Thawta Swe - Bagan Heroes

Anawrahta and Suktae

"King Sukkatay has passed away. King Anawrahta has ascended the throne..."

This news spread like wildfire, and the people of the country were greatly alarmed. For in those days, it was believed that there was a great sin. Moreover, the one who killed King Sukkata was not a stranger, but his half-brother, Prince Anawrahta, which was even more likely to be a sin. They feared that the country would surely be in danger day or night.

In this situation, King Anawrahta was also victorious, but he was not happy because the public was shocked. He himself bowed his head and pledged allegiance to King Sukkate when he ascended the throne. However, King Sukkate's administration did not improve. He did not know how to organize a great union. The country was not like it was in the old days. He did not notice that foreigners were coming in and out, but only enjoyed the wealth of the kingdom. While there was dissatisfaction in the country, King Sukkate captured Anawrahta's mother and

Then, in the middle of the audience, the chieftain mocked Anawrahta, saying, “You are my younger brother and sister.” Anawrahta, embarrassed and furious, immediately challenged Sukkate to a duel. Sukkate readily accepted, and as mentioned, Anawrahta fell with a roar of laughter.

After these events, Anawrahta was plagued by sleepless nights. Every time the machine did not start, the nights when the machine would only start rolling left and right were countless. Sometimes, even a faint thought of the machine starting, the image of the body of his predecessor, Sukkate, floating on the water with a bloody sound. The sound of the rapid clatter of horses' hooves and the shrill cry of a woman, all of which woke him up in a flash. Every time he woke up like this, his golden chest would throb and he would tremble until he was covered in cold sweat.

When the Queen Mother heard that her husband, King Sukkate, and his son Anawrahta were fighting, she was afraid of her son's life or of his misfortune. She quickly chased after him with her horse and chariot, but it was too late. At this moment, the voice of her mother's shrill cry rang in Anawrahta's ears like a bell.

As he spent these terrible nights alone, Anawrahta thought back to his earlier days of happiness. He couldn't help but feel sad when he compared the poor people of the country who were sleeping soundly on such nights with his own state, who had the best and most luxurious palace in the kingdom but couldn't enjoy it. Then, unable to sleep, he got up from his bed and walked to the window.

In the moonlight, the fragrance of the flowers of the royal palace spread with the gentle breeze. Looking out the window at such a beautiful and peaceful world, Anawrahta felt a desire to travel freely as a human being. However, he was not an ordinary human being, but a king. Being a king, he sighed again as he thought about the great burden of the king's duties.

Then Anawrahta left the window again and climbed the stairs to the tower. When he reached the tower, he saw the beauty of the river, shining with gold and silver under the moonlight. At that time, he could hear the sweet song of the birds chirping in the morning from the flowers and shrubs in the garden, which indicated that dawn was approaching. Soon, the river king

King Anawrahta, who was looking on, heard the sound of cart wheels, the sound of oxen, the sound of hooves, and a noisy group of oxen carts coming in. Then a group of oxen and horses that followed met and greeted each other happily in friendly voices. Some joked. Once again, the group disappeared under the snow and the dim moonlight on the riverbank road, and merchant boats were seen coming from the riverbank. As these boats, large and small, slow and fast, met each other, the boatmen could be heard greeting each other and asking for prices. These voices were not Burmese, so it was clear that they were from the Ramana people from near the southern sea coast.

Bagan Market 

When the sun was about to rise, Anawrahta descended from the tower. Then, he walked casually to the market of Bagan city, where people were bustling with carts, oxen, and horses.

In this market, there are not only Burmese people but also Chinese merchants. They are from the land of the Gandhara Empire, selling silk, velvet, amber and jade. They also sell food products such as dried ham, dried duck, sausages, pickled duck eggs, and honey. Their shops are crowded with women from the moment they open. The silver-bearded and Chinese merchants shake their heads and necks, mixing their Burmese with Chinese, and the shoppers mix their Burmese with whatever Chinese they know, and they make transactions with their feet and hands.

A well-to-do Burmese man left his wife at a silk-screen shop to buy some ham, but the Chinese seller and his wife couldn't speak to each other. Meanwhile, his wife came along and spoke as much Chinese as she could, and the transaction went smoothly. At this, the man complained, "Oh... women, how easy it is to pick flowers when they learn other languages. I'm already good at speaking Burmese alone. And if I learn more languages ​​one day, I'll be miserable."

Then, when the sun was about to set, the market began to open. By this time, the Upper Burma sun was already hot, and the shoppers were sitting in the shade of the trees, relaxing. Those who had arrived before dawn were already full, so they opened the rice and vegetable packages they had brought and ate. Some ate in the shops.

Meeting the two of you 

A little way from the market, under a large, shady tamarind tree, sat a group of people. Not far from them, their horses were resting on the grass. A young man among the group, sitting on a branch of a tree, was staring intently at a map he had drawn on the sand, when he opened his eyes and spoke to his audience in a clear voice. His people were listening with interest.

The young man, leaning on his head on the drawn map, pointed out the city of Bagan, which is located on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, and the mountains of Tan Kyi on the other bank, and then the mountains of Tu Rong and the mountains of Poppa to the southeast. He said that his ancestors had migrated from the northern and upper parts of Burma, cultivated the fields in the clear waters and the grassy plains, and established villages and towns. From there, they made Bagan the capital and developed the country. However, at present, the country is in chaos, the ethnic groups are divided and have no organized government, and the most important border fort is also missing. Foreigners can enter and leave as they please.

“If this is the case, who can say that one day our country will not be invaded by foreign armies? If our country cannot defend itself, what will become of our people?” The young man’s voice trembled, but he regained control and said, “That is why we must strive to unite and be united among our people. We cannot say who will lead this matter. In fact, this duty is the responsibility of the king who rules the country. If he takes the lead in this matter, we must help him with all our strength. After all, this matter is not a matter of the responsibility of the whole country that can be handled by one person alone. Well... if the king does not want to do it, or if he cannot do it... ”

Suddenly, a shadow appeared, a spear pointed straight at the city of Bagan on the map the young man had drawn, and a triumphant voice shouted...

"Who dares to say that the king doesn't want to do this or can't do it?"

The group of people who were discussing looked at the strange speaker in surprise. The speaker stood tall and majestic, holding the staff firmly in his hand, ignoring the others and looking intently at the young leader's face.

"Who are you?"

The young man stood up from his seat, looked at the stranger for a moment, then took a step back with a respectful gesture...

"I am Htee Hlaing Shin, but most people call me Kyan Sitthi. And who are you? I don't know, sir."

The stranger said in a calm and dignified voice, "It would be good if we could go somewhere outside and talk to each other." He clapped his hands, and a beautiful horse galloped up to him. He called out to the other soldier, "Take your horse and follow me alone." The other soldier's men stared at the stranger with proud eyes and held their spear shafts tightly. The other soldier...

"My people, be quiet, do not move from here until I return," he said, calling his horse with a clap of his hands. As soon as he saw it, he jumped up and approached the stranger, who was already on his horse, whispering to him.

"Come, my lord, I am standing behind you."

Then King Nawratha and the remaining soldiers rode their horses in all directions and set off.

The one who defeated the river king, Eyara. 

The Ayeyarwady River is vast and majestic. Along both banks, green and brown mountains surround it, and the steep cliffs and white sandy beaches create a beautiful landscape. From here, far away from the river, the high and prominent Tan Kyi Mountain and the mountain peaks, the clouds moving on the mountain tops and the mountain peaks, are reflected in the mirror of the river's vast waters.

In the shadow, a small black spot floated in the water. At first glance, it looked like an inanimate object, but it wasn't just drifting with the current, but rather a living creature, moving from the west bank to the east bank. If you look closely, you can see a human being crossing the river.

Why are you crossing such a wide river because of the bazaar? The sound of the waves and the roar of the water is terrifying. But this man is far from being afraid. He swims with the courage of not showing the slightest fear. In fact, the river monster and the man are competing in strength and power. The giant's strong waves are pushing the man towards his destination. The man's strong arms are fighting against the current and the waves. Sometimes the river monster is so powerful that the man is completely submerged under the water. It seems that he will never come back. But soon, he emerges from his submerged position and fights the giant again. In this way, with one turn for him and one for me, man finally won and safely reached the other side.

But his battle was not over yet. In front of him was a huge, steep cliff. Looking up at it, he swung his arms two or three times. In the next moment, he ran and climbed it. But the steepness was not easy to climb. He slipped, fell again, grabbed hold of his hands, got up, and climbed again. In this way, he finally reached the top of the cliff. Then, standing on the highest cliff,

"I won, I won," he shouted loudly. Then he ran back down to the river and washed the mud off his body at the edge of the water.

Meanwhile, King Anawrahta, sitting on a rock at the top of the riverbank, watched and heard all that the man was doing. While the swimmer was washing himself, Anawrahta recalled the words of the other soldier.

“Sir, we must gain the trust of all classes of people, regardless of their social status, rich or poor. To do this, we must approach the public and study them. Only then will we understand their wishes and understand how to gain their trust and support. Then we will be able to win the support of the public.