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Thaton in
south
Myanmar
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and small
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This was once the capital
of the flourishing Mon Kingdom of ‘Suvarnabhumi’, established in the 3rd Century B.C., Thaton has lost much of its former grandeur and importance.
Situated due east of Yangon - across the Gulf of Moattama (Martaban)- it is located on the rail and road route, it is also very close to Kanchanaburi, Thailand but road travel is impossible.
The city came onto "the Radar" in early times when two missionaries were sent by India’s King Asoka to introduce Buddhism. |
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It was a thriving port then carrying on
trade with South India and Sri Lanka
(Ceylon). In the 11th Century, Shin Arahan,
a monk went north to Bagan and converted
King Anawrahta to Theravada Buddhism.
Anawrahta’s religious zeal led to his
conquest of the place in 1057 when he
obtained not only the ‘Tripitakas’ he
desired but also brought back the Mon king
and his court, thereby affecting the
influence their culture to the capital.
The present
day town
has been built over the old one
means very little of the
ancient city can be seen today. What remains are
traces of the village walls and pagodas like the Shwesaryan,
believed to date back to the 5th Century B.C. and
enshrined four Buddha teeth and the Thagyapaya. |
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Nearby are the ruined
fortifications of Taikkala - a site at Ayetthema
Village- regarded as the actual city of
Suvarnabhumi. A bit to the south is an interesting
old pagoda, the Tizaung stupa. |
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Thaton or the old
Suvarnabhumi |
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Nun with umbrella walking |
Thaton and
the elephant Pagoda |
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Thaton now
occupies a fairly level area in Mon State
which is fairly hilly, being a coastal
region hemmed in between the Moattama and
Taungnyo Hills in the east and the Gulf
of Moattama
or Martaban in the west.
Islands such as Balu-Kyun,
Kalagok-Kyun, Hintha-Kyun,
Green and Onion fringe the
coast. It is a rice, rubber
and sugar cane producing
region.
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