Less-visited religious sites in Mrauk-U need conservation too, locals say

By Admin 11 Oct 2023

DMG Newsroom
11 October 2023, Mrauk-U

Local residents in Mrauk-U Township, Arakan State, have called for renovation and maintenance of the less-visited historical pagodas and temples in the ancient city.

These less trafficked sites have been overrun by bushes, cracks have appeared in their stonework, and some buildings are crumbling, according to residents.

“Less-visited sites have been overtaken by bushes. [Authorities] do not clean the pagodas. And many [people] do drugs in the less-visited historical sites,” said Mrauk-U resident Ma Myo Aye Thwel.

Among the historical sites needing maintenance are pagodas and stupas in Yadanabon and Sinchaseik wards, and a Buddhist scriptures repository in Alel Zay ward.

Eateries and monasteries have also encroached on many historical sites, said Daw Khin Than, chairwoman of the Mrauk-U Cultural Heritage Conservation Group.

“They don’t repair mountain roads on Mt. Shwegu. And there are many pagodas overtaken by bushes. Many historical sites are not conserved. We can’t afford to conserve all the sites. And well-known sites are also poorly conserved,” she lamented.

There are pagoda boards of trustees to conserve the most popular sites in Mrauk-U, such as Shitthounga Pathoe, Koethaung Pathoe, Nanyargon, and the old city wall and moat.

U Khin Saw Maung, a member of the Mingala Manaung Pagoda board of trustees, called on authorities to maintain Mrauk-U’s less-visited historical sites.

“Those heritage sites are not yet ruined. But they are not tidy because of the lack of maintenance. If local organisations can’t conserve them, concerned departments should make efforts to conserve them,” he said.

The Mrauk-U branch of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum said Union-level authorities have yet to grant a budget for the conservation of less-visited historical sites in Mrauk-U.

“The annual maintenance budget has not yet been granted. So, we have not yet carried out maintenance works. I don’t know why it is late,” said the department’s deputy director, U Aung Tun Hla.

Mrauk-U currently has a pending bid for UNESCO recognition as a World Heritage Site.