• Burmese
Saturday, May 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °c
Ashburn
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Culture

Restoration of Thai King’s Tomb Continues Under DNA Test Uncertainty

Zarni Mann by Zarni Mann
June 21, 2016
in Culture
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Restoration of Thai King’s Tomb Continues Under DNA Test Uncertainty

Excavation site of the tomb of Thai King Uthumphon

3.6k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

MANDALAY — Amid uncertainty over the material remains of an 18th century Thai King, the team restoring what is believed to be his tomb in Amarapura near Mandalay have chosen to continue work on the instructions of a Buddhist abbot.

This is in spite of a notice issued in May by Mandalay municipal authorities instructing the restoration team to halt their work while DNA tests are carried out to determine whether the tomb was indeed that of Thai King Uthumphon, who ruled Siam for only two months in 1758 and was later captured in a Burmese invasion.

A consecration ceremony planned for the tomb at the end of June remains as scheduled—although, in the absence of the funerary urn while it undergoes testing, the site will initially be designated only as a “memorial site.”

RelatedPosts

Paranoid Junta Turns to Foreign Expertise After 4 Years of Chaos; and More

Paranoid Junta Turns to Foreign Expertise After 4 Years of Chaos; and More

May 10, 2025
830
Quake Fails to Quell Russian Nuclear Romance; Naypyitaw Truth Concealed; and More

Quake Fails to Quell Russian Nuclear Romance; Naypyitaw Truth Concealed; and More

April 26, 2025
1.2k
Myanmar Catholics Mourn Pope Who Remembered Their Plight

Myanmar Catholics Mourn Pope Who Remembered Their Plight

April 23, 2025
541

“The [DNA] test will take time because it [is being applied] to the remains of a person who died several hundred years ago. In the mean time, the Sitagu Sayadaw [abbot] instructed us to continue the restoration work to protect the ruins of the tomb and the related temples, which are threatened by the weather,” explained “Tampawaddi” Win Maung, who leads the restoration team.

Excavation of the Thai king’s purported tomb began in 2013. Many artifacts were unearthed, including the supposed cremation urn of the king, among a series of tombs and religious structures on Lin Zin hill in Amarapura Township, on the outskirts of Mandalay City.

Restoration work on the historic remnants on Lin Zin hill has been halted three times since then. According to the restoration team, more than half of the excavation sites have been “ruined” due to human activity and adverse weather during the halts.

“The Thai team, which funded the restoration, decided the place could act [initially] as a memorial site for King Uthumphon, […] for Thai visitors,” said Win Maung.

Restoration of the main tomb and the foundations of an old Thai-style monastery are almost finished. The ceremony to re-consecrate the tomb will be held on June 26 and 27. Prominent Buddhist abbots and monks from Thailand, and officials from the Thai royal treasury department, are planning to attend.

“Since there is some uncertainty over the cremation urn of the Thai king, we will not place it back in the tomb as we had originally planned,” said Win Maung.

“The place will be just a monument […] until the results from the MCDC [Mandalay City Development Council] proves whether or not it is the real tomb,” he added.

According to Burmese official history, Uthumphon (known as King Dok Madua in Thai histories) was captured along with many other members of the Siamese court—after he had already been deposed and was living as a monk—by Burmese King Sinphyushin (1736–1776) in his invasion of the Thai capital Ayutthaya in 1767. Uthumphon was brought as a prisoner to the Burmese royal capital of Ava, close to present-day Mandalay.

After the Burmese king shifted his palace from Ava to Amarapura, King Uthumphon lived in Amarapura as a monk until his death and burial on Lin Zin hill.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaForeign RelationsReligionTourism
Zarni Mann

Zarni Mann

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck
Burma

Five-Star Casino Resort on Myanmar Tropical Island Runs Out of Luck

by The Irrawaddy
February 6, 2024
19.1k

U Kyaw Lwin ran his casino resort on the visa-free island for more than 10 years before facing arrest in...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Counteroffensives Failing Across Country: Analysts
Analysis

Myanmar Junta Counteroffensives Failing Across Country: Analysts

by Hein Htoo Zan
September 20, 2024
16.7k

Three major operations to retake territory from ethnic armies and their allies are being hampered by troop shortages, experts say.

Read moreDetails
In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’
Burma

In Western Myanmar, an Ethnic Landlord is Poised to Liberate ‘Crony Beach’

by The Irrawaddy
June 25, 2024
15.6k

After capturing Thandwe Airport, the Arakan Army is just steps away from Myanmar’s most valuable beach and the crony-owned resorts...

Read moreDetails
Touting Holidays in a Flooded Warzone; Praising Savior China; and More
Junta Watch

Touting Holidays in a Flooded Warzone; Praising Savior China; and More

by The Irrawaddy
October 5, 2024
13.3k

Also this week, the regime launched its pre-election census, and unveiled a flood relief budget dwarfed by military spending as...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Christian Leader Rearrested Hours After Release in Amnesty
Burma

Myanmar Christian Leader Rearrested Hours After Release in Amnesty

by The Irrawaddy
April 18, 2024
9.2k

Sources said Dr. Hkalam Samson, his wife and a third person were taken from the Baptist minister’s home early Thursday....

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Travel Sector Mocks Junta Tourist Claim
Burma

Myanmar Travel Sector Mocks Junta Tourist Claim

by The Irrawaddy
September 30, 2023
7.8k

Regime chief Min Aung Hlaing told a gathering on Wednesday that more than 600,000 tourists had visited Myanmar this year.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Early Surges of a Cultural Nationalistic Flood Tide in Myanmar?

Early Surges of a Cultural Nationalistic Flood Tide in Myanmar?

Gold Market Hits Record High 

Gold Market Hits Record High 

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Breaking the 60-Year Political Cycle in Myanmar

Breaking the 60-Year Political Cycle in Myanmar

5 days ago
1.1k
How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

How Myanmar Junta Uses Air Force to Fight Its Corner

3 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    Ousted Myanmar Envoy to UK Charged With Trespass in London Residence Row

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Three Japanese Firms Ditch Myanmar Port Project

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Workers at Adidas Factory in Myanmar Strike for Living Wage

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Abandons Chinese Pipeline Amid Resistance Attacks

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Leader Scores Diplomatic Win With Xi Meeting in Moscow

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.