BURMA
Siamese King’s Tomb to be Destroyed
The historic tomb of former Siamese King Uthumphon near Mandalay. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)
The historic tomb of former Siamese King Uthumphon, located near Mandalay City in Upper Burma, is set to be destroyed to make way for a new urban development project, according to local historian sources.
The magnificent burial place, which is larger than most and measures the size of a small pagoda, is situated inside prominent Linzin (former Burmese name for Laos) Hill graveyard on the edge of famous Taungthaman Lake in Amarapura Township, Mandalay Division.
“Thai people visiting Burma come to this tomb regularly to pay respect to their king,” a local resident told The Irrawaddy. “I have heard that this graveyard will soon be cleared for some sort of urban project.”
According to Burmese history records, King Hsinbyushin (1736-1776), the third king of Burma’s Konbaung Dynasty, invaded the ancient Thai capital Ayutthaya in 1767 and brought as many subjects as he could back to his capital Ava, including Uthumphon.
“The records say the Thai king was in monkhood when he was brought back as a prisoner of war and when he died in captivity his body was buried at Linzin Hill,” Dr. Tin Maung Kyi, a well-known Burmese historian and Mandalay resident, told The Irrawaddy.
He said experts believe Uthumphon died during the reign of King Bodawpaya (1745-1819), the sixth king of the same dynasty.
The authoritative History of Ayutthaya website says Uthumphon, who is better known as King Dok Madua or “figflower” is Siamese history, was the youngest son of King Borommakot (1733-1758) and a minor queen called Phiphit Montri, and was appointed as Uparat (Crown Prince) by his father. Uthumphon also means “figflower” but in Sanskrit.
The website adds that Uthumphon succeeded to the throne upon the death of his father, but his position was insecure so he decided to abdicate in favor of his elder brother Suriyamarin (1758-1767) who was constantly meddling in court affairs.
He then retired to a monastery he built called Wat Pradu Songtham. In 1767, after the fall of Ayutthaya, Uthumphon was taken out of his temple and led away to Burma where he died in captivity in 1796.
Scholars in Mandalay have raised concerns that the new project will not only mean the loss of considerable heritage but also affect the country’s nascent yet potentially huge tourism industry.
“Thai people regularly come to their ex-king’s tomb to pay respect. I always have to clean the tomb before their arrival. They will also feel hurt if the tomb is destroyed,” said Nyein Win, an archaeologist in Amarapura.
Despite proposals from historians to preserve ancient tombs and cemeteries which are deemed historically important, the Burmese government has nevertheless replaced a large number with new buildings and urban projects.
In 1997, the Burmese military junta destroyed Kyandaw graveyard in Rangoon, where well-respected individuals from political, economic, social and other prominent arenas were buried.
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The 3 pillars of ASEAN: One Vision, One Identity, Another Shopping Mall.
Sadly the leaders of this country do not understand what heritage is.
No one will ever pay a Kyats to see a shopping center.
Wth the thinking of these leaders our country will not be going anywhere. They will retain a poor legacy.
I can’t wait for 2015 to elect them out of power.
No chance of voting them out. “The leopard never changes its spots”.
I am disappointed both Thai and Burmese government ignoring this heritage our 2 nations.
Unbelievable.Let good sence prevail in the hearts and minds of the concerned people.
Do these greedy businessmen and some ignorant administrators know the meaning and value of “historical” “ancient” and “heritage”?
What ever they see is “money” “money” “money”
Mandalay just gets better and better…
Please help preserve this monument because it is not only Thai history, but also Burmas history. Please inform the authority to not let them destroy it.
Maybe I am wrong but the graveyard is Kyandaw not Kyawdaw right?
In 50 years or less, Burma will have no identity. It will look like
Hong Kong or Bangkok, wall to wall shopping malls, McDonalds, Pizza Huts, etc. No sense of history except for a few token pagodas. A real pity. I lived in Burma for 3 years in the early 70′s, and while Ne Win was in charge, it was still Burma. It will always be a state of mind.
Ne Win belonged to a more staunchly nationalist generation. The insatiable greed of these men transcends patriotism, nationalism, Buddhism, all isms except capitalism, their new god. So somebody please tell them they are looking at shed loads of tourist dollars from our good neighbors here. Surprising they haven’t cottoned on to it already and staked a claim to the place.
This stupid act will arouse another tension between Burma and Thailand. It will benefit none. This kind of disrespect act is unacceptable. King Hsi Baw was buried in India by the British but the Indian government still respects his tomb. But now, the Burmese king captured him and brought him to Burma as captive. The Thai king died in Burma. Now, the Burmese government is insulting the Thai people in exhuming his bones and make him homeless. I am so sand. Burmese government must consult first the Thai government whether the Thai government may want to bring him home finally. Respect is really really important. Now, we see insult. It will bear rotten fruits.
You hit it right on the nail!
“The leopard cannot change its spots”
“These old buildings do not belong to us only, they belong to our forefathers and they will belong to our descendants unless we play them false. They are not in any sense our own property to do with as we like with them. We are only trustees for those that come after us.” (William Morris)
Amen! Thanks for your statesmanship. I hope the president has the wisdom to stop this nonsense.
This is another dumb idea of the GOVT for stupid development.
Majority of THAI people visit Mandalay for one of this visiting reasons. Why we have so much potential with so little brain?
Look at Cambodia and Vietnam, their tourism income comes from old things, keeping it old and restoration properly will make you better income rather than stupid developments around the city.
Yes, I agree with you.
The Vietnamese even preserve the tunnels where Vietcong insurgents hid and now it’s a tourist attraction. They even have shooting ranges for AK-47 automatic rifles for tourists to try out at XXX dollars a shot.
What do you expect from monkeys in administration?
First they white wash ancient wall murals in Bagan pagodas, then they bull doze roads through ancients walls in Mrauk Oo ancient city, they even break up ancient bricks to lay new roads.
Tragic, isn’t it? These uncultured philistines are probably unaware that the conquering British billeted at the foot of Mandalay Hill also pulled down all the masonry zayats (rest houses) at Kuthodaw Pagoda to build roads for the troops.
I don’t want to be too cynical, but doesn’t everyone notice the parallels between this story and the one about a well-known Burmese abbot giving a sermon in Chiang Mai (or shall I say Zin Mai) about the preservation of Burmese culture at a monastery built by a Burmese King there?
I think many people in Burma have forgotten The Golden Rule:
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
Sure it cuts both ways, and in each case it’s the arrogant ruling class that gives little thought to the sensibilities of others.