Kingdoms of fortune
The former Burmese capitals of Ava, Sagaing and Amarapura boast a wealth of Ayutthaya-style art and icons
Thai visitors to the ancient kingdoms of Ava, Sagaing and Amarapura in northern Myanmar will no doubt find themselves flashing back to the history lessons of their school days and particularly the events that followed the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. Familiar Siamese art forms decorate the walls and ceilings of temples and the signs of former abundance perhaps explain why the Thai captives taken to Ava never made it back to their homeland.A trip to salvage the lost facts is fun, and especially so for anyone with an interest in the 18th century. Within a 20-kilometre radius of Mandalay lie Ava, Sagaing and Amarapura, all former capitals of the Burmese Empire.
Mandalay is a perfect launch PAD for a weekend foray to these cities, setting the tone for a journey back in time to post-1767 Siamese life in upper Burma.
Almost all Thai tourists visit Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay's holiest pilgrimage site. The towering golden Buddha image known as the Mahamuni is believed to be the most ancient of all Buddha images and said to be one of only five likenesses of the Lord Buddha when he walked the earth.
Equally interesting is the monastery's compact museum, which houses a collection of large bronze figures, part of the treasures taken from Ayutthaya.
A large notice says Burmese king Bayinnaung brought the bronze figures from Ayutthaya in 1536 after conquering the Siamese capital. In fact, the figures are not Siamese but Khmer in style and were taken from Angkor War by one of Ayutthaya's kings as prizes of war sometime in the 15th century, As Buddhist karma would have it, the bronze figures ended up in different hands some 1,200 km from the old Siamese capital.
Fast forward to the 18th century when hostilities between the Siamese and the Burmese intensified and Ayutthaya fell to the Burmese for a second time, leaving a deep scar on the Thai national psyche. Looting and torching of temples and palaces were common in the aftermath of the war and the Burmese once again took the treasures they acquired to the Ava Kingdom, along with 100,000 Ayutthaya residents and several members of the royal family.
Among these was King Uthumphon of Ayutthaya, whose tomb was discovered not too long ago at Linzhin Hill in modern-day Amarapura, 11 km from Mandalay.
The 32nd monarch of the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Uthumphon (also known as Udumbara and Dok Madua) was taken as a prisoner of war by King Hsinbyushin, the third king of Myanmar's Konbaung Dynasty, when he razed the Thai capital in 1767.
Although a captive, Uthumphon was allowed to travel independently. Based at a monastery in Amarapura, Uthumphon stayed in the monkhood for 29 years, a period that saw four reigns. After his death, King Bodawpaya held a grand funeral for Uthumphon at the Linzhin Hill graveyard.
Like other captives, Uthumphon initially lived in the capital Ava, now known as Inwa. The Thais built their own community outside the walls of Ava's Royal Palace. The Ayutthaya people were collectively referred to as the Yodia (natives of Ayutthaya) in Burmese. The term is still in use today and means Thais in general.
Ava is bounded by the Ayeyarwady River to the north and by a smaller river to the east. Getting there requires a short trip by ferry.
Though not an island like Ayutthaya, Ava in many ways feels like the ancient Thai capital with its riverine way of life. The landscape has remained almost unchanged over the centuries with monasteries, pagodas, paddy fields and the river stretching as far as the eye can see.
Sadly, though, the Royal Palace of Ava has lost most of its grandeur. A series of earthquakes in 1839 brought total destruction and necessitated its relocation to Amarapura in 1842. Today the palace grounds are used as banana plantations and the fruit is exported to China.
Two monuments did however withstand the quake: the Watch Tower and Bagaya Monastery.
Built in 1834 by King Bagyidaw, Bagaya is Ava's most beautiful teak structure supported by 267 massive teak columns measuring more than 20 metres in height and three metres in diameter. The dark interior is adorned with wood carvings and decorations that experts say are of Ayutthaya style, especially the garuda carvings and floral motifs.
In terms of the quality of life of the Thais living here in the old days, it was perhaps not all doom and gloom.
The Ayeyarwady was much bigger than the Chao Phraya and the plains were fertile. And there were plenty of betel nuts to chew just like in our former capital. Ava and nearby cities also had more monasteries and pagodas than Ayutthaya.
Ayutthaya didn't have scenic hills either. Across the river is Sagaing, which served as the capital of Myanmar from 1760-1765. The Sagaing Hill is pock-marked with pagodas and monasteries.
The Tilawkaguru Cave Temple is full of mural paintings and bears Ayutthaya motifs on the ceiling. Built around 1672, the temple is in Burmese style, but it's believed that its murals underwent a series of renovations done by skilled Thai artists from Ayutthaya.
The Ayutthaya style also permeates the murals of Maha Thein Dawgyi Temple, which feature the garuda, the naga and the Buddha.
U Min Thonze Cave Temple, sometimes referred to as the 30 caves pagoda, perched atop Sagaing Hill is home to many Buddha images. The main hall of the temple has a narrow crescent shape and occupies a cave on the side of Sagaing Hill, The thick outer walls are also in a crescent shape and boast 30 windows. The interior houses a collection of beautiful Buddha images in a crescent-shaped colonnade.
Sagaing's hilltop monasteries also offer stunning panoramic views across the confluence of the two rivers, of Mandalay in the distance and Ava down below.
So did the captured Thais want to return to the ruins of Ayutthaya? Somehow, given the pros that far outweigh the cons of the Ava Kingdom, one would doubt it.
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