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A HISTORY of BURMA by Dr t / NEW BURMA WEEKLY 23rd Adjust 1958 11 A HISTORY OF BURMA down to the end of the Thirteenth Century by , Than Tun ^FOREWORD ter just because Dr. Than Tun “ HAD It Is with fear and trepidation I write this BEEN” a Marxist. I do not see any rea­ .foreword to Dr. Than Tun’s “History of son why the Union Government can Burma down to the end -of the Thirteenth not be as tolerant as the University of Century” . Since I was an undergrad in London. In the University of London 195® Dr. Than Turn has been my mentor. there are many dons who are professed CHAPTERS Writing a foreword to one’s mentor’s work Communists, Perhaps Burma is just is not very comfortable. One must be able another America with a Burma-brand to forget one’s emotion for him and one’s Macarthy and his set rule. The University of Rangoon is very bias. Even if one is able to do so, one is Introduction (Writing of Early likely to be accused of being very partial. fortunate indeed to have Dr. Than Tun To foe impartial and impersonal is my back. But is the University, which regret­ Burmese History) watchword. tably has very few scholars like Dr. Than Tun, making proper use of him? Is the Burma before the Burmans Came I Dr. Than Tun is a Master of Arts and a University, where there is no freedoom of law graduate of the University of Ran­ speech, taking advantage of him? No. The goon. After getting his first degree, he University should be sensible enough to City of the Parched Land II joined the Department of History in the know that it is a shame nay, a crime, to same University, the Department to which shelve persons like Dr. Than Tun. It is a Expansion South III he still humiliatedly belongs. Later he grand conspiracy. In England an eminent migrated to the School of Oriental and scholar like Dr. Than Tun would at least African Studies, University of London. be a Reader. But in our Truth-forsaken Conquerors Conquered IV He submitted his thesis“ TH£ BUDDHIST country talent does not go far. No won­ CHURCH DURING THE PAGAN der the country is in such chaos. Burmanisation V PERIOD” to the University of London, Dr. Than Tun has been reading learned and he was duly awarded the degree of papers ever since his return, some of Final Conquest of the North VI Doctor of Philosophy. On the merits of which are:- firstly,“Law of Inheritance in his epoch-making thesis he was awarded Burma during A.D. 1044 to 1287” , second­ the B.C. Law Prize for the year 1955-56. ly, “ Social Life in Burma” A.D. 1044 to Rival Sects of the Religion VII The B.C. Law Prize was founded in 1946 1287” , thirdly, History of Burma: by Dr. Bimala Churn Law of Calcutta and A.D. 1044 to 1287” , and lastly “ Nachon- Administrative System VIII is awarded annually to a student of dis­ khyam” . At present he is compiling a tinction from among those studying such History of Kengtung. Asiatic languages as Sanskrit,Pali, Prakrit, It is not for me to write how eminent Social Life IX Tibetan, Chinese, Burmese and Sinhalese and hoW accomplished a scholar Dr. Than a»t the University of London. His prin­ Tun is. His “ History of Burma” will Economic Life X cipal sources were the epigraphs, both in speak for him.This series is not meant for Mon and Burmese, of that period. While specialists alone. It is meant for laymen as XI in London he read two papers to the well. We will publish his learned articles Art and Architecture School; firstly, “Slaves of Burma during on the fourth Saturday of every month. the Pagan period” and secondly, “ Admin­ He is one of the very few who have read Decay XII istration Under the Burmese Kings all the epigraphs of Burma that have been during the Pagan period” . discovered down to the Fourteenth Cen­ Destruction XIII There has been a loud acclamation tury. And he is one of the few persons who lately that Burma is truly democratic. I have read the stones proper, sometimes in certainly do not endorse this view. I am situ and sometimes at the protected places. Resume XIV amused. But my sense of humour must be The standard history of Burma is yet to very peculiar. Is there freedom of con­ be written. But who will write it? After viction in Burma? Decidedly no. Dr. Than Professor G.H. Luce, Dr. Than Tun is Tun was pushed out of the Defence Ser­ our only hope. vices Institute by the then Defence Minis­ Tin Hla Thaw 12 NEW BURMA WEEKLY 23rd August 1958 INTRODUCTION The Writing of Early Burmese History INSCRIPTIONS provide all the material Ananda pagoda had hundreds of glazed Compilers of chronicles were aware of for writing the Burmese history of the plaques depicting scenes from the Jataka the fact that they should use the material- Eleventh to the Thirteenth Century. When with Mon legends. As a matter of fact, from the inscriptions to check the compared with other countries of South- Mon seems to be the official language of authenticity of certain statements East Asia, Burma is very rich in inscrip­ the early part of our period. There are in the Chronicles written before tions especially for the period concerned. also thirty-five tablets from Taungbi, them. U Kala who compiled the “ Great: For our period, there are more than five east of Ananda, Pagan. Names of some Chronicle” in about 1720 was the pioneer hundred inscriptons, mosly engraved on fruits and trees are written on them and in this respect: but Twinthin Mahasithu- Webu (mica-schist) stones. Some are judging by the script and spelling, they are who produced the “New Chronicle” in written on the walls of the hollow- considered the earliest writing in Burmese. about 1790, was the first person’ to make pagodas (ku). Most of these inscriptions In all probability they must have a serious attempt to check history by are found in such places known in olden survived the period A. D 1113-1174, when means of inscriptions’. When the “ Glass days as Sunaparanta (o^oo6|^oo) and Burmans started writing their own Palace Chronicle” was compiled in 1829 language using Mon script. The Tatkale eleven inscriptions were used to check Tambadipa which are the lands Pagoda Inscription (Pl. 12, A. D. 1192) the old statements (see GPC pp. 65 68, 70 north of the Irrawaddy and south of the gives us a good example of the script, 71, 90, 129, 129, 129, 129, 130 and 130) Irrawaddy respectively. (The big river in spelling and style of old Burmese. The in connection with our period. But their the middle of Burma runs east to west script originally belongs to Pallava use of epigraphic evidence was very little. and hence this north and south division.) (Conjeveram) of South India. Inscrip­ None of them had made a real attempt to In old Burmese these places are tions became more numerous towards the write the history entirely depending on called kharuin and tuik (c^cS) end of the Pagan Dynasty. Rubbings of the inscriptions which the modern scholar Kyaukse district has eleven Kharuin these inscriptions—over five hundred considers the only possible and correct and Minbu district has six Kharuin. altogether, should be taken first. Then method. When Silavamsa wrote the Kharuin formed the original home they should be deciphered and “ Celebrated Chronicle” in about 1520, he of the Burmese people. Perhaps it would transliterated. When this is done, another had only a few sentences to write on the be more suitable to call them ‘nurseries’ important part of the strenuous work is story of Pagan butU Kala had it enlarged because the Burmese expanded their to card-index faithfully the material that to more than two hundred pages. He settlements from these Kharuin into tuik they afford. Once this is completed, one is used local legends and many Jataka later and from tuik into liuinharh(^Sc) — ready to write the history. (The Burma stories for this purpose and evidently Historical Commissionisnowcollecting the these stories have little or no historical the empire. Very roughly kharuin and tuik rubbings of inscriptions found in Burma value. Why were these stories incorpo­ areas form' the Dry Zone of Central and its collection will soon be complete rated? Because of the desire to des­ Burma and nuinnam extended from Takon and ready for scholars to decipher and cribe a given episode with a similar (obei.TDoS) andl$fachohkhyam(cGSOoS^0) card-index the inscriptions. Inscriptions and better known story from the in ihe north to Taluirisare (coc^SooGSj) of Burma in five portfolios published Jataka or the misinterpretation of the by the University of Rangoon are the old records. When two brothers quar­ and Tawai (oob) in the south and from photographic reproductions of the rub­ relled and the younger won, part of the Macchakiri —the Chin Hills, in bings of ‘over fivehundred inscriptions’ Mahajanaka story where the brothers the west to Salwan (ooc^S)—the Salween of our period. One should start reading fought is retold. When a son of a junior River, in the east. Burmese inscriptions the inscriptions with these photographs queen was given the throne superseding are fairly distributed throughout this and check the readings with rubbings the sons of senior queens, part of the -—most numerous in the ‘nurseries’. available at the Burmese Department, Ramayana where Dasaratha appointed a School of Oriental and African Studies, junior son as heir to the throne was f he earliest inscriptions, of our period, University of London; the Burmese retold mutatis mutandis When they yet discovered are the ‘seals’ of Aniruddha Department, University of Rangoon; misread or misinterpreted old records, (£©?$§) .They are all on terra-cotta votive the Burma Historical Commission they invented new stories to explain them.
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