Rakhine Google Map, Myanmar

Rakhine Rakhine state or Arakan is one of the most unique and complicated regions of Myanmar. It is located in the Western coast of the country, along the Bay of Bengal; and it borders Bangladesh to the northwest. It has Sittwe as its capital located at the mouth of the Kaladan River and it acts as a center of trade and government. Rakhine, with an area of approximately 36,778 square kilometers, is geographically bounded by the Arakan Yoma mountain range, which borders it with central Myanmar, and by its long coastline filled with estuaries, mangroves and fishing villages. The state has a multi-ethnic population, most of whom are ethnic Rakhine (also known as Arakanese) who have cultural and linguistic relationships with the Bamar majority of Myanmar but have their own uniqueness. Other ethnic groups are Rohingya Muslims, Mro, Khami, and Chin, and lesser ethnic groups. This diversity has brought richness in the culture of the region as it has been in history though has also served as one of the sources of tensions during this age. The strategic positioning of Rakhine on the Bay of Bengal has enabled it to become a place of convergence of civilizations, the seat of prosperous kingdoms and subsequently, a battalion during the colonial and postcolonial times.

History

History The Rakhine State has a glorious and a poisonous past. Archeological records indicate that the region had organized polities dating back to the first millennium from the Common Era. Some of the earliest were the Dhanyawadi and Waithali, which existed between 4 th and the 10 th century. Indian civilization affected these states and resulted in Buddhism, Sanskrit inscriptions, and artistic patterns. Waithali in that regard, was a cosmopolitan centre where Indian, southeast Asian, and local cultures were mixed. The Lemro valley had become the seat of successive kingdoms by the 11th century and the most powerful polity was formed by the Kingdom of Mrauk U that was created in the year 1430; it became a nautical powerhouse. Its kings were also in diplomatic terms with Bengal, Portugal and even Mughal Empire.

Mrauk U was filled with stone walls, pagodas and palaces most of which remain to date as ruins to this day as reminders to how magnificent the city was. Trade in rice, elephants and coastal commerce had brought about wealth in the kingdom and its culture was both Buddhist and Islam because of its contacts with Bengal. The declining of Mrauk U started in the late 17th century and in 1784 the Burmese Konbaung dynasty invaded Arakan and took it over to join the empire. The image of Mahamuni Buddha was relocated to Mandalay a symbolic gesture that greatly influenced Rakhine identity. Later in the 19 th century after the first Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826), the British annexed Arakan together with Tenasserim. Arakan was controlled as a British Burma under colonial rule.

The British promoted the migration of Bengal, thus changing the balance in the demographics and creating the future ethnic tensions. Cultivation of rice grew tremendously and Sittwe grew up as a port city. Following the independence of Burma in 1948, Rakhine had joined the Union of Burma. The period of independence was insurgent, nationalist Rakhine movements and armed Rohingya movements, indicating the dissatisfaction with the autonomy and relevance. In the year 1974, Rakhine was incorporated to be a state in the administrative set up of Myanmar. During the late 20 th / early 21 st -century, the level of communal violence, especially between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, was increasing, until the 2017 crisis when hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people settled in Bangladesh. This tragic event attracted attention of the whole world and was one of the burning humanitarian problems in the area.

Culture

Culture The culture of Rakhine consists of an active fusion of local culture and traditions and the culture of Buddhism and the maritime trade that has been present over centuries. Most Rakhine citizens practice Theravada Buddhism, and the monastic structures are the most important ones in societies. The landscape is covered with pagodas and monasteries that were used as religious centers, educational centers as well as a center of socialization. Rakhine is characterized by festivals. Burmese New year Thingyan Water Festival is celebrated in April and is accompanied by water-throwing, music and sharing of food in large groups. Another holiday is the Waso (the Buddhist Lent) and the Thadingyut (the Festival of lights) that is marked by offerings to monks and the lightening of pagodas. The unique Rakhine traditions are a boat race and traditional dancing that occurs during the local celebrations.

The region is rich in terms of history as indicated in art and architecture. The Mrauk U ruins with the temples of Shittaung and Htukkanthein provide an example of a distinct form of Buddhist architecture whose extraordinary characteristic is large massive stone walls and labyrinthian corridors. These monuments are religious areas, but also a source of pride in Rakhine. Another cultural marker there is cuisine. The Rakhine food is characterized by focus on seafood as it is geographically close to the sea. Food is commonly served with fish paste, dried fish and spicy curries. One of the well known preparations is Rakhine monti, a noodle soup served in fish broth, which is not similar to the Burmese mohinga. Common ingredients include coconut, chili and tamarind and they render a tangy and fiery taste to Rakhine cuisine. The formal wear is the longyi which is resembling that of the Burmese though with rather different patterns and styles. Women still engage in some artisanal activity e.g. weaving and handicraft e.g. lacquer and bamboo work. The collective memory of the community is also preserved by the oral traditions, folk songs, and storytelling.

Language

The Rakhine language or the Arakanese is the major language of the Rakhine State. It is a member of Burmese closely related to the Tito-Burman family. Linguists refer to Rakhine as a variety of Burmese, whereas speakers would call it a different language as it has different phonology and different vocabularies. Indicatively, Rakhine has preserved some of the sounds that have changed in standard Burmese and it has borrowings of Bengali and other adjacent languages.

The Rakhine script uses the Burmese script and it is used to communicate on a daily basis by the Rakhines. Its national language is also extensively spoken, particularly in administration and education, and is Burmese.

Diversity in the state causes the presence of other languages. Rohingya language is also an Indo- Aryan tongue associated with Chittagonian and Bengali that is spoken by Rohingya Muslim community. There are also minority languages that belong to the minority groups of the Mro and Khami, adding more variety to the linguistic mosaic of the area. This fact of being multilingual indicates that Rakhine was a border between South and Southeast Asia.

In Rakhine, language is closely connected with the identity. To the Rakhine Buddhists, the language represents cultural continuation with the Mrauk U kingdom and what sets them apart against the majority of the Burmese. To the Rohingya, language is what bonds them to the larger sphere of the Bengali culture. Such linguistic identities have also been used in politics at times, yet they are also used to show how rich Rakhine heritage was.

Geography

Geography The geography of Rakhine is impressive. There is the Bay of Bengal on the west, and the Arakan Yoma mountain range on the east, a north-south lengthy natural barrier, which tries to impede the state. This diversity has been historic in separating Rakhine into the core Myanmar, and its differentiating nature. The forests include the mountains which are elevated above 3,000 meters and crossed by rivers like the Kaladan, Mayu and Lemro flowing out to the sea to the west. The coastal plain is arid and it is home to rice growing, with the coastline being punctuated by estuaries, mangroves and sandy beaches.

A river that marks the boundary is the Naf River and there are other offshore islands (Ramree and Cheduba) which enhance the maritime nature of the state. Climate is tropical monsoon with wet season that is characterized by heavy rainfall and dry months that are mild and cool. The economy and patterns of settlement in Rakhine have been influenced by this geography. Fishing is one of its primary occupations, and societies depend on marine resources of the bay of Bengal, which are very rich. The plains and valleys are home to agriculture and specifically rice. Timber and other forest product is also available in the mountains but not readily accessible.

There is also the connectivity brought about by the geography. Travel overland within Arakan Yoma has always been a challenge to them thus Rakhine has traditionally looked toward the west towards Bengal in search of trade and cultural interchange. Current infrastructure projects, like the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connecting India and Myanmar, are meant to enhance the connectivity and emphasise the strategic value of Rakhine to the geopolitics of the region.

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