Ratnagiri on Maharashtra’s Konkan coast is nearly 4,000km from Mandalay, Myanmar’s last royal capital and its second largest city.
But nestled along the Arabian Sea is the 3,000-sq-metre Thebaw Palace, which connects the two places. No wonder locals here believe that it is not a mere coincidence that Myanmar’s most well-known daughter Aung San Suu Kyi was released on Saturday after decades of incarceration, the same day the historical structure turned 100.
Constructed in 1910-1l, the Thebaw Palace was built for the exiled king and queen of Burma (now Myanmar). They lived in this palace from November 13, 1911 till their death in 1916. The five years of their stay are now immortalised in the local laterite stone with their tombs.
“This sprawling palace is a slice of history. It uniquely uses local raw material to create a Far Eastern look, making it one-of-its-kind,” says local historian Sharad Darvekar. “There have been demands for a long time for more funds for its upkeep and the creation of either a regional museum or heritage hotel here. But the administration seems largely apathetic to most of the suggestions.”
The wooden balustrades on the stairs, the beams with ornate work, the regally done rooms and their intricately carved doors have survived most ravages of time. But wear and tear is setting in.
“Cyclone Phyan took a heavy toll on the structure, which now has leaky spots at five places,” rued Darvekar. He pointed out how a demand to have a water connection for the lawn has been pending with the local civic council for over decade.
Life in Ratnagiri was not easy for the exiled royals. They were forced to live off a meagre pension from the British. The eldest daughter Phaya married Shrimant Gopal Bhaurao Savant, her father’s former servant, and had two children.
She returned to Rangoon (now Yangon) in 1947. But she was unwelcome because of her marriage to an Indian commoner and was compelled to return to Ratnagiri.
The collector’s records say that Phaya was a destitute when she died. Locals collected money for her funeral. Phaya was survived by a daughter, Tu Tu.
Without money or education, she married a local mechanic and had seven children, none of whom had anything Myanmarese about them. She forgot all about her royal heritage. “Nothing is known about the family and their whereabouts,” says Darvekar.
