About Marma

There is considerable controversy over marma and mughs. Many call the Marma people Mughs/Moghs. The Portuguese used the word "Mugo" to refer to the Rakhine people, the Rakhine king, and the Rakhine language. "Mugo" and "Mugh" have the same meaning. Foley refers to the Rakhine people as Mughs or Magas in 1835. Medieval Arakanese Buddhists, especially those living east of the eastern border of Bengal, are widely known as "Mughs" and It is believed that the name was given to the people of Chittagong. Ahmed Sharif writes that "mugh" is a pouring word (blanket term) used to refer to Buddhists. The people of Chittagong generally use the name "mugh" to refer to the followers of the Buddha and the Buddhists living in Chittagong or Arakan or anywhere in the world. In fact, "Rakhine", "Marma", "Barua" etc. are confusing the unique identities of the people and everyone is being called by the name of Mugh. There is also an attempt to show them as separate groups by using names like "Jumia Mug", "Roang Mug", "Bhuiyan Mug", "Barua Mug" etc. But the origin of the word "Mugh" is unknown and the meaning is controversial. It is difficult to get an idea of ​​the actual origin and meaning of this word as there are various assumptions and interpretations of this word. As a result, there has been little research on the etymology of the word mugh.

Domestic and foreign historians / writers have different views on the origin of the Mugh term. For example, D.G.E Hall thinks that the word Mugh originates from the word Mongol. Because the Arakanese have similarities in appearance and appearance with the Mongols. The definition of the word "mugh" in the Bengali dictionary is "mughs" are the inhabitants of Arakan or Burma. The term "mugh" comes from the Burmese word "Mong".

At one time, pirates on the coast of the Bay of Bengal were considered a “deadly nuisance” for their violence, cruelty, and barbarism. They were a group of Portuguese and Arakanese thugs who made a living by piracy in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the word “Mugh” was used to refer to the Arakanese, Arakanese pirates were also known as "Mugh pirates". As a result, pirate and mugh became synonymous. The Mugh has become a disgusting, derogatory and derogatory term, being used as an insult in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the two words "mugh" and "muger mulluk" have become synonymous as oppressive and anarchic, respectively.

According to Tibetan sources, Muslim invaders destroyed Buddhist monasteries in Magadha and killed Buddhist monks. As a result, the Buddhists fled to Arakan and East Bengal as refugees. The Arakanese predecessors fled Magadha in the face of Muslim aggression and took refuge in Arakan. For this reason, their descendants became known as "Mughs" as their successors. The Rakhine state claims they came from the Buddhist land of Magadha. Phayre, who has long served as commissioner in Arakan, has come to the conclusion after extensive and in-depth research that the word Mugh does not exist in the vocabulary of the Mongoloid Arakanese and that they have never referred to themselves as mughs. In Arakan and in the whole of Burma there is no such thing as a Magh. There are a total of 135 officially recognized communities in Burma, of which there is no Magh.

So, it is clear from the above discussion that the term “Mugh” is an externally imposed (exonym) i.e. a name imposed by foreigners, not in any way self-imposed (ethnonym). That is to say, the word mugh is being used to refer to a people, it is by no means a name given to that people and there is no such word in their vocabulary.

The word “Marma” originates from the Burmese word “Myanma”, which means “Burmese Nationals” and is pronounced as “Marma” by the people of the CHT. In other explanation the word “Marma” is derived from the Burmese word “Mraima” which means “Be Strong”. Hence, the predecessors of the Marma tribes were from Burma and as such, they came to be known as “Marma” or “Mraima”.

The Marmas were previously known as Moghs or Maghs for centuries because they were called Mogh/Magh by Bengalis for joining hands with Dutch and Portuguese pirates during their invasion in Chittagong. The Marmas considered these names to be pejorative, because it means "pirate”. Some Marmas in the Indian state of Tripura continue to self-identify as Marima, or as Moghs or Maghs, considering these terms to have derived from Magadha, the name of a historic Indian kingdom. Some researchers opine that the Buddhists of Arakan now known as Marmas and Maghs are the same group of people. The Marma people of CHT, however, do not like to identify themselves with Maghs. Maghs were originally pirates and that Marmas, far from being pirates, hated this occupation.

So, the term "Marma" is derived from "Myanmar." In the Marma and Arakanese languages, Myanmar is pronounced Mranma, not Myanma. In the Burmese language, the Marma are known as the Marama.The word 'Marma' originates from the Burmese word 'myanma'.