“The Union government has given us responsibility to continue the excavation and exploration in the site of ancient Suvarnabhumi City, and this project of excavation will be implemented in November,” says U Kyaw Myo Win.
According to U Kyaw Myo Win, for the 2013-2014 fiscal year the Union government allotted 20,000,000 (20 million) kyat for excavation of the ancient Suvarnabhumi City, but only a limited amount of excavation was accomplished; only four of the 40 high-grounds around which the ancient city is believed to be located have been explored.
U Kyaw Myo Win continued that the Ministry of Culture has requested a budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, from the Union government, for further excavation, but could not confirm the amount that was requested.
According to Mon State’s Minister of Planning and Economics, the Mon State government must manage the budget allocated by the union government, in order to continue excavation of the ancient Suvarnabhumi City area.
“In the morning of July 3rd, there was a donation event for excavation of ancient Suvarnabhumi City, held in Kyaikmayaw Town. For the fund of the excavation, Amyotha Hluttaw’s Refugee and Rescue Committee Chairman Dr. Khin Shwe donated 30,000,000 (30 million) kyat to Mon State’s government,” said Mon Stat’s Minister of Planning and Economics, Dr. Min Nwe Soe.
U Kyaw Myo Win noted that there has been more than 100 historical treasures, including supporting evidence, votive tablets and images of Buddha, discovered in the area, which are kept at the Mon State Cultural Museum.
The last excavation project of Suvarnabhumi, the ancient city-state of the Mon people, took place in 1984, where parts of the area had been unearthed. At the 2013-2014 annual budget meeting, the Union government’s culture related research association granted permission to continue excavations, after a 38 year halt.
More than 40 high-grounds have been found where the ancient city is believed to have been located, announced historical researcher and member of the Suvarnabhumi City excavation project, U San Win, at the Winka Old City research talk held in April, 2013.
