Pyuntaza Explained

Pyuntaza
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map:Burma
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Burma
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: Myanmar
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Bago District
Subdivision Type3:Township
Subdivision Name3:Nyaunglebin Township
Population Density Km2:auto
Coordinates:17.8667°N 140°W
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:+6.30

Pyuntaza (; also spelt Pyuntasa) is a small town located in Nyaunglebin Township, Bago District, Bago Region, Myanmar. It is about from Bago (formerly Pegu).

The dominant ethnic group is Bamar, although there is a substantial number of Karen. The town's main economy consists of rice cultivation and distribution.

Etymology

The name Pyuntaza comes from the Mon language term plaem sotchaek ({{lang-mnw-fonts|ပလီုသစ္စ, pronounced as /pəlɜ̀m sɔtcɛˀ/), which means "to break vows."[1]

History

In the colonial era, Pyuntaza was administered as a township of Pegu District in Lower Burma, covering an area of 1443mi2 and consisting of 232 villages. The township's population in 1901 was 52,952 persons, having more than doubled since 1891 (23,132). The western flank of the former Pyuntaza Township is hilly, while the eastern half is a flat rice-producing area.

From 1920 to 1931, with the emergence of a national railway system extending north–south, Pyuntaza emerged as a railway center town, along with neighbouring Daik-U.[2] By rail, Pyuntaza was 88miles from Rangoon (now Yangon).[3]

During World War II, prominent Burmese barrister U Chan Htoon retreated to Pyuntaza as his place of retirement.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: မွန်တို့ဌာနေ ရာမည တိုင်းက မွန် အခေါ်အဝေါ်များ. Ko Banyar Be. 7 November 2013. Burma News International (BNI). 25 June 2015. Burmese.
  2. Web site: A Preliminary Review on the Urbanization of Bago (Pegu) Division of Myanmar (Burma). 25 September 2020. Research on Urbanization in Burma/Myanmar. 28 August 2012.
  3. Book: Notes and Statistics in Four Parts. Office of the Chief Secretary to the Chief Commissioner. Government of Burma. Rangoon. 1893. 273.
  4. Book: Maung Maung. Dr. Maung Maung: Gentleman, Scholar, Patriot. limited. Robert H. Taylor. Institute of south-east Asian Studies. 2008. 114. 9789812304094.