Bago, formerly
Pegu, is a city and the capital of
Bago Division in
Burma (or Myanmar). It is located from
Yangon and has a population of 220,000.
History
According to legend, two
Mon princess from
Thaton founded Bago in 573 AD. It was written in the chronicles that eight years after enlightenment, Lord
Buddha along with his disciples flew around the Southeast Asian countries. On his return journey while crossing the
Gulf of Martaban, which happened to be at low tide, he saw two golden sheldrakes sitting, female on top of male, on a peak of land protruding out of the sea just enough for a bird's perch. Viewing this strange phenomenon, he predicted to his disciples that one day a country where his doctrine would thrive would come into existence in this vast sea area. That part of the sea, when it was silted up and ready for habitation approximately 1500 years after the prediction, was colonized by Mons from the Thaton Kingdom. Thus, the Mons became the first rulers of this country known in history as
Hongsawatoi (
Pali Hamsavati). Other variations on the name include
Hanthawaddy,
Hanthawady and
Handawaddy; and in Thai
หงสาวดี Hongsawadi.
The earliest mention of this city in history is by the
Arab geographer
Ibn Khudadhbin around 850 AD. At the time, the Mon capital had shifted to
Thaton. The area came under rule of the Burmese from
Bagan in 1056. After the collapse of Bagan to the
Mongols in 1287, the Mon regained their independence.
In Lower Burma, a
Mon dynasty established itself first at
Martaban and then at
Pegu. During the reign of king
Rajadhirat (1383–1421)
Ava and Pegu were involved in continuous warfare. The peaceful reign of Queen
Baña Thau (Burmese: Shin Saw Bu; 1453-72) came to an end when she chose the Buddhist monk
Dhammazedi (1472-92) to succeed her. Under
Dhammazedi Pegu became a centre of commerce and
Theravada Buddhism.
From 1369-1539, Hanthawaddy was the capital of the Mon Kingdom of
Ramanadesa, which covered all of what is now
Lower Burma. The area came under Burman control again in 1539, when it was annexed by King
Tabinshweti to his
Kingdom of Taungoo.
The kings of
Taungoo made Bago their royal capital from 1539-1599 and again in 1613-1634, and used it as a base for repeated invasions of
Siam. As a major seaport, the city was frequently visited by Europeans, who commented on its magnificence. The Burmese capital relocated to
Ava in 1634. In 1740, the Mon revolted and briefly regained their independence, but Burmese King
Alaungpaya (or U Aungzeya) sacked and completely destroyed the city (along with Mon independence) in 1757.
Bago was rebuilt by King
Bodawpaya (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 name
Bago is spelt
peh kou literally. 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
Bago (or
Pegu) division of
Lower Burma. It lay in the home district of
Rangoon, from which the town was detached to make a separate district in 1880. It had an area of , with a population of 48,411 in 1901, showing an increase of 22% in the past decade. Hanthawaddy and
Henzada were the two most densely populated districts in the province.
Hanthawaddy, as it was constituted in 1911, consisted of a vast plain stretching up from the sea between the To (or China Bakir) mouth of the
Ayeyarwady River and the
Pegu Yomas. Except the tract of land lying between the Pegu Yomas on the east and the
Hlaing river, the country was intersected by numerous
tidal creeks; many of which were navigable by large
boats and some by
steamers. The headquarters of the district was in Rangoon, which was also the sub-divisional headquarters. The second sub-division had its headquarters at
Insein, where there were large
railway works. Cultivation was almost wholly confined to
rice, but there were many
vegetable and
fruit gardens.
Today, Hanthawaddy may be considered a district of the city of Bago.
Kings of Pegu
The Kings of Pegu were:
Smim Htaw Buddhaketi (1740 - 1747) and
Binnya Dala (1747 - 1757) .
Places of interest
Language
