A study on the term “arumana” in Polonaruwa inscription of king Vijayabāhu I
Date
2018-04-03
Authors
Ven. Sukha
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Peradeniya
Abstract
The term arumaṇa refers to Mon people living in the lower part of Myanmar. Rāmaññadesa means the country of the Mon people. Sri Lanka and Rāmañña country have embraced Theravāda Buddhism since King Asoka’s missionary activities. Buddhism was the factor that brought the two countries into having close relations. Theravāda Buddhist Canonical texts were introduced into Rāmaññadesa from the great monasteries of Sri Lanka. In the 11ᵗʰ century, the canonical texts and learned monks, laymen, and king Manuhā were brought by King Anawratha to Pagan, the then capital of Myanmar. In inscriptions and the Pāḷi chronicles of Sri Lanka, Myanmar was, in the ancient time, referred to by several names: Arumaṇa or Aramaṇa, and Rāmañña. In the Polonnaruwa Inscription of King Vijayabāhu I, which is lying to the west of Vihāra No. 1, about 50 feet north-east of the Latāmaṇḍapaya, ancient Myanmar is known as Arumaṇa. The inscription, which is believed to have been engraved after the death of King Vijayabāhu I, consisting of 49 lines, of which the pertinent passage lines 6 to 11, tells us that King Vijayabāhu, having defeated the Coḷa army, restored Theravāda Buddhism with the help of monks from Arumaṇa. Some scholars tried to identify the place mentioned with some location in India, but they have failed to consider it as a place in Myanmar. This paper will discuss the term Arumaṇa in the Inscription. Critical method and comparative method are applied using primary and secondary sources to deduce conclusion that the term Arumaṇa may be a corruption of the term Rāmañña, referring in whole to ancient Myanmar. This is corroborated by Sri Lankan chronicles such as Cūḷavaṁsa, Rājāvaliya, and Nikāya-saṅgrahava adding more details state that twenty learned and well-conducted monks who carried with them books were invited from Aramaṇa or Rāmañña. The old Burmese chronicle, Sāsanāvaṁsa, also mentions Anawratha’s friendly relations with King Vijayabāhu. The term Rāmañña refers to Mon people living in the lower part of Myanmar. However, due to the long-term relationship between Lower Myanmar (Rāmaññadesa) and Sri Lanka, the whole country was known by Sri Lankans as Arumaṇa, Aramaṇa, and Rāmañña in ancient times. Having examined from Sri Lanka and Myanmar sources, Myanmar and Sri Lanka have maintained a long-term relationship helping each other. Based on various accounts in Sri Lanka and Myanmar sources, the term Arumaṇa on the inscription of King Vijayabāhu I suggests that the name was probably applied to the Land of Myanmar.
Description
Keywords
Rāmañña , Arumaṇa , Sri Lanka
Citation
Proceedings of the PGIHS Research Congress (PGIHS-RC-2018), University of Peradeniya, p.33