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Barua people
The Barua (Chittagonian: বড়ুয়া, romanized: Boṛua; Rakhine: မရမာကြီး) are a Magh ethnic group who live in Chittagong Division in Bangladesh, West Bengal in India, and Rakhine State in Myanmar, where they are known as the Maramagyi or Maramagri, or particularly the Magh Barua. According to Arakanese chronology, the Barua Buddhists have lived in Myanmar for over 5,000 years. In Myanmar, Barua Maghs are classified as one of the seven ethnic groups that make up the Rakhine ethnic group. In West Bengal (India), the Baruas are known as Magh and are recognised as Scheduled Tribe (ST). Magh is the general term used for Buddhists in the Southeastern Bengal and Arakanese region.
The word 'Barua' is derived from Arakanese words: "Bo" (meaning Army Chief) and "Yoya" (meaning locality or village). Literally, Barua means "the place where an army chief resides." Over time, the people who lived in such a locality or village came to be known as Barua. Since the people of Bengal were unable to pronounce the Burmese or Arakanese words, the word Boyoya was replaced by the word Barua. In the past, the title Barua was probably not used by them.They started to use this title more during the last quarter of the eighteenth century to obscure their social identity in order to avoid persecution and social discrimination from the King Bodowpaya of Burma who destroyed the kingdom of Arakan in 1785.
In the ancient history of Rakhine Razawin, around the middle of the second century AD (146 AD), a vassal of the Magadh's Chandra Surya Kingdom established a territory in Arakan and Chittagong. He and his subjects, along with soldiers, established the capital in Dhanyawadi. These settlers played a key role in spreading Buddhism and its culture in Chittagong and Arakan. The settlers from Magadh (an ancient Indian kingdom in Southern Bihar), along with local inhabitants in Chittagong, embraced Buddhism and came to be known as ‘Mag’ or ‘Magh’. By 1585, European, Persian, and Bengali accounts began describing all the Buddhist groups in the region as the Mugh or Maghs.
According to historical accounts, particularly the Maharazawan, the Baruas date their settlement in Chittagong to the period of political upheaval following the death of Sri Sudhamma, the king of Arakan. After his minister Narapati usurped the throne, several nobles and royal family members fled to Kantha in Chittagong. Approximately 50,000 of the 100,000 guards stationed in Mrauk U deserted and accompanied a priest, later settling in Kantha under Narapati. The Baruas claim descent from these immigrants. The governor of Kantha was subsequently referred to as the king of Maramagyi, a title the Arakanese continued to apply to the Barua Maghs. The term Maramagyi is believed to be a corruption of Brahmagri, combining Mrama (or Brahma, used by Aryan settlers to denote early inhabitants of Burma) and gri (great).
Descriptions by European writers like Risley (1891), Hunter and O’Malley (O’Malley 1908), and present-day discussions by Sukomal Chaudhuri (Chaudhuri 1982), Ram Chandra Barua (Barua 2010) reveal that 'Magh' and 'Buddhism' are synonymously treated in Chittagong.
Today, non-Buddhists in Chittagong often consider the terms ‘Magh’ and Buddhists to be synonymous. It is also agreed that those belonging to the ‘Magh’ community are divided into several groups:
They belong to the second sub-tribe or group within the Magh community.
Baruas or Maramagyis were known as Plain Maghs or true Maghs of Chittagong, whereas the other two groups i.e., Thongtha and Marma were known as hill maghs. The Marmas considered these names to be pejorative because of the word's association with piracy, however, Baruas of West Bengal, India and Myanmar continue to identify themselves as Magh and Maramagyi respectively.
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Barua people
The Barua (Chittagonian: বড়ুয়া, romanized: Boṛua; Rakhine: မရမာကြီး) are a Magh ethnic group who live in Chittagong Division in Bangladesh, West Bengal in India, and Rakhine State in Myanmar, where they are known as the Maramagyi or Maramagri, or particularly the Magh Barua. According to Arakanese chronology, the Barua Buddhists have lived in Myanmar for over 5,000 years. In Myanmar, Barua Maghs are classified as one of the seven ethnic groups that make up the Rakhine ethnic group. In West Bengal (India), the Baruas are known as Magh and are recognised as Scheduled Tribe (ST). Magh is the general term used for Buddhists in the Southeastern Bengal and Arakanese region.
The word 'Barua' is derived from Arakanese words: "Bo" (meaning Army Chief) and "Yoya" (meaning locality or village). Literally, Barua means "the place where an army chief resides." Over time, the people who lived in such a locality or village came to be known as Barua. Since the people of Bengal were unable to pronounce the Burmese or Arakanese words, the word Boyoya was replaced by the word Barua. In the past, the title Barua was probably not used by them.They started to use this title more during the last quarter of the eighteenth century to obscure their social identity in order to avoid persecution and social discrimination from the King Bodowpaya of Burma who destroyed the kingdom of Arakan in 1785.
In the ancient history of Rakhine Razawin, around the middle of the second century AD (146 AD), a vassal of the Magadh's Chandra Surya Kingdom established a territory in Arakan and Chittagong. He and his subjects, along with soldiers, established the capital in Dhanyawadi. These settlers played a key role in spreading Buddhism and its culture in Chittagong and Arakan. The settlers from Magadh (an ancient Indian kingdom in Southern Bihar), along with local inhabitants in Chittagong, embraced Buddhism and came to be known as ‘Mag’ or ‘Magh’. By 1585, European, Persian, and Bengali accounts began describing all the Buddhist groups in the region as the Mugh or Maghs.
According to historical accounts, particularly the Maharazawan, the Baruas date their settlement in Chittagong to the period of political upheaval following the death of Sri Sudhamma, the king of Arakan. After his minister Narapati usurped the throne, several nobles and royal family members fled to Kantha in Chittagong. Approximately 50,000 of the 100,000 guards stationed in Mrauk U deserted and accompanied a priest, later settling in Kantha under Narapati. The Baruas claim descent from these immigrants. The governor of Kantha was subsequently referred to as the king of Maramagyi, a title the Arakanese continued to apply to the Barua Maghs. The term Maramagyi is believed to be a corruption of Brahmagri, combining Mrama (or Brahma, used by Aryan settlers to denote early inhabitants of Burma) and gri (great).
Descriptions by European writers like Risley (1891), Hunter and O’Malley (O’Malley 1908), and present-day discussions by Sukomal Chaudhuri (Chaudhuri 1982), Ram Chandra Barua (Barua 2010) reveal that 'Magh' and 'Buddhism' are synonymously treated in Chittagong.
Today, non-Buddhists in Chittagong often consider the terms ‘Magh’ and Buddhists to be synonymous. It is also agreed that those belonging to the ‘Magh’ community are divided into several groups:
They belong to the second sub-tribe or group within the Magh community.
Baruas or Maramagyis were known as Plain Maghs or true Maghs of Chittagong, whereas the other two groups i.e., Thongtha and Marma were known as hill maghs. The Marmas considered these names to be pejorative because of the word's association with piracy, however, Baruas of West Bengal, India and Myanmar continue to identify themselves as Magh and Maramagyi respectively.
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