MINHTI

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MINHTI

“ The son of Minbilu, named Mindi, was then raised

to the throne, but he was only seven years of age,”1 R.B.Smart 1. Ascending the throne.

Minhti was a famous and a great king of the Laungkyet dynasty of Arakan. He was the sonof Minbilu (1272-76). His mother was the daughter of Sithabin, the commander of the body-guard.He was born in 1272. Minbilu was a cruel king. He became jealous of the high destinies of hisinfant son Minhti. “ He ordered him to be cast into the river, but the child was miraculously

preserved, rescued by some fishermen, and was sent to a remote part of the kingdom. These andother similar acts inflaming the mind of the people against the king” 2 Minbilu was slain in 1276 in aconspiracy headed by Sithabin who usurped the throne, but he was killed in 1279 when Minhti(1279-1374) only seven years old was raised to the throne. He gave a general satisfaction to thepeople and enjoyed a long and prosperous reign.

2. Assertion of independence from Burma.

In 1287 Pagan dynasty of Burma had fallen from its high estate after the death ofNarathihapate or Tarokpyemin (1255-87). But its kings continued to rule the city and thesurrounding country until 1369 when the last king was Sawmunnit (Uzana 1325-69). But they

could not extend their authority beyond the city as they were weak and no more than minorchieftains.3 Their weakness was the signal for the Arakanese to rise in rebellion and asserted theirindependence under their famous king Minhti. At that time the Shans overran the entire country ofBurma overwhelming the Burmese and Talaings. They became so powerful that in 1294 they

invaded Arakan, but they were defeated by Minhti.4

3.Establishment of Muslim rule in Bengal.

Before Minhti ascending the throne the Muslim Sultanate was established in Bengal in 1199at the Hindu capital of Lakshmanavati of Guar by Iktiaruddin Mohammad bin Bakhtiar Khalji, a

general of Qutbuddin Aibak,the Turkuman viceroy of Delhi, and its territorial expansion was rapid.5

In 1279 Tughril Khan, the governor of Bengal declared himself the independent ruler of Bengal.But he was defeated and killed by the Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban(1266-86)of Delhi in 1282.Balban placed Bengal under the charge of his younger son Bughra Khan who ruled it till 1291. Hewas succeeded by his eldest son Ruknuddin Kai Kaus who left the throne for his youngest brotherShamsuddin Firuz Shah in 1303 who ruled Bengal independently while Khalji Sultans of Delhi paid

little attention towards Bengal.6 Arakanese chronicles mention that at that time Chittagong was inthe domain of Arakan and the governor was Minister Wimala(1283).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------1. R.B.Smart, Burma Gazetteer Akyab Distirct, Vol:A,p.222. Ibid, p.223. D.G.Hall, Burma, p.29.

4. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District, Vol:A, p.22 and U Ba Than;Myanma Yazawin, pp.119+1955. S.M.Ikram;The Cultural Heritage of Pakistan.pp.30 & 111.M.A.Qasim; Muslim Rule in India; pp.67,74,77 & 78.6. Muslim Rule in India; p.171.R.C.Majumdar;The Delhi Sultanate, pp.193-195

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After the death of Shamsuddin Firuz Shah in 1318 his eldest son Shihabuddin Bughra Shahset on the throne of Laknauti, but Firuz Shah’s younger son Ghiyasuddin Bahadur Shah rivalledhis brother and established an independent kingdom in Eastern Bengal with its capital atSonargong. In the following year he deposed his brother and captured Laknauti and became the

independent Sultan of Bengal and ruled the country till 1323.7

As Bahadur Shah was in fear of Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq (1320-25) of Delhi Empire hecourted the alliance of Minhti by sending presents of elephants and horses.8 In his distressShihabuddin Bughra Shah, the deposed king of Bengal and his youngest brother NasiruddinIbrahim Shah sought the help of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq who in 1323 defeated and imprisonedBahadur Shah and placed Nasiruddin Ibrahim Shah on the throne of Laknauti and left Tatar Khan

as in-charge of Sonargong.9 Sultan Mohammad bin Tughlaq (1325-51) of Delhi released BahadurShah and restored him to his position at Sonargong in 1325, and Tatar Khan with the title ofBahram Shah was left in his court as the imperial regent. After a peaceful reign of five yearsBahadur Shah rebelled in 1330 against the Delhi Sultan. But he was killed by Bahram Shah who

became the governor of Eastern Bengal.10 During this trouble time Razathingyan, the general of

Minhti subdued the country along the sea coast as far as Brahmaputra river.11

Throughout the Muslim rule in Bengal Persian remained the official and the court language,the influence of which came to Arakan while Minhti was courting the alliance of the kings ofBengal. In honour of his regent and maternal uncle Maha Nada Baya’s greatness Minhti minted acoin in 1298 (660B.E.), the obverse of which bore his uncle’s name in Burmese and the reverse

bore his Muslim name Sultan Hamid Shah in bilingual Persian and Nagari12 which proves evidentlythat Persian was introduced into Arakan since Minhti’s reign as Persian was the language of

diplomats and polite.13 He was the first Arakanese king who kept Muslim Name.

4.The conquest of Chittagong by Muslims.

In 1336 Bahram Shah was killed by his arm-bearer Fakhruddin Mubarak who declared his

independence at Sonargong and became the founder of a line of independent Muslim rulers ofBengal. Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah (1336-50)whose naval power was great was the first Muslimking to pass the strong barrier of the Meghna river. He had driven back the Arakanese fromBengal and in 1340 he carried the sacred banner of Islam to Chittagong and built an embankmentfrom Chandpur to Chittagong where he built mosques and tombs, the ruins of which are still

found.13(a)He conducted an unsuccessful naval raid into Arakan.14 When Ibn Batutah, the Moorishtraveller, visited Chittagong in about 1350, he described it as a great place situated on the shore of

the Great Sea and he mentioned that it was under the rule of Muslim king. 15 Prior to its conquestby the Muslims, Chittagong, lying on the disputed frontier between Bengal and Arakan, formed asource of chronic feud between the ruler of Tippera and Arakan. It frequently changed masters. At

a time it was subject to the king of Arakan, and at another attached to Tippera, a kingdom which atdifferent periods extended from the Sundarbans in the west to Arakan in the east and northwards

as far as Kamrup.16

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7. The Delhi Sultanate; pp.193-1958. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District, Voll:A,p.239. The Delhi Sultanate, pp.58,193-19510. Ibid, pp.69, 70, 193-19511. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District, Vol:A.P.2312. U San Tha Aung, Yakhaing Dinga Myar, p.27and please see its plate No.20.L.S.S. O’Malley,ChittagongGazetteer,p.21.Burma Gazetteer Akyab District Vol;(A),p.2313. Myedu Tin Maung, Shi Tet Nay Thaw Muslim, Gaba Ahlin Magazine, Vol:5, No.51 March 1957, p.42.

13(a).Chittagong Gazetteer,pp.20 & 2114. Anil Chandra Banerjee; The Eastern Frontier of British India, p.4915. Chittagong Gazetteer, p.21 16. Ibid, p.20

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5. Raids into the Bumese territory.

As Minhti was in perpetual dread of the advancing Muslim rule in Bengal and he was on thedefensive, he remained apart from the struggles for power among the Burmese, the Shans andthe Talaings in Central and Lower Burma till the death of Thihathu (1309-25), the youngest of thethree Shan Brothers, the chief of Pinle and the founder of Pinya. But the kingdom of Arakan was

attacked in various places by the Shans, the Burmese, the Talaings, and the Thet tribe in thenorth. But Minhti had beaten off all of them17 with the assistance of Bahadur Shah of Bengal.

On the death of Thihathu (1309-25) Minhti often made raids into the Burmese territory whilePinya and Sagaing (Sagaing was founded by Thihathu’s son Ahthinkhayasawyun in 1315) wererivals for supremacy. So in 1327 Uzana (1325-43) of Pinya raided Ramree and carried away a

number of inhabitants including Muslims who were planted upon Manipur frontier.18 In reprisalMinhti in 1333 made his boldest raid into Burma as far as Thayetmyo. The Chief of Thayetmyo,Min Shin Saw son of Kyawswa (1287-98), the deposed king of Pagan, with his family - wife, three

sons and one daughter - was taken away to Arakan as captive.19His wife,Shin Myat Hla was thedaughter of the Prome governor Thihathu, son of Narathihapate (Tarokpyemin).Kyawswa was also

the son of Narathihapate. Min Shin Saw’s daughter was married to the governor of Ann while histhree sons, Saw Sone, Saw Pyu and Saw Tu, were kept in the monastery of Sayadaw Aggatharafor their education. But in 1343 they ran away to Burma and took shelter with Uzana (1325-43) of

Pinya.20 Later the eldest brother became the governor of Myinsaing, the younger prince becamethe governor of Prome with the title of Minyanaung during the reign of Ngar Si Shin Kyawswa’sson Kyawswamin (1350-59)while the youngest prince was raised to the governorship of

Ahmyintmyo in the rule of Tarappya (1349-52) of Sagaing.21 Saw Tu marriedThadominbya’s(1364-68)sister. In 1368 Saw Tu was placed on the throne of Ava after the death ofThadominbya with the title of Minkyiswasawke(1368-1401). He invited his Arakanese tutor

Sayadaw Aggathara and appointed him as the Head Priest(Thathanabaing)of the country. 22 InBurmese history this Sayadaw was known as Kandawminkyaung Sayadaw, Ahmyint Sayadaw

and the Yakkhaing Sayadaw who composed the famous long poem Lawkatharapyo.23

When Ava was founded in 1364 by Tagaung governor Thadominbya (1364-68)a

descendant of Thihathu (the youngest of the Three Shan Brothers)Minhti no longer dared to make

raids upon the Burmese territories.

6. Ava’s nomination for ruler.

Minhti’s Sandoway governor possessed a relic of Godama Buddha brought from Ceylon. By

its virtue he expected to become king, rebelled the king who defeated him .24 Soon after this

incident Minhti died in 1374 at the age of 95. After Minhti’s death Arakan was distracted with civil

war and some of the discontented Arakanese lords requested Minkyiswasawke (1368-1401)of Avato nominate a ruler.25 The king of Ava sent his uncle Sawmungyi to rule Arakan. He ruled the

country justly. The Arakanese people were happy under the wise administration of this Shan ruler.

But this happiness lasted only for a short period because Sawmungyi died suddenly in 1381. The

Arakanese again asked Minkyiswasawke to nominate another king. The two countries became

very friendly. It is probable that Arakan might have become a part of the Ava kingdom. But

unfortunately Minkyiswasawke sent his son Saw Mai who oppressed the Arakanese. In a few

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------17. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District Vol: A, p.23

18. Ibid, p.23. and Myanma Yazawin, p.19519. Myanma Yazawin, pp.132 & 195. Yakkhaing Dinga Myar, p.28.Rakkhaing Tazaung No.15,1977-78,p.13720. Myanma Yazawin, pp.132 & 195. Rakkhaing Tazaung No. 15, 1977-78, p.13821. Ibid, p.132 & 195. Ibid, p.138.22. Rakkhaing Tazaung No. 15, 1977-78, p.13823. Ibid, p.138. 24. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District, vol:A, p.23

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25. Harvey; History of Burma, p.86. Myanma Yazawin,p.133

year’s time the Arakanese rose against him and drove him out of their country in 1385.26 It was theend of the close friendship between the two countries.

7. Settlement of Muslims and Badarmokams.

Minhti was a liberal king. He did not stop the penetration of Islam to Arakan. In the middle ofthe 13th century and during his reign Muslim armies were captured in Bengal and they were takenaway to Arakan and settled in villages receiving lands instead of pay for their services rendered to

the king.27 Thus the tree of Islamic faith which the Arab Muslims planted in the soil of Arakan since7th century A.D. is still flourishing and from its roots there quickly spread new branches of Islamicculture throughout the country; and by the 13th century it had dotted the coast from Assam to

Malaya with curious mosques known as Badarmokams.28 On the promontory at Fakir Piont of

Akyab there is still a Badarmokam revered by all communities in Akyab.29 The Badarmokams are

also found in other places on Arakan coast.One is at Myaungbwe,30 another one is on the mount

of Ramree and the other one is at Sandoway.31 Badarmokams are the shrines of Pir Badar, aMuslim saint, known throughout the Muslim world as Badaruddin Aulia.

Muslim built Badarmokams in memory of Badar Shah wherever he had remained inmeditation and in worship of Allah. Badar is the name of an eminent Saint or Pir of Islam, and

Mokam is a place of abode.32 We can not say exactly when Badar Shah came to Arakan. Butrecorded history reveals that Badar Shah actually came from Bihar and visited many parts fromAssam to Malaya all along the coastline, gathering a numerous followers. The late Dr. Wise ofDacca stated that Pir Badar or Badaruddin Aulia arrived at Chittagong floating upon a stone slaband he was for many years a resident of Chittagong and he died in 1440 and buried in the Chota

Dargah of Bihar.33 But tradition of these sacred places certainly went back much earlier. Inaddition to Badarmokams there are also the dargahs, the tombs of the Muslim Saint at Maungdaw,Buthidaung, Akyab, Ramree, Sandoway etc. generally believed to belong to Saints, other than

Badaruddin Aulia. The people who revered them scarcely know anything about them with theexception of that they are the tombs of the Muslim Saints of times immemorial.

Badarmokam which was built in memory of Badar Shah Aulia at Akyab was found by the Muslimsin 1756 after 20 years of its erection. It was erected in 1736 by two brothers named Manik andChand, the Muslim traders from Chittagong who called at Akyab for water while they were

returning from Cape Negrais in a vessel loaded with turmeric.34

Badarmokam is situated in the locality of Fakir Point, the southern site of Akyab Island, nearthe eastern shore of the Bay of Bengal. Badarmokam consisted of a group of masonry building - amosque, a small prayer hall, a shed and three caves. But one of the two caves built on the top of arock was destroyed by the Japanese armies during the second world war for setting up an anti-airgun. A portion of the eastern wall of the cave is still in existence.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------26. Ibid, p.86. Ibid,p.13327. Rakkhaing Tazaung No.15,1977-78, p.13528. Harvey; History of Burma, p.137.29. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District Vol:A, p.3730. Burma Muslims, p.74.31. Islamic Culture Vol:X, No.3, July, 1936, p.42532. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District Vol: A, P.37.33. Chittagong Gazetteer, p. 34. Burma Gazetteer Akyab District Vol: A, p.37.

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Badarmokams are standing evidence of the Muslim existence in Arakan and these are thehistoric structures of Islamic civilization in this part of the world. These are not only the uniquegems of Muslim architectures in Arakan but also the Muslim precious cultural relics andheritages.These were built by our ancestors. We have to preserve them for the sake of glory of

Muslims in Arakan.

Badarmokam Mosque at Akyab

Minhti was a wise ruler and a just king. He proved to be a ruler of exceptionally greatcapacity, and gave a general satisfaction to the people. He was well known for his stern justice.He had built a new palace. His betel-chewing subjects were in the habit of cleaning, after removinglime from the box and laying it on the betel-leaf, their soiled forefingers on the door-posts or otherconvenient places. So the king issued an order that the door-posts of his new palace were not tobe soiled in this manner, and any one violating the order was to have the offending finger cut off.After some time the king forgot his own order and cleaned his forefinger on one of the palacedoor-posts. The attending ministers made a careful note of it, writing down the date and hour whenit occurred but did not remove the lime from the post. A few days later the king noticed the spot onthe palace door-post and angrily ordered his ministers to find out the offender and see thepunishment for such an offence inflicted upon him. The ministers produced the proof of the king’sown guilt. The king cut off his forefinger with his own sword saying that even a king should not

issue orders for himself to break with immunity from punishment. To commemorate the event hehad constructed a shrine in the chamber of which he placed nine stone pedestals upon which nineimages of Buddha are seated cross-legged with four fingers to the right hand of the statues. Thisevent can be seen to this day in his shrine on the southern extremity of Nankya village and closeto the bank of Lemyo river.

The Coin of Minhti (Hamid Shah 1279-1374)

THE END

20-8-1982

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