Four students, who excavated ancient artifacts in Mrauk U town of Rakhine (Arakan) State and later handed those items over to the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government under ULA/AA, were rewarded with Kyats 75 million each.
The awards were presented by representatives of the United League of Arakan/Arakanese Army at a ceremony held on 8 February.
The awarded youths include grade-7 student Maung Phyo Myat Oo (13), grade-5 students Maung Soe Aung (13), Maung Thu Kha Aung (12) and Maung Kyaw Soe Lin (13).
They found the priceless ancient Rakhine artifacts while playing football in Mrauk-U, an ancient city of the last dynasty of Arakan kingdom. They also handed over those items to the authorities on 24 January.
Those include a jade block about 1 inch in diameter, a gold pendant, three gold rings, some ancient gold jewelries and over 150 ancient Rakhine silver coins.
Rakhine historians reveal that the silver coins were used during the reign of Arakanese king Sandasudhammaraja in 1034. Real silver coins were used during the reign of Arakanese king Narapati Gyi in 1000.
Receiving the awards, the students commented that those were priceless relics for the Rakhine community.
The ancient Yatra Bell, included in the deposited artifacts, was hidden for many years. It was excavated on 3 July 2025 and recognized as an important treasure for the Rakhine people.
The government honored U Htun Aung, who excavated and collected the ancient Yatra Bell with Kyats 500 million. He was also honored with many awards by other Rakhine social organizations recognizing him as a national hero.
Rakhine is a region with rich heritage and Mrauk-U locality is full of ancient pagodas, shrines, and statues.
Rakhine people strongly believe that after the Burmese king invaded Arakan in 1784, the ancient Rakhine elders and ancestors hid their gold statues, royal treasures including silver coins underground to prevent seizure by the invaders.
They are proud of their legacy and unanimously appreciate the discovery of those ancient artifacts.
