan throughout 1824 while fighting was concentrated in Yangon. After Gen. Archibald Campbell finally defeated Gen. Bandula in the Battle of Yangon in December 1824, the British turned their sights on Arakan. On 1 February 1825, an invasion force of 11,000 soldiers supported by gunboats and armed cruisers along

6320-743: Was placed on the throne by the Burmese only five years earlier, did not attend the new king's coronation ceremony or send an embassy bearing tribute, as all vassal kings had an obligation to do, Bagyidaw sent an expeditionary force to reclaim Manipur. In December 1819, the Burmese forces invaded Manipur, under the overall command of Thado Minye Kyawhtin , the king's brother. Maha Bandula was one of two deputy commander-in-chiefs ( Sitke ). He commanded an infantry force of 5000 men and 500 cavalry, followed by Gen. Ne Myo Thura Minhla Nawrahta 's 20,000 infantrymen and 2500 cavalry. The Manipuris made their stand near their capital. The fort, surrounded by high hills on two sides and heavily fortified by stout timber gates on

6400-500: Was signed by General Campbell from the British side and Governor of Legaing Maha Min Hla Kyaw Htin from the Burmese side on 24 February 1826. The Burmese paid 250,000 pounds sterling in gold and silver bullion as the first installment of the indemnity, and also released British prisoners of war. The war was thus brought to an end, and the British army moved south. The British army remained in the territories surrendered to it under

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