History of Wakema @ Wakhama @ Wakhalma

Wahkama ,Wakhalma ,Wakhama, Wakema is a part of Myaungmya District which is one of the six districts in Ayeyarwady Division. It is bordered by ,in the North and North East, Pantanaw Township and Maubin District in the East, Kyike Latt township ,in the South East, Mawlamyaing Kyune township, In the South, La Putt Tar township, in the West Myaungmya township and in the North west, Eain Mel township. Wakema is as large as about 459.524 Sqm2 (acar 194095). It is approximately 44 miles from the North to the South and 19 miles from the East end to the west end. There are altogether 14 quarters and 126 village groups with 583 villages. Myanmar and Karin are the major ethnic groups. In 1984, it was not as populous as today with 0.2 million people but recent data shows that total number of people residing is 0.3 million. There’s got tropical monsoon. In Myanmar encyclopedia volume 12, the term “Wakema” is evolved from the word “War Kyoke Ma” which means “field” for “War”, “seeds” for “Kyoke”. The direct meaning is the field that seeds are sowed. In “Konemaryandi” verses of a famous ancient writer U Lu Nge, King Pathein, “Thamotetagawtha” eloped with princess “Konemaryanti” which is also called “Ohnmardandi”, the daughter of King Pathi and built and ruled the city “Mokhawady” that “Thayutmyite” village in Wakema township locates nowadays. However King Pathi sent his troop to kill King Thamotetagawtha. There were battles along the creek of “Kawel” but luckily King Thamotetagawtha was free from the life threat with the help of bamboo grove which was largely grown on the place called “Wakema” nowadays. Hence, it is noted that the place is known as where bamboo saves life of King Thamotetagawtha, “War Kal Ma” which evolves after a period of time “Wakhema”. (King Thamotetagawtha was found as Mon King “Thamotetagawtha” who reigned and ruled new city in Lower part of Myanmar while “Thatoe Minphyar” was ruling Innwa in the Myanmar Calendar year 726.) However, in the book titled “History of Thawka” written by U Thein Win, it denied that “Thamotegawtha” Kings reigned and ruled “Mokhawati”. He pointed out that there was no “Motekhawati” in the list of 32 developed cities the King and his wife ruled. There mentioned serial number 7 as “Kyikeahmon- Sakekyi- Kyike Pon” city- Myaung Mya city and serial number 29 as Kyiketal “Mudaw- Thamyin Tone” city- Pantanaw on page 91 to 98 in the history of Pathein. If “Mokhawati” was one of the cities then, it must have been in the list. The possibility was that while the King and his wife were travelling to Myaung Mya and Pantanaw cities, they built Shwe Saryan and Shwe Sarpyan pagodas when they arrived Thayutmyite. That was when they ruled the place temporarily. This reason seemed to be acceptable as well. Hence, wandering around the place, building “Thwka” pagoda at the place “Thawka” flowers fell and letting the place call “Htawka Nyut” (Golden ladle) since people at that place were very good at cooking stood evidence. Therefore, it was estimated to be between Myanmar calendar year 630 and 640 when the King and his wife arrived at the place and built the pagoda. According to the history of the town, there lived Mon people in the villages near “Htawkanyut” quarter which is on the other bank of the town. When the king and his wife from the Mokhawati city arrived, Mon villagers who were very good cooks treated them well. Hence, it became Htawkanyut named nowadays from Htaw which means gold and Kanyut which means flat ladle While the king was there, trade ship from Sale, upper part of Myanmar go down the river and when asked “Who are you under the bamboo trees?”, it was answered “Myanmar people Ka Ma under the bamboo tree”. Hence,it is said that the place was called “Wakema”. Moreover, Mon people from the current “Htawkanyut” quarter called Burmese from the other bank “Winekhamine” in Mon language;hence “Wakhamaw” and at last it became “Wakema”. According to our ancestors, Wakema is a town where majority of people from upper part of , Myanmar Sale and Sin Phyu Kyune lived collectively and since the original local people were , Myanmar the name of the place “Wakema” was derived from “Myanmar field” in Mon language. Previously, Sin Phyu Kyune quarter and Sale quarter which is now “Myatheintan” were divided as “Pwel Sar” quarter and “Min Pine” quarter. Therefore, “Htawkanyut”, “Ywar Thit”, “Tayoke Tan”, “Thaw Ka” quarters were deliberately included in the area of Wakema since There weren’t even about one thousand houses in Wakema then and Municipal council couldn’t be organized. Since Wakema lies at the center of Myaungmya district, Sheriff headquarter was located. When the jail warden doctor moved to Wakema, it was pointed out that being low and soft land and having no wells and water resources were disadvantages for establishing district office. Therefore, Myaungmya became a place a District office was allocated. Penang Monk “Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa” said that there were almost no human being living on delta area 200 years ago and it was a jungle with full of wild trees and also pastures for elephants, tigers, monkeys, wild birds and other wild animals. When people from different parts of Myanmar came and settled down , there started huge villages and “Shwe Laung” township was a center of trade and due to the uncomfortable transportation and communications and river bank collapse , the town was allocated in the place “Wakema” instead of “Shwe Laung”. When a literature and scripture pundit , Hinthata “Myit Kwae Monestry” Sayardaw wrote a letter to ask a national educator, U Phoe Kyar regarding the name of the town if there was any connection between “War Hal Khal Ma” and “Bamboo grove”. in 1299, 6 days after “Nat Taw” fullmoon day in Mynamar Calendar month, , U Phoe Kyar reply the letter dated 29th December 1937 saying that the word “Wakema” seemed to came from original Mon language and not to try to pronounce in Myanmar.


Reference: “ Pyithusit Aung Pwe” (Victory of People’s Malitary )frequent flyer ( Publish in 1984 by Township Council of Wakema)… Articles from Golden Jubilee Magazine(Published in 1997 by Wakema Township Association –Yangon) Sayadaw U Pannya Vamsa ,Sayar Paragu, Daw Aye Kyaut and Khin Kaneyi Toe…. The History of “Pyi Lone Chanthar Thaw Ka Pagoda” written by U Thein Win, Tax Officer.(Published in 2011 by Sarpadaythar Publishing House-Yangon) Verbal communication with ancestors ..Collected by Zawmin Lwin (Secluded Serene Avenue of WKA )….Translated by Su Wai Phyo (Aim and Award Language Center) Below link is for Wakema page in Facebook about Wakema written in Myanmar version. https://www.facebook.com/pages/%E1%81%80%E1%80%AB%E1%80%B8%E1%80%81%E1%80%9A%E1%80%B9%E1%80%99/259181714159377