Mrauk U is a town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a subregion of the Mrauk-U District.
The Rakhine people or Arakanese are a Southeast Asian ethnic group in Myanmar (Burma) forming the majority along the coastal region of present-day Rakhine State, although Rakhine communities also exist throughout the country, particularly in the Ayeyarwady and Yangon Regions. They constitute approximately 4.61% or more of Myanmar's total population. Rakhine communities exist in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts and in India, where they are known as the Marma and Magh peoples respectively.
The Shaitthaung Temple, also spelled Shitthaung according to Standard Burmese pronunciation, is a famous Buddhist temple in Mrauk U. The name means 'Temple of 80,000 Buddha Images', and is also known as the 'Temple of Victory'.
Htukkanthein is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the ancient Arakanese city of Mrauk U, in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar. The name means "Cross-Beam Ordination Hall".
Rakhine State occupies the northern coastline of Myanmar up to the border with Bangladesh and corresponds to the historical Kingdom of Arakan. The history of Rakhine is divided into 7 parts - the independent kingdoms of Dhanyawadi, Waithali, Lemro, Mrauk U, Burmese occupation from 1785 to 1826, British rule from 1826 to 1948 and as a part of independent Burma from 1948.
Kouthaung is the largest Buddhist temple in Mrauk U, Myanmar. The name means "Temple of 90,000 Buddha Images". The temple was built between 1554 and 1556 by King Dikkha.
Le-myet-hna is a Buddhist temple in Mrauk U located at the northwest corner of the Shite-thaung Temple. It has four entrances, one at each cardinal point and eight seated Buddhas around a central column. It was built by King Min Saw Mon in 1430 AD. The temple was entirely constructed with black sand stones.
Ratanabon Temple is a solid Buddhist stupa in Mrauk U, Rakhine State, Western Myanmar. The pagoda is located at the northeast corner of the Shite-thaung Temple.
Thingyan Moe is a 1985 Burmese film directed by Maung Tin Oo and starring Nay Aung, Zin Wine, Khin Than Nu and May Than Nu. The movie follows the life of a musician from 1959 to 1982, with many of the scenes set at traditional Thingyan celebrations.
Min Mahagiri is one of the 37 nats in the Burmese pantheon of nat. Son of a famous blacksmith, U Tint Daw, his given name was Maung Tint De or Mr Handsome. He was extremely strong, able to break the tusks of an elephant. The King of Tagaung was worried, lest he attempt to usurp his throne, so Maung Tint De hid himself in a village. As a stratagem, the king married Maung Tint De's sister, Saw Me Ya, also called Myat Hla or Shwe Myet-hna, to become one of his queens. He persuaded Saw Me Ya to ask her brother to come out of hiding so that he could be given a high office. However, when Maung Tint De came out of hiding, the king had him arrested and burned alive tied to a champac (sagawabin) tree. His sister also died with him and the two became evil Nats resident in that tree, periodically feasting on people who happened to come near the tree. The King of Tagaung had the tree cut down and cast into the waters of the Irrawaddy River where it floated, coming to rest in the kingdom in Bagan ruled by King Thinligyaung (344-387), when the two Nats appeared in a dream apprising the king of their plight. They offered to guard the city if they were given a place to dwell. King Thinligyaung had the trunk carried to Mount Popa, divided into two parts and carved with human features. Henceforth, Maung Tint De was to be known as the Lord of the Great Mountain. They were also enshrined on either side of the city's Tharabha Gate, Maung Tint De on the right and Shwe Myet-hna on the left. Later kings had golden heads made of the two Nats and had these heads mounted on pillars at Mt Popa.
The Kingdom of Mrauk-U 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 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 the Konbaung dynasty of Burma.
Min Bin was a king of Arakan from 1531 to 1554, "whose reign witnessed the country's emergence as a major power". Aided by Portuguese mercenaries and their firearms, his powerful navy and army pushed the boundaries of the kingdom deep into Bengal, where coins bearing his name and styling him sultan were struck, and even interfered in the affairs of mainland Burma.
Narameikhla Min Saw Mon was the last king of Launggyet Dynasty and the founder of Mrauk-U Dynasty of Arakan.
Min Khayi was the second king of the Mrauk-U Kingdom from 1433 to 1459.
Ba Saw Phyu was king of Arakan from 1459 to 1482. He acquired Chittagong in 1459, and put down a rebellion there in 1481. He established religious contacts with Ceylon and built the Mahabodhi Shwe-Gu Temple. Though he was beloved by his subjects for his enlightened rule, the king was assassinated by a servant of his eldest son Dawlya.
Min Saw Hla was king of Arakan from 1556 to 1564. At accession, he made his first wife Saw Bon-Htut the chief queen but also married his father's chief queen Saw Thanda. He ordered a massive building program which built and repaired dams, irrigation canals as well as improved the defenses of Mrauk-U and other key towns around the kingdom. In 1561, he commissioned the building of Htukkanthein Temple.
Min Phalaung was king of Arakan from 1572 to 1593. He presided over the continued rise of Arakan, begun under his father King Min Bin. He extended his realm to Tripura (1575) and northern Bengal (1586–1587), and withstood a major invasion by Toungoo Burma (1580–1581). He completely stayed out of the chaos in Toungoo Burma in the following years. Phalaung left a prosperous and confident kingdom to his son Raza II, who succeeded him in 1593.
Min Dikkha was ruler of the Kingdom of Mrauk U from 1554 to 1556. He was the heir-apparent of the kingdom for 22 years during the reign of his father, King Min Bin. Dikkha was an able military commander who led the Arakanese navy in Min Bin's conquest of Bengal in 1532–1533. He led the Royal Arakanese Navy in the Taungoo–Ava War (1538–45), and in the Taungoo–Mrauk-U War (1545–47).
The Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards are presented annually to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Burmese Film Industry of Myanmar. The awards ceremony has been held annually since 1952. Each winner is presented with a golden statue and in recent years also a cash prize.
The restoration of Min Saw Mon was a military campaign led by the Bengal Sultanate to help Min Saw Mon regain control of his Launggyet Dynasty. The campaign was successful. Min Saw Mon was restored to the Launggyet throne, and Arakan became a vassal state of the Bengal Sultanate.
