Nai Marn : The Mon National Day Committee (MNDC) has made the decision to put a Kalyani inscription in celebration of the Kalyani Siam (Kalyani Thein Monastery) as an homage to Mon religious history.
On December 11th, during the MNDC’s fourth meeting in Moulmein, the committee decided to add a Kalyani inscription along with the stone pillar of Panglong, hand and hand with eight ethnic groups, yet the committee worries that they will receive government pressure.
“We aim to reveal the Kalyani Siam and Kalyani inscription as a symbol of religious purification”said Nai Kho Seik, who presented the idea to add Kalyani Siam to the signboard.
The Panglong stone symbol (in reference to the call for a 2nd Panglong Conference by ethnic leaders in Burma) would not be in the signboard, but would be added to the t-shirt designed for Mon National Day (MND).
The MND signboard will have to be signed off on by the Burmese government and the committee is worried that the Burmese government will be displeased with the addition of the Panglong stone symbol. The t-shirt, on the other hand, does not need to be reviewed by the Burmese government and the committee, therefore, plans to put the Panglong stone on the t-shirt design.
Last year’s t-shirt design for Mon National Day had an “x” on the left-hand side of the shirt showing the groups opposition to the 2010 election. Also, the signboard had included a history of the Dhammazati King who had respected monks and Buddhism, while the Burmese government has tortured and killed monks, one incident being in 2007.
With the addition of the Kalyani inscription, the signboard plans to reveal evidence of the Mon’s religious history on Mon Kalyani Siam.
“The signboard will have an image of a broken Kalyani inscription. We will not repair it, but leave it broken,” said Nai Hong Dein with the agreement of the other committee members.
The Kalyani inscription is not only important for Mon people but also important for all Buddhists. The Kalyani inscription is relevant to both the ancient Mon Kingdom as well as the Suvarnabhumi kingdom (in ancient Thailand). The Kalyani inscription also describes the history of the Mon, Burmese, and the Rehmonnya kingdom.
The Kalyani inscription was broken during the reign of the Burmese King Alangpaya U Aung Zeya on 1119 when the Hongsawatoi Kingdom fell. Presently, the Kalyani inscription has been conserved by a reserach department near Shwe Tha Lyaung Pagoda in Pegu.
