Parein ( ) is the former capital of the Parein Dynasty of

Arakan Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...

from 1103/1106 to 1167 during the Le-Mro period. The site of the former capital is located a few miles southeast of

Mrauk U Mrauk U ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a subregion of the Mrauk-U District. Mrauk U is culturally significant for the local Rakhine people, Rakhine (Arakanese) people and is the location ...

and north of

Launggyet Launggyet ( ) is a former capital of the Launggyet Dynasty of Arakan from 1237/1251 to 1430. It is also last capital of Laymro Kingdom. The former capital site is located a few miles northwest of Mrauk U, Mrauk U, Rakhine State, Myanmar. The Araka ...

within

Mrauk-U Township Mrauk-U Township () is a township of Mrauk-U District in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. The principal town is Mrauk-U Mrauk U ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a subregion of the Mrauk-U ...

Geography

The old city of Parein faces the Lemro River in the east. It has at its back a ridge that run parallel to the Mong-swe ridge between the

Kaladan The Kaladan (, ) or Kissapanadi River (, ), also known as the Beino, Bawinu and Kolodyne, is a river in the eastern Mizoram State of India, and in Chin State and Rakhine State of western Myanmar. The Kaladan River is called the Chhimtuipui River ...

and Lemro Rivers. In the south, Paungdok creek separates Parein from the Launggret. To its north is the Alayzee creek.

Etymology

History

In the eleventh century, the Waithali Kingdom declined, giving way to the Lemro period of Arakanese history. The history of this period is dependent on chronicles which state that the shift in power from the Kaladan valley, where

Waithali Waithali (, , ) located in today's northern Rakhine State, Myanmar, was the capital of the Waithali Kingdom from 370 to 818. The former capital site is approximately north-east of Sittwe, and east of Ram Chaung, a tributary of the Kaladan river ...

lies, to the Lemro valley began when the capital was moved to Sambawak and then Pyinsa. Pyinsa developed for a few decades before the capital was, again, moved to Parein. Based on the chronicles, Parein was founded during the reign of the king Letya Min Nan who recovered the usurped throne of his grandfather with the help of

Alaungsithu Alaungsithu or Sithu I ( ; also Cansu I; 1090–1167) was king of Pagan Dynasty of Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in ...

, the king of

Bagan Bagan ( ; ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that w ...

. Later, the capital shifted rapidly to Hkrit and Nareinzara Toungoo before settling on

for over a century. The Lemro valley capitals were all smaller than previous cities like Waithali. Most, including Parein, lay on the western lowland shores of the Lemro river with their walls disappearing over the course of time.

In religion

In Arakanese legend and chronicle, the nat Mra Swan is the lady guardian spirit of Parein. The poem about Mra Swan goes: In 1992, a new large shrine was constructed by

Myanmar Army The Myanmar Army (; ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southea ...

soldiers. The shrine is built in the middle of fields with the statue of Mra Swan facing west towards the location of the old palace. The revival of worship sites for minor nats within Mrauk-U Township, like the shrine in Parein, may be a way in which Burmese military officers attempt to gain symbolic recognition by drawing on the historical involvement of the Bagan Kingdom in the Lemro Valley's history.

References

Bibliography

* * History of Rakhine {{Rakhine-geo-stub