Ancient stone stupas discovered in Ponnagyun Twsp

By Admin 29 May 2023

DMG Newsroom
29 May 2023, Ponnagyun

Historians estimate that four ancient stone stupas unearthed from a location about four furlongs from Guwa Pagoda in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, may be from the Waithali Period.

Four ancient stupas measuring 20 inches in circumference were discovered by locals when they excavated the ground on a hill near the Sittwe-Yangon Road on May 26.

The ancient stupas that have been found are from the Waithali Period, said U Maung Phyu, who is researching the history of Arakan.

“I found that the writing on these ancient stupas are stone inscriptions from the Waithali era. The written language on the ancient stupas is too blurry to decipher, so I can't tell you the details of the written text at the moment. I said that these ancient stupas are from the Waithali Period,” he added.

The ancient artifacts are currently being preserved at Myoma Monastery in downtown Ponnagyun.

U Maung Shwe Thein, an administrator of Ywa Haung Ward, Ponnagyun Township, said that although these small ancient pagodas have been buried for many years, little damage has been done to them.

“The ancient artifacts were found on a hill at about 5 pm on May 26 while the ground was being excavated with the use of a backhoe,” the ward administrator explained.

A local man found a stone stupa measuring 3 feet in length from the Waithali Period in Zaichaung Village, Minbya Township, in March 2022.

Arakanese history records show that stone stupas carved out of a single rock were built and worshiped in the Waithali period.