Bago, Myanmar
Bago
ပဲခူးမြို့ Pegu | |
---|---|
City | |
Bago (formerly spelled Pegu;[2] Burmese: ပဲခူးမြို့; MLCTS: pai: khu: mrui., IPA: [bəɡó mjo̰]), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the Bago Region in Myanmar. It is located 91 kilometres (57 mi) north-east of Yangon.
Etymology
The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the
An alternative etymology from the 1947 Burmese Encyclopedia derives Bago (ပဲခူး) from Wanpeku (Burmese: ဝမ်းပဲကူး) as a shortening of Where the Hinthawan Ducks Graze (Burmese: ဟင်္သာဝမ်းဘဲများ ကူးသန်းကျက်စားရာ အရပ်). This etymology relies on the non-phonetic Burmese spelling as its main reasoning.[3]
History
Establishment
Various
The earliest extant evidence of Pegu as a place dates only to the late Pagan period (1212 and 1266)[note 2] when it was still a small town, not even a provincial capital. After the collapse of the Pagan Empire, Bago became part of the breakaway Kingdom of Martaban by the 1290s.
The earliest possible external record of Bago dates to 1028 CE. The Thiruvalangadu plate describe
Growth
The small settlement grew increasingly important in the 14th century as the region became most populous in the Mon-speaking kingdom. In 1369, King
In 1519,
Toungoo dynastic capital
The city remained the capital until the kingdom's fall in 1538. The ascendant Toungoo dynasty under Tabinshwehti made numerous raids that the much larger kingdom could not muster its resources against. While the kingdom would have a brief resurgence for 2 years in the 1550s, Tabinshwehti's successor Bayinnaung would firmly come to control Bago in 1553.[10]
In late 1553, Bago was proclaimed the new capital with commissioning of a new palace, the Kanbawzathadi Palace and Bayinnaung's coronation itself in January 1554. Over the next decade, Bago gradually become the capital of more land and eventually the largest empire in Indochina. A 1565 rebellion by resettled Shans in Bago burnt down major swaths of the city and the palace complex and the Kanbawzathadi Palace was rebuilt. Bayinnaung, this time, added 20 gates to the city named after the vassal who built it
After the 1565 rebellion by resettled Shans in Pegu, he faced no new rebellions for the next two years (1565–1567). Because the rebellion burned down major swaths of the capital, including the entire palace complex, he had the capital and the palace rebuilt. The new capital had 20 gates, each named after the vassal who built it.[10] Each gate had a gilded two-tier pyatthat and gilded wooden doors.[11]
Plan of the gates of the newly built Hanthawaddy Pegu, 1568 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Northwest | Ayutthaya | Tenasserim | Martaban | Pakhan
|
Bassein | Northeast |
Theinni | Prome | |||||
Tharrawaddy
|
Ava | |||||
Nyaungshwe
|
Toungoo | |||||
Mone | Dala
| |||||
Kale
|
Lan Xang | |||||
Southwest | Tavoy | Mogaung | Mohnyin | Momeik | Chiang Mai | Southeast |
The newly rebuilt Kanbawzathadi Palace was officially opened on 16 March 1568, with every vassal ruler present. He even gave upgraded titles to four former kings living in Pegu: Mobye Narapati of Ava, Sithu Kyawhtin of Ava, Mekuti of Lan Na, and Maha Chakkraphat of Siam.[11]
As a major seaport, the city was frequently visited by Europeans, among these, Gasparo Balbi and Ralph Fitch in the late 1500s. The Europeans often commented on its magnificence. Pegu also established maritime links with the Ottomans by 1545.[12]
The Portuguese conquest of Pegu, following the destruction caused by the kings of Tangot and Arrakan in 1599, was described by Manuel de Abreu Mousinho in the account called "Brief narrative telling the conquest of Pegu in eastern India made by the Portuguese in the time of the viceroy Aires de Saldanha, being captain Salvador Ribeiro de Sousa, called Massinga, born in Guimarães, elected as their king by the natives in the year 1600", published by Fernão Mendes Pinto in the 18th century. The 1599 destruction of the city and the crumbling authority of Bayinnaung's successor Nanda Bayin saw the Toungoo dynasty flee their capital to Ava.
The capital was looted by the viceroy of
The Burmese capital's return to Bago was short lived as the royal capital was once again relocated to Ava in 1634 by the next king Thalun to focus on the core of the smaller Burmese empire.
The fall of the Toungoo and Konbaung dynasty
In 1740, the Mon revolted and founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. However, a Bamar king, Alaungpaya, captured the city in May 1757.
Bago was rebuilt by King Bodawpaya (r. 1782–1819), but by then the river had shifted course, cutting the city off from the sea. It never regained its previous importance. After the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the British annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, the province of British Burma was formed, and the capital moved to Yangon. The substantial differences between the colloquial and literary pronunciations, as with Burmese words, was a reason of the British corruption "Pegu".
In 1911, Hanthawaddy was described as a district in the
Hanthawaddy, as it was constituted in 1911, consisted of a vast plain stretching up from the sea between the mouth of the
Bago was severely damaged during earthquakes in May and December 1930. The May earthquake killed at least 500 people and triggered a tsunami.[16]
Modern history
Today, Hanthawaddy is one of the wards of Bago's city proper. The town of Bago is subdivided into 34 wards.
Demographics
The
As of 2019, the urban town has 179505 people based on the
Economy and transport
The main industries of Bago Township are agriculture and service sector employment. Bago city has an industrial zone with several factories, mostly in textiles and shoe-making. Smaller factories and workshops within the city also create food products, plastics, electric meters, motors, wood products, tea and
There are no airports within the township, and the city is served mostly by Yangon International Airport but the proposed Hanthawaddy International Airport serving Yangon and Bago may be located within Bago Township.[19] There are two rail lines that pass through Bago, Yangon–Mandalay Railway and Yangon–Mawlamyine Railway. Bago also has several bus depots on its outskirts with intercity buses providing regular service. Bago is served by the Yangon–Mandalay Expressway as well as the old highways going to Taungoo and Myeik. Bago has seven major bridges crossing the Bago River in and around the city.
Climate
Bago has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am), similar to most of coastal Myanmar, with a hot, dry season from mid-November to mid-April and a, hot, extremely humid, and exceedingly rainy wet season from May to October.
Climate data for Bago, Myanmar (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.7 (89.1) |
34.0 (93.2) |
36.3 (97.3) |
37.9 (100.2) |
34.6 (94.3) |
30.9 (87.6) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
32.6 (90.7) |
32.7 (90.9) |
31.5 (88.7) |
32.8 (91.0) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.0 (75.2) |
25.8 (78.4) |
28.5 (83.3) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.1 (84.4) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.5 (79.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.8 (82.0) |
26.9 (80.4) |
24.5 (76.1) |
27 (81) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 16.3 (61.3) |
17.6 (63.7) |
20.7 (69.3) |
23.3 (73.9) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.9 (73.2) |
23.1 (73.6) |
23.1 (73.6) |
21.2 (70.2) |
17.6 (63.7) |
21.3 (70.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 5.0 (0.20) |
3.1 (0.12) |
15.2 (0.60) |
38.5 (1.52) |
333.9 (13.15) |
640.5 (25.22) |
803.4 (31.63) |
720.9 (28.38) |
475.3 (18.71) |
188.0 (7.40) |
50.2 (1.98) |
7.5 (0.30) |
3,281.5 (129.19) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 15.2 | 26.3 | 28.3 | 28.0 | 22.7 | 12.4 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 140.8 |
Source: World Meteorological Organization[20] |
Places of interest
- Shwethalyaung Buddha (Reclining Buddha)
- Shwemawdaw Pagoda
- Kyaikpun Buddha
- Kanbawzathadi Palace site and museum
- Kalyani Ordination Hall
- Mahazedi Pagoda
- Shwegugyi Pagoda
- Shwegugale Pagoda
- Bago Sittaung Canal
- Butterfly lake (Lake-pyar-kan)
- Mazin Dam
- Snake Monastery
- Bago Moat
Sports
Bago has a 400 meter football field and 1 public fitness center.
- Grand Royal Stadium
Health care
The most common illness within the Township is diarrhea. Between 2017 and 2018, Bago Township saw 617 cases of HIV leading to 16 deaths.[1]
- Bago General Hospital (500-bedded Public Hospital)
- Bago Traditional Medicine Hospital
- Aung Hospital
- Swal Taw Hospital
- Joe Thein Hospital
- Thamar Di Hospital
Education
Bago also has 9 high schools and a university. Bago's larger high schools have branches within the city. There are 28 monastic schools within the Township. Bago has a school attendance rate of 99.82% and 33% attendance rate for university. Overall, the literacy rate is 99.55%. [1]
- Bago University
- Basic Education High School No. 1 Bago
- Basic Education High School No. 3 Bago
Notes
- ^ A version of the 18th century chronicle Slapat Rajawan as reported by Arthur Phayre (Phayre 1873: 32) states that the settlement was founded in 1116 Buddhist Era (572/573 CE). But another version of the Slapat, used by P.W. Schmidt (Schmidt 1906: 20, 101), states that it was founded on 1st waxing of Mak (Tabodwe) 1116 BE (c. 19 January 573 CE), which it says is equivalent to year 514 of "the third era", without specifying what the era specifically was. However, per (Phayre 1873: 39), one of the "native records" used by Maj. Lloyd says that Pegu was founded in 514 Burmese (Myanmar) Era (1152/1153 CE).
If the year 514 is indeed the Burmese Era, then the Slapat's 1st waxing of Tabodwe 514 would be 27 December 1152, equivalent to 1st waxing of Tabodwe 1696 BE (not 1116 BE). - ^ (Aung-Thwin 2005: 59) cites the inscription found at the Min-Nan-Thu village near Bagan, which as shown in (SMK Vol. 3 1983: 28–31) was donated by daughter of Theingathu, dated Thursday, 7th waxing of Nanka (Wagaung) 628 ME (8 July 1266), and lists Pegu as Pe-Ku. (Aung-Thwin 2017: 200, 332) updates by saying that the earliest extant inscriptions that mention Pegu date to 1212 and 1266 but does not provide the source of the 1212 inscription. It must be a recent discovery as none of the inscriptions listed in the Ancient Burmese Stone Inscriptions (SMK Vol. 1 1972: 93–102) for years 573 ME (1211/1212) or 574 ME (1212/1213) shows Pe-Ku or Pegu.
References
- ^ a b c d Myanmar Information Management Unit (December 19, 2019). Bago Myone Daethasaingyarachatlatmya ပဲခူမြို့နယ် ဒေသဆိုင်ရာအချက်လက်များ [Bago Township Regional Information] (PDF) (Report). MIMU. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 58.
- ^ Burma Translation Society (1947). Myanma Swesone Kyan မြန်မာ့ စွယ်စုံကျမ်း [Burmese Encyclopedia]. Vol. 6. London: BStephen Austin & Sons.
- ^ Aung-Thwin 2017, p. 332.
- ^ a b Sastri, K. A. Nilakanta (2000) [1935]. The Cōlas. Madras: University of Madras.
- ^ Majumdar, R. C. (1937). Ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East. Vol. 2: Suvarnadvipa. Dacca: Ashok Kumar Majumdar. pp. 212–218.
- JSTOR 44252387.
- ^ Luís Filipe Tomás (1976). A viagem de António Correia a Pegu em 1519 (PDF) (in Portuguese). Junta de Investigações do Ultramar.
- ^ Malekandathil, Pius M C (2010-10-26), Origin and Growth of Luso-Indian Community in Portuguese Cochin and the maritime trade of India, 1500–6663 (PDF), Pondicherry University
- ^ a b Harvey, G. E. (1925). History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. p. 153-157, 171.
- ^ a b Kala, U (1724). Maha Yazawin (in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (2006, 4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
- ISBN 978-0-19-537782-8.
- ISBN 974-7534-58-4.
- ^ British Museum collection
- ^ a b public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hanthawaddy". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 932. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ "On This Day: The 1930 Earthquake Which Flattened Bago". The Irrawaddy. 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
- ^ a b "Bago Township Report" (PDF). 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census. October 2017.
- ^ "Myanmar coup: 'Dozens killed' in military crackdown in Bago". BBC News. 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
- ^ "Oversea Major Project". SUNJIN Engineering & Architecture. Retrieved 23 June 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
Bibliography
- Aung-Thwin, Michael A. (2005). The Mists of Rāmañña: The Legend that was Lower Burma (illustrated ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 9780824828868.
- Aung-Thwin, Michael A. (2017). Myanmar in the Fifteenth Century. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-6783-6.
- Nyein Maung, ed. (1972–1998). Shay-haung Myanma Kyauksa-mya [Ancient Burmese Stone Inscriptions] (in Burmese). Vol. 1–5. Yangon: Archaeological Department.
- Pan Hla, Nai (1968). Razadarit Ayedawbon (in Burmese) (8th printing, 2005 ed.). Yangon: Armanthit Sarpay.
- Phayre, Major-General Sir Arthur P. (1873). "The History of Pegu". Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 42. Calcutta: 23–57, 120–159.
- Phayre, Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. (1883). History of Burma (1967 ed.). London: Susil Gupta.
- Schmidt, P.W. (1906). "Slapat des Ragawan der Königsgeschichte". Die äthiopischen Handschriften der K.K. Hofbibliothek zu Wien (in German). 151. Vienna: Alfred Hölder.