Thet or Sak or Sakyan of ancient Burma , Baramahdesh
There are many reasons and numerous evidences to certainly
confirm that the King Abhiraj (Abhi-raja-Abee-yazar) came from India through
the provinces of North-Eastern India which is North-Western parts of modern
Burma, now Myanmar.
The
first race of immigrants belonged to the Mon-Khmer stock, and the reason for
believing that they came from North-Eastern India is that they are allied to
the khasias in Assam and to the Bhils and Gonds. When they were driven out of
India, and whether their expulsion was due to the Aryan conquest of India, it
is impossible to determine, but, as they have left some of their congeners
behind, the probability is that they came from India.(Stuert, John:1910, page
2)
But the opposing view of other
contemporary historians like Harvey 1925) reported by Houtman as below but we
would not agree to these due to prevailing facts and figures to follow.” In
this way historians such as Harvey (1925:307, xvii), irritated in their quest
for historical facts in indigenous histories, found that ’perhaps as much as
half the narrative told us as historical down to the thirteenth century is
folk-lore’. History should be about linguistic, geographic, but in particular
racial origins and ‘the Burmans are a Mongolian race, yet their traditions,
instead of harking back to China, refer to India…the surviving traditions of
the Burman are Indian because their own Mongolian traditions died out’ (Harvey
1925-:5). This ignores ‘spiritual’ in favour of ‘racial’/’linguistic’
continuity. Htin Aung(1970), in his Burmese History Before 1287 attempted to
resuscitate the Burmese view as represented by Burmese chronicles against
Luce’s (1959) allegation. (Houtman, Gustaaf(1990) Traditions of Buddhist Practice
in Burma )
Of the first
founding of the great kingdom of Tagaung by the Sakiyan Abhiraja of the Middle
Country.(U Phay Mg Tin, from Myanmarpedia)
[ The founding of Tagaung by Abhiraja.] Tagaung was known as Thantharapura
in the time of Kakusandha the Buddha, as Tatthapura in the time of Konagamana
the Buddha, as Thintwe in the time of Kassapa the Buddha, as Thintwe in the
time of Kassapa the Buddha, and as Tagung in the time of our Buddha Gotama.
Abhhiraja the Sakya Sakiyan was its first ruler. And this is the story of
Abhiraja.
Once upon a time, long ago, before our Lord the Buddha
unfolded the Four Truths under the Wisdom Tree at the Place of Conquest, the
king of Panchala, lore of the two kingdoms of Kosala and Panchala, desired to
ally himself by marriage with the king of Koliya, and sent ministers to ask the
hand of a Koliyan princess. But the king of Koliya in his pride of birth
answered him ill; so that a great war broke out between the two kingdoms. The
king of Panchala was victorious, and the Sakiyan princes of the three kingdoms,
Koliya, Devadaha, and Kapilavatthu, were isolated each from each and their
empire wrecked. Later the Sakiyan princes of the three kingdoms arose again
into prosperity; but when first their power was wrecked, Abhiraja, the Sakya
Sakiyan king of Kapilavatthu, took all his army and left the Middle Country and
ruled in the Tagaung country, called Sangassarattha, which he founded. This
Kingdom first founded by Abhiraja is written Sangassanagara or Sangassarattha.
There is no difference, for both nagara and rather being interpreted mean a
country.
Now we should look into the history of India related to the
region now called Burma or Mramma.
After
confirming that would be King, the
Sakyan prince Abhi-raj came from through North Eastern part of India into the modern
Burma we take a look at contemporary history of Inda.
It is
well-known that in the historical period whenever there was a general condition
of unrest among the tribes of Central Asia, it caused a flood of tribal
migration. This is just what happened about
the beginning of the Christian era, forcing southward and into India not only
Bactrian Greeks but also the Sakas, Palhavas, Abhiras, Kushanas and so forth. Similarly
when, in the sixth century A.D., the turbulent Hunas penetrated India, they did
not come singly but along with other tribes such as the Gurjaras, Chahmans,
Maitrakas and so on. Is it conceivable
that the Aryans alone entered the Panjab from their original home in perfect
amity and concord and without having to fight with other tribes on the route
they were pursuing? (D R Bhandarkar
: Some Aspect of Ancient Indian Culture; page-4)
According
to Burmese chronicles, Abhiraja a prince of the Shakya clan of kapilavastu
marched with an army to upper Burma; founded the city of Sankissa (Tagaung) on
the upper Irrawadi and made himself as the king of the surrounding region. His
elder son ruled over Arakan while the younger one continued at Sankissa. ( Krishna
Chandra Segar An Era of peace; P/20)
What were the causes of the
shifting of the peoples within and beyond the territory of their countries can be traced
back in the history. K.C. Segar informed us as:-
Shifting of Population. Alexander’s invasion must have
caused considerable damage to the Indian population in general and in North-West
India in particular due to large scale movement of troops and battles. There
might have been cases of shifting of population from one place to another. One
such instance cited can be that of Abhiras and the other of the Malawas. (Krishna
Chandra Segar:- “Foreign Influence on Ancient India P:71-72)
The ancient
people are agriculturist and always
looking for new pasture and they like to
dwell on the river banks for the source
of water for their fields and domesticated animals Abhiras chose their town,
cities and countries (Negeri of Negara) around or in the vicinity of the rivers
and stream of water. Refer KC Segar again.
According
to Greek historians, Abhiras were on the Indus, north of the Suivihar, where
they gave their name to the Greek satrapy of Abeira. Patanjali located them in Sindhu desh with
their settlements near the Saraswati river. (Krishna Chandra Segar:- “Foreign Influence on
Ancient India P:71-72)
McCrindle states that the country of
the Abhiras lay to the east of the Indus where it bifurcates to form the delta.
The Mahabharata had placed them near the seas shore on the basis of the
Saraswati river near Somnath in Gujarat. If we examine them chronologically,
would it not appear Abhira moved from Gujarat and Sindhu to the Aberias area
for some reasons? Did they go there to give battle to the invader? We would not be able to prove this. Similarly
the Malawas’ change of place of habitation of the right bank of the lower Ravi
(Iravati or Irawati , Hydroates) at the time of Invasion of Alexander cannot be
answered satisfactorily. In later times they are found in Rajputana, Avantii
and the Malva velley. In fact, Malava around Ujjain came to be known after the
Malva people. Their movement suggests that they were uprooted and obliged to
leave their country to safer place which might be away from the Highway of the
invasions. But the turmoil caused by the devastating invasion must have caused
dislocation in the Indian population to some extent. This can be reasonably
taken for granted. (Krishna Chandra Segar:- “Foreign Influence on Ancient India
P:71-72)
It is absolutely logical that the
Sak or Sakyan people of ancient Bramahdesh name the new found rivers ;-refer River Map of Burma; Iravati (Irrawady or Ayeyarwadi) , Sarasvati (Chindwin) and Chittang(Chit-taung or Sittaung) in their
new habitants the same names that of the original abode. Now we like to look at
once again the rivers in the original country of Abhiras in Sindhu valley and
new place Sangassanagara
or Sangassarattha.
How the Abhira tribe had been mentioned as living around the sarasvati river bank in the ancient India Veda literature as posted by the bloggers in the "Rise of Hindustan blog spot dot Sg." as below
"Saraswati was
the largest river of ancient India (20000 BC to 5000 BC) . It originated from the Manasa lake
in the valley of Kailasa,
flowed through the Himalayas,
the Kurukshetra (in Hariyana)
and finally drained into the sea nearDwaraka in
the Arabian_Sea. There was a channel from Yamuna connecting
it with river Saraswati in the far west. This channel flowed through the forest
of Khandava. This channel was the older course
of Yamuna which then (before 5000 BC) flowed into Saraswati and not to Ganga.
Due to tectonic movements (5000 BC to 1000 BC), Yamuna changed its course and
started flowing to Ganga. Similarly, another tributary of Saraswati viz Satadru
tilted its course and flowed to river Sindhu.
Saraswati was left with only a few tributaries like Drisadwati.
Thus the river Saraswati dried up, and the population on its banks moved to the
banks of Charmanwati, Yamuna and Ganga.
The tribe of Manu, (Manu,
the son of Vivaswat, the first king known to humanity)
was an ancient fishermen tribe (Matsya tribe)
that settled on the banks of Saraswati. When the river dried up they moved to
river Charmanwati. Similarly the tribe of Nishada (fisher-men)
moved to Charmanwati and established the Nishadha kingdom.
Close examination of Mahabharata reveals
that even the Videha kingdom that lied as far
as Bhiar too had their roots on the
banks of Saraswati. The original Matsya kingdom that continued to exist on the
banks of Saraswati (ruled byManu)
later became known as the Sudra (Sura)
kingdom. (It is also speculated that the Surasena kingdom
originated from this Sura (Sudra) kingdom that lied on the banks of Saraswati.)
The Abhiras joined
the Suras forming the Abhira kingdom on the banks of
Saraswati. The Salwa kingdom lied on the banks of
Saraswati. Krishna established his Yadava kingdom
in Dwaraka that lied close to the mouth
of Saraswati as it joined the western sea(Arabian Sea). There is a famous
passage in Mahabharata spanning two chapters, that
describe the grand pilgrimage of the Yadava Bala Rama along
the banks of Saraswati, starting from Dwaraka and ending at the sources of
Saraswati in Himalayas.
Dwaraka city, as it lied to the
mouth of Saraswati was one among the major Saraswati-valley cities. The Abhiras, the Sudras and
the Nishadas and the Salwas were hostile to the Dwaraka kingdom. Nishada
king Ekalavya battled with Krishna and was
killed. Salwa king also was killed by Krishna and the Yadavas in a hostile
encounter that was fought on land and sea. The Abhiras assisted by the Gandharas (the
political opponents of the Yadavas of Dwaraka), probably inflamed the
in-fighting among the Yadavas living in Dwaraka. This lead to a terrible fight
that lead to the self-destruction of Yadavas in Dwaraka. The island of Dwaraka
also gradually sub-merged into sea, due to the same tectonic movements that
caused the drying up and disappearance of Saraswati. The remaining Yadavas were defeated by
the Abhiras. The
Yadava ladies and children were taken captive by the Abhiras. A small portion
lived along with the Kurus aided by the Pandava general Arjuna and
the Pandava king Yudhishthira.
When we continue we will introduce the Thet or Sak or Sakyan and their relationship with Junghpaw, Chakma and the Chin, Assam and Manipuri tribes,
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