Provincial Geographies of India/Volume 4/Chapter 3

by Herbert Thirkell White

CHAPTER III

RIVERS

Irrawaddy. The dominant physical feature of Burma is the great river Irrawaddy, formed by the union of two sister streams. The actual source of the Irrawaddy was long regarded as almost the last unsolved geographical mystery. It has, however, been ascertained that the eastern and main branch, the 'Nmaikha^[1] issues from the Laguela Glacier,^[2] in about 29° N. on the mountain range which separates Putao from Tibet; and traverses the Putao district, in its earliest stage, as the Tarôn stream. The western branch, the Malikha, rises in the hills surrounding the Hkamti-lōng valley, in the Putao district. Both these streams flow southward till, some 30 miles above Myitkyina, boiling and surging over rugged rocks, they join at the Confluence. Above this point, neither of these rivers nor their affluents are navigable, being strewn with rocks, cataracts and rapids. The Kampang falls into the Tarôn with a sheer drop of 400 feet. From the Confluence, the united river pursues its majestic course to the sea for nearly a thousand miles. Above Myitkyina are rapids, mild and innocuous, easily navigated by rafts and shallow boats. Swift and clear as crystal, the Irrawaddy flows past Myitkyina, its course unimpeded till it reaches Sinbo. Between the rapids and Sinbo, the river is navigable by launches and light draught steamers throughout the year. Just below Sinbo, in the wet season, swollen by rains and melted snows, checked by a rampart of rocks, the stream

Fig. 13. Adung Valley, head waters of the Irrawaddy.

banks up into a high wall of waters. Piercing this rampart, the Irrawaddy enters the First Defile, a gloomy, savage, rock-bound gorge, thirty-five miles in length. The Defile is narrow, tortuous, romantically beautiful, in places of un-fathomed depth. Rocks in mid-stream, sudden abrupt curves, seething whirlpools, render navigation difficult and hazardous. In the dry season, with care but without in-superable risk, launches steam up and down the Defile, their movements strictly regulated, under statutory sanction, by the civil authorities at Bhamo in telegraphic communication with Sinbo. When the rains begin, the Defile, closed to steam traffic, is traversed constantly by timber rafts, sparingly by boats. Down stream, boats rush with more speed than safety. Up stream, the voyage is laboriously effected by towage from the bank. If the rope slips, the toil of days is lost in a few minutes. Emerging at Pashaw, named by an illustrious visitor^[3] the Ruby Gate of the Irrawaddy, the river flows peaceably past Bhamo. A few miles below that town lies the Second Defile, not so strait and winding as the first but bound between beetling crags and set with dangerous eddies and whirlpools. Less sternly sombre than the upper gorge, it is perhaps even more picturesquely beautiful, with one most striking feature, the towering Elephant Rock crowned by a tiny golden pagoda. In spite of this narrow approach, steamers reach Bhamo at all times of the year.

From the Second Defile the river issues just above the charming village of Shwegu. Thence past Moda, Katha, Tagaung, site of an ancient capital, Thabeik-kyin, Kyauk-myaung, it flows placidly on to Mandalay. Near Thabeikkyin, the port of the Ruby Mines, it is caught by the Third Defile, deep and somewhat narrow, but not to be compared with the Defiles above either in hazard or in beauty. A strong swimmer can cross from bank to bank. Leaving the wharves and the Hard of Mandalay thronged by steamers, launches and Burmese craft, the Irrawaddy glides past Ava, renowned in history, Sagaing, a typical Burmese town embosomed in tamarind groves, Myingyan, a busy port, Pakôkku, a trade centre near the mouth of the Chindwin river, Pagan, with its silent array of pagodas, Yenangyaung, redolent of earth-oil, Magwe, Minbu, the fort at Minhla, the old frontier pillars recalling memories of Dalhousie, the great Governor-General, Thayetmyo,

Fig. 14. On the Irrawaddy.

Prome, another ancient capital, the sculptured bank at Akauktaung, Myan-aung^[4], Henzada, Danubyu, scene of fierce conflict in the First War, thence into the Delta where dividing into countless streams and creeks, it reaches the Bay of Bengal. One great offshoot above Henzada, on the right bank, forms the Ngawun, in its later course the Bassein river. Another main channel finds the sea at China Bakir, as the To or China Bakir. Other principal prongs of the Irrawaddy are the Pyawmalaw, the Shwelaung, later the Kyunpyat-that, the Yazudaing and the Kyaiklat or Pyapôn. The stream which reaches the sea as the Irrawaddy flows through Myaungmya till in its lower extremity it divides that district from Pyapôn. On the left, at Yandoon, the Panlang creek leaves the Irrawaddy and flows into the Rangoon river. Formerly navigable by steamers of some size, of late years this creek has silted up and is now hardly practicable except by boats. Below Bassein, the Rangoon creek, so called because it is the route for steamers to Rangoon, re-unites the Bassein river with the main stream. Similarly, below Rangoon is the Bassein or Thakutpin creek, the beginning of the waterway to Bassein, flowing from the Rangoon river into the Irrawaddy.

Before the making of railways, the Irrawaddy was the great commercial route from the sea to the heart of Burma. On the unnumbered creeks and streams of the Delta, as well as on the main river, were to be seen many a stately Burmese boat, often adorned with rich carving, propelled by long oars or wafted by brown sails as wind and tide ordained, with high stern where the helmsman sat aloft. Here, too, might be seen smaller boats carrying the peasant with his farm produce to market, a score of brightly clad laughing men, maids, and matrons to a pagoda festival, a dozen monks on some religious mission; and racing boats, long and shallow, with crews of twenty or thirty shouting paddlers. Most of these picturesque craft are softly and silently vanishing away. Multitudes of launches now make the sylvan creeks hideous with steam-whistles, the grinding of screws, the churning of paddles. The sampan, an ugly exotic, penetrates even to remote villages; and the graceful Burmese boats are being ousted from the carrying traffic by squat barges and squalid lighters.

The Irrawaddy is still a valuable alternative to land routes. On the main stream, the bulk of the trade is in the hands of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company. Their steamers, of shallow draught, run from Rangoon, through the Bassein creek, past Thôngwa and Ma-u-bin, as far as Bhamo, carrying passengers and cargo. The faster steamers run single-handed, stopping only at important towns. Others, known as cargo-steamers, have each a flat or barge attached on either side. With them speed is not the object. Stopping at every village and carrying on board a travelling bazaar

Fig. 15. Burmese girl.

or market, they present a microcosm of Burmese life in many phases. Other steamer services ply in the Delta. On the main river, steamers move only by day, anchoring or tying up to the bank at night. Elsewhere they rush, day and night, through labyrinthine creeks, often crashing into the mangrove forests on the margin.

From the sea to Bhamo and two miles beyond, for a distance of 689 miles, the Irrawaddy is navigable by steamers at all times. But while in the rains it is a deep and magnificent river, some two miles wide at Bhamo, in the dry season its aspect changes. Then for a great part of its course, it is shallow, strewn with islands and with sandbanks which shift from year to year, impeding navigation and leaving riverine towns such as Bhamo and Myingyan often miles from the water's edge. At this season, only flat-bottomed vessels of very shallow draught can pick their way; sometimes even these are stranded. Often at Prome and below Mandalay, rows of steamers have been held fast for days. Elsewhere, steamers have grounded and remained high and dry for months till released by the rise of the river. Meanwhile the vessel becomes a stationary dwelling round which the caretaker plants a little garden for profit and for pastime. In the rains, high rises flood the banks to the destruction of growing crops. At the same time, the silt deposited enriches the soil.

The scenery of the Irrawaddy has been often celebrated. It is declared to be "as stately as it is beautiful; as passionate as it is serene." From the Confluence to the sea, it presents innumerable types of the picturesque, the rugged grandeur of the defiles, the smooth stream flowing between storied banks, the multitudinous mazes of the lower reaches. Sir Henry Yule, who accompanied Sir Arthur Phayre on his Mission to the Court of Ava in 1855 and who has recorded his observations in a classic work of absorbing interest, has drawn this brilliant picture of one gorgeous view:

The scene was one to be registered in the memory with some half dozen others which cannot be forgotten. Nothing on the Rhine could be compared to it. At the point where the temple stood, the Irrawaddy forms a great elbow, almost indeed a right angle, coming down to us from the North, but here diverted to the West. Northwards the wide river stretched, embracing innumerable islands, till seemingly hemmed in and lost among the mountains. Behind us, curving rapidly round the point on which we stood, it passed away to the Westward, and was lost in the blaze of a dazzling sunset. Northward ran

Fig. 16. View north of Sagaing.

the little barren, broken ridges of Sagaing, every point and spur of which was marked by some monastic building or pagoda. Nearly opposite to us lay Amarapoora, with just enough haze upon its temples and towers to lend them all the magic of an Italian city. A great bell-shaped spire, rising faintly white in the middle of the town, might well pass for a great Duomo. You could not discern that the domes and spires were all of dead heathen masses of brickwork and that the body of the city was bamboo and thatch. It might have been Venice, it looked so beautiful. Behind it rose range after range of mountains robed in blue enchantment. Between our station and the river was only a narrow strip of intense green foliage, mingled with white temples, spires, and cottage roofs. The great elbow of the river below us, mirroring the shadows of the wood on its banks, and the glowing clouds above, had been like a lake, were it not that the downward drift of the war-boats as they crossed and recrossed, marked so distinctly the rapidity of the kingly stream. The high bank of the river, opposite Sagaing eastward, was seen to be a long belt of island crowned with glorious foliage (and there are no trees like those of Burma); only here and there rose an unwooded crest, crowned with its Cybeleian coronet of towers. Behind this were numerous other wooded islands, or isolated villages, and temples, and monasteries, rising directly out of the flood waters. Southward, across the river, was the old city of Ava, now a thicket of tangled gardens and jungle, but marked by the remaining spires of temples. On this side lay Sagaing quite buried in tamarind trees.

Affluents of the Irrawaddy. Stated in order from the north, the principal tributaries of the Irrawaddy above Bhamo, on the left bank, are the Nantabet, formed by the junction of the Tabak and Paknoi, the Mole, and the Taiping. Of these, the Taiping which flows westward out of China is the only river of importance; the others are mountain streams winding through the Kachin Hills. On the right bank is the Mogaung or Namkawng which debouches at Sinbo, after passing Mogaung, the depot of the jadeite industry, and after receiving there, its main tributary, the Namyin from Katha. Below Bhamo, on the left bank, are the Sinkan and the Shweli, the latter a river of some size rising in China; on the right bank, the Kauk-kwe, Mosit and Meza, streams of no great volume or value. Further south are the Madaya river known also as Chaungmagyi or Nampi, which issues from the Northern Shan States as the Mobye, above, and the Myitngè, Dóktawadi or Namtu, below, Mandalay. The Myitngè, though its name means "little river" as compared with the great river into

Fig. 17. Burmese boats.

which it merges, is of considerable size. It runs in a south-westerly direction through the Shan States; is much used as a floating stream for timber; and is distinguished by the Namsan waterfalls of singular beauty^[5]. The Myitngè receives the waters of the Panlaung already joined by the Samôn and of the Zawgyi, both from the south.

The Mu^[6] river, pursuing a southerly course almost parallel with the Irrawaddy, joins the main stream at Myinmu below Sagaing on the right bank. It is largely used for irrigation purposes and waters thousands of acres of rice fields.

The greatest affluent of all is the Chindwin. Rising as the Tanai in the Hukong valley, north-west of Myitkyina, it flows past the Shan States of Singaling Hkamti and Hsawnghsup, through the two Chindwin districts, past Kindat, Mawlaik, Mingin and Mônywa, pursuing a winding course, with many a curve and many an eddy, till it enters the Irrawaddy above Pakôkku. It is navigable by light draught steamers and launches as far as Kindat throughout the year and up to Homalin (330 miles) in the rains; regular steamer services have long been established. But its course is impeded by shallows and whirlpools. The upper reaches flow through brilliantly picturesque, savage country clouded by myths and legends. It is said that above a certain point on the Chindwin though there are snakes they are not venomous. Less easily credible is the report of a village whereof the people can transform themselves into tigers. The main tributaries of the Chindwin are the Yu, Myittha and Kyaukmyet from the west and the Uyu from the east. Of these the most important is the Myittha into which flow the Maw from the south and the Manipur from the north.

Further south, on the right bank, the Irrawaddy receives the Yaw, in Pakôkku, the Salin, Môn and Man, in Minbu; on the left bank, the Pin which rises on Popa and joins the main river above Yenangyaung, and the Yin which runs for 120 miles from Yamèthin through Magwe. Besides the tributaries which have been specified, the Irrawaddy is fed by unnumbered mountain torrents of whose nomenclature the tediousness shall not be inflicted on the reader.

Rangoon River. The Rangoon river is important solely on account of the port after which it is called. Rising in the Prome district some 150 miles from its mouth, under the name of Myitmaka it flows through Prome and Tharrawaddy, taking further down the name of Hlaing, and passes Rangoon, twenty-one miles from the sea. Not far below Rangoon it is joined by the Pegu river which flows for 180 miles, past the historic town of Pegu; and by the Pazundaung river. The Panlang creek above Rangoon has already been mentioned. A little below the town, a serious obstacle to deep draught steamers, is the Hastings Shoal which seems to resist the efforts of dredgers.

Bassein River. The Bassein or Ngawun river has been mentioned as a branch of the Irrawaddy. Leaving the main stream above Henzada, it flows for 200 miles, past Nga-thaing-gyaung and Bassein to the sea at Diamond Island. It is navigable for sea-going steamers as far as Bassein. Its affluents are the Daga above, the Panmawadi below, Bassein.

Salween. Almost parallel with the Irrawaddy and exceeding it in length is the Salween. Rising in remote unvisited hills in China, it emerges in the Shan States which it traverses for many miles, receiving among other tributaries, the Nam-ting, Nam-kha, Nam-bin, on the left, the Nampaung, Namtung (250 miles), Nam-pawn (300 miles), on the right bank. Thence it enters and intersects Karenni and flows past the hill district of Papun or Salween which it separates from Siam. On the edge of the Thaton district the Thaungyin, rising in the Dawna hills, joins it from the south-east. Crossing Thatôn and Amherst, after receiving the waters of its main tributaries the Yônzalin from the north and the Gyaing (formed by the union of the Hlaingbwe and Haungtharaw) and Ataran from the south-east, the Salween enters the Gulf of Martaban, 28 miles below Moulmein, after a course of about 650 miles in British territory. The Salween is a swift stream flowing for great part of its course between steep rocky banks which rise in places from 3000 to 5000 feet above the river level. A little below the junction with the Thaungyin, navigation is peremptorily checked by the impracticable rapids of Hatgyi. Though many plans have been suggested, it seems unlikely that means of utilizing the Salween for steamer traffic will be devised. It is, however, of great value as a timber floating stream, bringing to the depot at Kado above Moulmein teak from the forests of the Shan States, Karenni, Siam, Thatôn and Amherst. The beauty of its scenery has often been celebrated.

Mèkong. Although the Burmese kingdom extended across the Mèkong, all territory to the east of that river has long been abandoned. The Mèkong now forms part of the boundary of the Shan States dividing Kēngtūng from French Indo-China. After flowing for many miles parallel to the Salween, it turns eastward and discharges its waters into the China Sea.

Sittang. The Sittang or Paunglaung, a river of some importance, rises in Yamèthin and traverses the Tenasserim Division from north to south, passing the towns of Toungoo and Shwegyin and dividing Pegu from Thatôn, pursuing a course of 350 miles to the Gulf of Martaban. At uncertain times, a bore or tidal wave runs up from the sea, at a height of 9 feet and the rate of 12 miles an hour, with disconcerting effect. This bore is well described by Caesar Frederick. It is still as vigorous as ever and has cut through the Sittang-Kyaikto canal which in consequence has been abandoned.

Minor rivers in Tenasserim are the Great Tenasserim, Lenya, and Pak-chan in Mergui; and the Tavoy river in the district of that name.

In Arakan the only important river is the Kaladan which rises in the Chin Hills as the Boinu. It follows a tortuous course through the Chin country and the Lushai Hills; thence more regularly southward through Northern Arakan to the sea at Akyab, having a total length of about 300 miles. In Akyab it is navigable by river steamers.

Fig. 18. Boinu River.

Lesser rivers in Arakan are the Lemru, Mayu and Naaf in Akyab; the An and Dalet in Kyaukpyu; the Mai, Tanlwe, Taimgup, Sandoway and Gwa in Sandoway; none of any great importance.

Besides rivers properly so called, multitudinous mountain torrents, dry for months, suddenly swelling into rushing streams and as rapidly subsiding, abound in all the hills and adjacent plains. No useful purpose would be served by an enumeration of these fleeting water courses, even if an exhaustive catalogue could be compiled.

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1. Kha, Kachin for stream; nan, the Shan equivalent. Thus Tabak- Kha and Nan-tabet are the same stream and the same word, with Kachin tail and Shan head respectively. 'Nmaikha means "bad river"; the meaning of Malikha is not known.
2. J. Bacot, Le Tibet Révolte.
3. Lord Kitchener.
4. "Myan-aung, a very ancient city, stretching two miles along the margin of the river;… a great variety of tall wide-spreading trees gave the place an air of venerable grandeur." Symes, 233. Written in 1795. Myan-aung has now sunk to insignificance.
5. These falls now provide power for electric works and their beauty may be marred.
6. Pronounced like the note of the cow not of the cat.