N 97     Roots  ( Part  2 )

During the day and the next day before returning home to Taunggyi we visited 2 relatives houses.They were my father’s cousins who lived with him when he was alive. But one was gone and so I saw only the daughters that are left. The other one who is in her 80s and still alive remembered me and she told me that when my father was killed she had gone to Panglone to look for his remains but could not find them. ( My mother was nearly to deliver her 3^rd child and so was not allowed to go. ) 

The places we visited were places of worship where people usually go to when they visit a new place. Merng Nai is an old town  and has many old pagodas, some ruined, and monasteries. It is said to be 2000 years or more old and had much communication with Burma Proper. So the pagodas, monasteries, and traditions were much influenced by Myanmar art and culture.

We visited the Rahanda’s footsteps pilgrimage site which is on the roadside before reaching the town, the Loi Lang Monastery which is over a hundred years old, the 12 Dewi cave where steep steps were built around big boulders and rocks. But on reaching the top we can see a small pagoda and look at the magnificent view of the whole town. Around town we visited the Sintaung Pagoda, U Shwe Aung pagoda and another age old monastery.

Thus the reason to visit Merng Nai, my father’s hometown was accomplished. I had seen a part of  Merng Nai as a visitor should see and I had visited some relatives I had not seen before. And then there were one or two things I hadn’t mention before. I also went to visit my grandmother’s old house. It is not an ancestral’s home anymore, but had changed hands. The new owners hadn’t pulled it down completely, but only done renovations to it. They showed us some photos of the old timber house. So…. this was the house my father and his brothers grew up….I thought to myself.

I wondered if my father and mother lived in this house after they were married. I had known that their marriage was not an easy one. It had to be postponed again and again due to the Saopha and mahadewi who are going to be the guardians not free. ( The mahadewi was my mother’s 1^st cousin )They had to go to Kunhing for the wedding. And so lastly the wedding had to be held on a non auspicious day , a warameiktu day. Elders said that was why their marriage did not last long and he had a violent death. But that is fate, we all had to exist according to fate.

One good thing to mention before I conclude this post is that I got our family tree from Sai Nay Lin Htet’s parents. He told my daughter before we visit Merng Nai to go and visit his father who is compiling Merng Nai’s history  Not expecting to get such a valuable document ,we went to visit him. After some chattings about his works he said he had something to show us and got up to get it. Then he came back with a sheet of old paper and gave it to me. I looked at it to see if I can find my father’s name and soon found it.

He knew I was glad to see it and said he would give me a copy of it to me. I was very happy and thankful for it because with this I can pass down to my ancestors about my roots. A part of it from my father’s side. It is invaluable for me. Not because it shows I am a relative of Sawbwas, which did not benefit us, but it shows that we are not nonentity people and should act and live accordingly.

I would like my children, my ancestors to be honest, simple, humble, sincere who would contribute some good deeds to mankind, as I believe my father to be and not the opposite.