I do believe back old days ARAKAN as Chittagong used to be known as MOGHER MULLUK, and it seems MOGH is depicted in very negative way..here is something I know as some of the MOHGs are considerd Buddhist and once upon a time Chittagong, DC residence used to be Tribal King residence..something had to happen for them to retrieve more towards Hilly Side of Chittagong that is Hill tracts..
Yes many are Buddhist, but they are one the other side..their is two main segment of Buddhist Theravada & Mahayana..Theravada is the oldest form..Mahayana is the modified form..that is the one predominately every where else, and when I say Else China is the godfather of all...
In Chittagong the two main division of Buddhist as they have Katalganj temple now..the division arises..over a Monk that was invited from Burma should I say Dhaka Kamalapur side..of Bisuddhanada allies..his name was SARAMEDHA..he was guest for a while and traveled quite a bit in Chittagong..then difference of opinion came up between SARAMEDHA and the Host..many Monks followed SARAMEDHA over the Bishuddhananda side among was GUNOMEU..
Bishuddhanada side objected to many things..but the biggest objection was they did not want Buddhist of Chittagong to lead by a FOREIGN MONK...Only thing is SARAMEDHA was Burmese...but the Bishuddhanada side was really the Chinese..and many other oriental countries...
Every one that came to Power played favorites with Bishuddhananda side..except for Mujib, he ruled very short while, but new dark side of kamalapur, but he also did not..played favorite with our side..
Since the split..other side has done many form of harassment, such was we were Gays and etc to many things to Lawsuit..intimidation..to the point Saramedha had to leave for Burma and never does quite get their and establish a temple close to Burma that would be towards Cox Bazar Ramu side.
To be candid it is Zia who first entered into or should I say entered into Buddhist politics..he donated by decree a piece if land in disputed DEB PAHAR area..for a temple and it is their..though he was loyal to Chinese side..he abruptly decided to dable with our side of the temple..he was guest in our temple festivity he apparently him self initiated the contact . .he said he knew of this temple form his day in Chittagong during the war and some who sought shelter their and etc...we heard in those days Bisshudhanada side out right warned Zia he was going to pay for that switch all of a sudden..
The thing is after Zias death his wife has spread her legg between both and she lead the Military to do so too..the thing is Hassina does not show up as far as I know in either side meeting it is surprising how many time JIAN TAO & JIAN BAO has visited ...Bangladesh take a guess why...
Not only that from very old days Chittagong was also very active in SURJA SEN days..they were devoted no disrespect GUPTA GHATOK see Salauddin Kader with them..so is his French backers..
Not only that Chittagong is also..very famous PORT city, well that is FIRINGI BAZAR...well that is those FERNADEZ of GAO should I say....many things come from them too...
Above all these are some of the reason GUNOMEJU and his immediate subordinate Lal Mohan Mohastobi who was once the Cheif Priest of Tribal King..were forced out...
Just LOOK at BRANSON ( ARUN MOHAJON) of VIRGIN ATLANTIC..he was a monk too..that shot the LAL MOHAN MOSTOBIRS SON DINESH CHANDRA..he accused him being a Bastard because his mother was Burmese and father was from Bengal...
More as I go...
From: Isha Khan <bdmailer@gmail.com>
To:
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2012 9:34 PM
Subject: [chottala.com] BURMA'S ROHINGYA ORIGIN IN THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF ARAKAN: UNDERSTANDING THE ARAB- CHANDRA SYNTHESIS
BURMA'S ROHINGYA ORIGIN IN THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF ARAKAN:
UNDERSTANDING THE ARAB- CHANDRA SYNTHESIS (A WORKING PAPER ON ARAKAN
HISTORY)
Abid Bahar
Abstract (Several issues has come to the surface from the present
research on DHANNAWADI and VASALI period of ancient Arakan; (1) That
DHANNAWADI and VASALI were Indian dynasties with Hindu and Mohayana
Buddhist religious followers (2) During the Chandra rule there had
been some Arab settlements in Arakan. The language of the Chandras was
proto-Chittagonian: Sanskrit, Pali, and Arabic mixed similar to what
Buchanon Hamilton found in 1799 with Rohingyas in Burma, also that a
similar language was spoken by the Chakmas and Thanchangras of Arakan
and Bangladesh, its written form similar to Bengali. found in the
Ananda Chandra script (3) Beginning from 957 A.D. there had been a
huge migration of Tibeto-Burman Theraveda Buddhist population into the
plains of Arakan, by defeating the Chandras they took possession of
Arakan and the Indian look alike people retreated either toward the
Northern part of Arakan or went back to Bengal, making the event its
first Indian exodus of Arakaniese people to Bengal. (4) In our
contemporary period there has been a conscious effort among Arakan's
Rakhine crudader like historians to deny and cleanse from history, not
only the traces of Indian Hindu or Mohayana civilization but also the
traces of Muslim population and their Arab-Chandra synthesis of the
Chandras predating the Tibeto Burman Theraveda Buddhist existence. )
----------------------------------
The Rohingyas people of Arakan are mostly Muslims with a small Hindu
population among them. They are racially Indo- Semitic. They are not
an ethnic group developed from one tribal group affiliation or single
racial stock. Tides of people like the the Brahmins from India,
Arabs, Moghuls, Bengalis, Turks and people from Central Asia, came
mostly as traders, worriors and prechers overland or through the sea
route to Arakan. Many settled in Arakan, during the Indian Chandra
period, mixing with the local people formed the first neclus of the
Rohingya people in Arakan. Historically speaking, in their common
suffering in Burma, they found an identity now known to the world as
the Rohingyas of Arakan. (1) Part one of this series of articles on
Rohingya history is about the first Arab Chandra synthesis; covering
from 3rd century CE. to 1406 A.D in chronological order.
3rd Century (CE): "By the 3rd century (CE), the coastal region of Kala
Mukh (Arakan) had been settled with the colonists dominating and
coexisting warily with the indigenous people. In the sites of major
habitation Sanskrit became the written language of the ruling class,
and the religious beliefs were those prevalent at that time in
south-Asia (or Indian sub-continent). "(2)
4th to 10th century. DHANNAWADI and VASALI (Brahminical and Mohayana
Buddhist civilizations)
" As a port city, Vaishali was in contact with Samatat (the planes of
lower Bangladesh) and other parts of India and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Historically, these early rulers came to be known as the Chandras and
controlled the territories as far north as Chittagong. "(3)
"The Anand Chandra Inscription, which contains 65 verses (71 and a
half lines) and now sited at the Shitthaung pagoda, provides some
information about these early rulers. Interestingly, neither the name
of the kingdom or the two premier cities – Dhanyavati and Vaishali –
is mentioned. This 11-foot high monolith, unique in entire Burma, has
three of its four faces inscribed in a Nagari script, which is closely
allied to those of Bengali and north-eastern India. As noted rightly
by Noel Singer had it not been for Professor E.H. Johnston of Balliol
College, Oxford, who translated the Sanskrit script and the Indian
epigraphists before him, the contents of the Inscription which
remained inaccessible for well over a thousand years would never have
been known. (4)
"The script on the panel on the east face is believed by Johnston to
be the oldest. According to Pamela Gutman it was similar to the type
of script used in Bengal (Bangladesh) during the early 6th century CE.
As to the panel on the north face, Johnston mentioned that several
smaller inscriptions in Bengali characters had been added in the 10th
century. Gutman however felt that the principal text in this section
is of the mid-11th century CE. The panel on the west face, which is
reasonably preserved, is believed by Gutman to be of the earlier part
of the 8th century. This priceless document not only lists the
personalities of each monarch but also some of the major events of
every reign."(5)
"So who is this Ananda Chandra? In verse 64, it clearly says that he
was a descendant of the Saiva-Andhra monarchs [presumably of Banga or
Bangladesh] whose kingdom was located between the Godavari and Krishna
Rivers of Bengal, and close to the Bay of Bengal. The founder of this
new dynasty was Vajra Sakti who reigned circa 649-665 CE. His
successor was Sri Dharma Vijaya, who reigned from circa 665-701. As
noted by Singer, and much in contrast to Rakhine claims, Dharma Vijaya
was not a Theravada Buddhist, but probably a Mahayanist. The next in
line was Narendra Vijaya who reigned from circa 701 to 704 CE. The
next to rule was Sri Dharma Chandra, who reigned from 704 to 720 CE.
He was the father of Ananda Chandra who was a magnificent patron of
Mahayana Buddhism and Hindu institutions.(6)
Arakani researcher San Shwe Bu thinks the Chandras were from Hindu
dynasty but later on like in Bengal converted to Mohayana Buddhism.
According to him the king and the people both were of Indian origin.
The coins of Wasali had the image of Siva engraved on it. M.S. Collins
says, "The coins of Wasali were in pure Brahminical tradition."(7)
The Indian Chandra aristocracy called the ancient dark skinned people
of Arakan with the derogatory name the Rakkhasas (Kula). These were
the indigenous people of Arakan.
What was the language of these people? The language of the Chandras
was proto-Chittagonian: Sanskrit, Pali, and Arabic mixed. See the "The
Anand Chandra Inscription. There is no trace of Burmese or Rakhine
Mogh script on it. According to Dr. Emil Forchhammer, a Swiss
Professor of Pali at Rangoon College, and Superintendent of the newly
founded Archaeological Survey (1881): "The earliest dawn of the
history of Arakan reveals the base of the hills, which divide the
lowest courses of the Kaladan and Lemro rivers, inhabited by
sojourners from India… Their subjects are divided into the four castes
of the older Hindu communities…"(8)
788 A.D. During the reign of Arakani Indian Chandra King Mahat Sing
Daya's time recorded in the royal chronicle that several Arab ships
wracked on Ramree Island. "Survivors were sent to Arakan proper and
settled in villages." (9) Similar Arab settlements were recorded in
the other parts of southern part of Chittagong of what is now
Bangladesh.
785-957 Arab traders began to settle both in Arakan and Chittagong.
Inter mixture with the local population no doubt led to the growth of
the first Chandra-Rohingyas of Arakan. During this time, in both
Arakan and Chittagong, the influence of Sanskrit, Pali, Arabic, Persi,
combined together eventually formed the Chandra-Rohingya dialect which
is similar to the Chittagonian dialect with their slight variations.
The same dialect is also spoken by the Chakmas, and the Tanchaingyas
of Chittagong Hill Tracts. Despite their racial differences their
linguistic similarities shows they must be the citizens of ancient
Chandra kingdom.
Durinng the 9th Century there was records of Chandra invasion of
Chittagong. Hindus of Chittagong believe that the name Chittagong was
derived from the original Sanskrit name "Chatta gram" into
"Chaitigaon." However, the Arakani historians claim that the name
Chittagong was originally given by an Arakanese mongoloid king. It
says, an Arakani king eracted a pillar at Chittagong in the nineth
century A. D. with a remark "to make war is improper." Interestingly,
during this time a Chandra king (not a Mogh king) ruled Arakan. It is
hard to believe, because there was no Rakine Mogh kingdom in Arakan
yet. At this time, Arakan was ruled by Chanda king Shoe Ratan. The
language of the king was not the Burmese Moghhi "Tsit-ta-gungin", "to
make war is improper" seems was made up later on. "To make war
improper" seems more like the declaration of a peace treaty between
two parties than as it was originally presented as the declaration of
victory by an Arakani king. Under the circumstance of the nonexistence
of Burmese language in Arakan at the time, instead of the Burmese
"Tsit-ta-gungin", it would seem that the Chandras's Sanskrit
expression "Shoukeet Thakom" (Choutagon, in English meaning you live
in peace) The latter expression in Chittagonian or in Chandra-Rohingya
language seems historically more consistent. One might wonder how this
misinterpretation of a huge magnitude "Tsit-ta-gungin", "to make war
is improper" remained as truth for so long.
Many of the contemporary research on Arakan show that after the event
of 1784 Burmese invasion of Arakan, Burmese king took the Arakani
chronicles to Burma proper. To Burmanize Arakan, we know the Arakani
Sanskrit chronicles were rewritten in Burmese along with a tendentious
interpretation of events entered into the present Arakani history.
957-1430 MONGOLOID BURMESE MOGH INVASION OF ARAKAN: RISE OF THE RAKHINE MOGH
(Arakan's two solitudes: Rakhine in the South and Rohingya in the
North. Mongoloid invasion of Arakan and the beginning of "Kula"
(Chandra Rohingya) exodus to North Arakan and Chittagong.) (11)
957 A.D. Something happened in the year 957 A.D. and historians'
record this as a significant date when Tibeto-Burman people in large
numbers entered Arakan and took its control by defeating the Chandra
Mahayanas Buddhists, imposing their Theravada Buddhism, the latter was
adopted from the Mons in the South who in their turn took it from Sri
Lanka. Similar changes didn't happen in Bengal. (10) In Bengal, most
Mahayana Buddhists were converted to Islam by Sufi mystics. With the
fall of Arakan to the Tibeto-Burmans, the Chandra Indians were either
pushed to the north of Arakan or some even left Arakan for Bengal.
Around this time, the defeated Chandra Royal family was found to
settle in Chittagong proper.The Dev Pahar, in Chittagong city named
after Dev Chandra was the site of this new Mohayana Buddhist
kingdom.(12)
In North Arakan, mostly Chandra Hindus (lower casts also known as the
Rakkhas) slowly adopted Islam converted by the already existing
Muslims of Arakan and most Buddhist elites perhaps joined the
Tibeto-Burnan Theraveda group or perhaps a defeated small number of
Buddhist adopted Islam. Arakan became on one hand Theraveda Buddhist
with largely Tibeto Burman stock, later came to be known as the "Mog/
Mug"/ Rakhines and the others were Rohingya Hindus and Muslims. Moghs
settled in the south and Muslims, Hindus of Indian look alike people
settled in the North. During the Chandra times and to its end in
Arakan, we see the traces of Arabic names such as Rambree, Sufi sites
on Myu Mountain tops, and Badre Patis in the Northern part of Arakan.
From the 11th century, clearly with the Tibeto-Burman rule, Arakan
began to have two solitudes, Rakhine Mogh and the Rohingya Muslims but
Arakan began to look East to its mongoloid Buddhist neighbors only
until the year 1430; the year Arakan's king Noromi Kla would be
deposed by Burmese invasion and he would take shelter in Gaur of
Bengal.
Revisionist History Writing and Rakhine Crusader like Activism: Ethnic
cleansing of the Arakani Indo sematic traces
A footnote to the above discussion that Rakhine ultranationalists in
their attemts to purify Arakan of Muslim traces for their only
Buddhist mongoloid race prove that the Buddhist civilization was there
for the past 3000 years, and even Buddha visited Arakan and the
Mohamuni was made in Buddha's presence. In this ethnocentric attempt,
they are not only getting rid of Muslim names from Arakan sites in
Mrohaung city and in its vicinity, in doing anti Indo semantic ethnic
cleansing, by getting rid of both Hindu traces and the Mohayana
Buddhist traces from Dhannwadi and Vasali kingdom sites in favour of
the Theraveda Rakkhapuri ultra nationalist Buddhism.
In his book, Vasali and the Indianization of Arakan, Noel Singer
notes, "Dhanyavti and Vasaishali on which stood Hindu temples, now
been taken over by Buddhists. There is a tendency to transform Hindu
gods into Buddhist deities." "Regretably, despite Rakhine
determination to eradicate Brahmanic evidence, this is unlikely to
happen for a considerable time." (13)
Their narrative about the Rohingyas (Hindu-Muslim) of Arakan by the
Rakhine xenophobes "starts with the British colonization of the
territory in 1826 after the first Anglo-Burma War of 1824-26, as if
Rohingyas had no past connection to the soil of Arakan."(14) In this
propaganda campaign, there are several Rakhine crusader like
historians; they are Kanbawza Win, Aye Chan, Maung Maung, and U Khin
Maung Saw. One such historian is also San Tha Aung. Noel Singer
remarks: "whose vehement claims that the inhabitants of the kingdom
throughout its history were devout Theravada Buddhist, it should be
noted that Svarga, the Hindu paradise, and not a Buddhist one was
indicated in the inscription." He "investigated the document further
in the 1970's apart from his biased version his labors failed to
produce any new revelations." (15) No doubt, the works of these
tendentious Rakine historians belittling the Rohingya presence in
Arakan must have played a significant role in the present ethnic
cleansing of the Rohingya people in Arakan.
1044-77 Rise of Burmese pagan king Anwardhta in Burma proper with
Teraveda political Buddhism, "reduces North Arakan"from a kingdom to a
province of Burma.
1044-77 Rohingyas (Arakani Hindus and Muslims) left Arakan for
Chittagong. Chakma Royal history says that in this war against the
Burmese, Chakmas sided with the Bengalis (the Chandras) but were
defeated.
1287 - Mongols under Kublai Khan conquer Pagan. Arakan revives again
as a kingdom.
1406 Burmese King Min Khaung Yaza invades Arakan and Noromi-kala the
king of Arakan along with his followers took asylum at Gaur court of
Bengal. The Sultan welcomed Noromi kla to serve as an officer in the
army.
1431 Noromi Kla was helped by the Bengal Sultan with General Wali
Khan leading 20, 000 troops to restore him to throne of Arakan, at the
same time Arakan became an autonomous province of Bengal, paying taxes
to the Sultan.
(Continues to Part 2)
ENDNOTES:
(1)Abid Bahar, "Dynamics of Ethnic Relations in Burmese Society": An
Unpublihed MA thesis, University of Windsor, Canada, 1981, p. 25, Abid
Bahar, "Mystery behind the Chakma and the Rohingya's linguistic
similarities"http://www.kaladanpress.org/v3/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1721:mystery-behind-the-chakma-and-the-rohingyas-linguistic-similarities&catid=35:rohingya&Itemid=29
(2)Habib Siddiqui, Analysis of Muslim Identity and Demography in
Arakan - parts 1 and 2
http://drhabibsiddiqui.blogspot.ca/2011/10/analysis-of-muslim-identity-and.html
(3)Ibid
(4) Ibid
(5) Ibid
(6) Ibid
(7) M.S. Collins,Burma, 1925, p.39-43.
(8) Habib Siddiqui, Analysis of Muslim Identity and Demography in
Arakan - parts 1 and 2
(9) R.B. Smart, Burma Gazetteer Akyab district, Vol. 1, 1957, p.17
(10) Purna Chandra Chowdhury, Chottagramer Ithas, 2008, p. 31
(11) Michael Smith,The Muslim Rohingyas of Burma, 1995.
(12) Purna Chandra Chowdhury, Chottagramer Ithas, p. 31
(13) Noel Singer, Vasali and the Indianization of Arakan, 2008,
p108;San Tha Aung, Wathali, in Noel Singer, Vasali and the
Indianization of Arakan, 2008
MP U Shwe Maung's Parliamentary Speech in Burmese Parliament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YTUdcLAq8ag
(14)Ibid
(15)Ibid,
News Night With Talat - 25th July 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtQjgIZdVt8;
Inside Story - Why is the world ignoring Myanmar's Rohingya?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=RfC0aJwZjFI;
Thousands of Muslims Massacred by Burma's Government and People
(Myanmar) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uO4leI66Ko&feature=related;Tell
Me, What is Rohingya Genocide:
http://danyawadi.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/tell-me-what-is-rohingya-genocide-in-burma-by-abid-bahar-phd/;http://danyawadi.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/religiously-motivated-racism-and-the-ongoing-rohingya-genocide-in-burma/,
http://danyawadi.wordpress.com/2012/07/07/religiously-motivated-racism-and-the-ongoing-rohingya-genocide-in-burma/
(Dr. Abid Bahar teaches in Canada)
------------------------------------
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