Pyinmana Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Pyinmana Town
Head-quarters of the subdivision of the same name in Yamethm District, Upper Burma, situated in 19 44 N. and 96 14' E., on the Ngalaik chaungK&& the Mandalay-Rangoon railway, 161 miles from Mandalay, 226 from Rangoon, and 49 from the District head-quarters at Yamethm. Under Burmese rule the town was called Nmgyan. After annexation dacoities weie frequent in the neighbour- hood ; in fact for several months dacoits, assisted by abundant covei and the deep mud that lay everywhere, practically held part of the urban area The town is built on eithei side of the railway and south of the Ngalaik Jiaung^ and is well provided with loads The popula- tion was 12,926 in 1891, and 14,388 in 1901, the decade haung been one of material progiess.
The civil station is situated west of the native town, on a crescent of small stony hills encircling a piettily situated lake. From the high ground near the courthouse and club a very picturesque view is to be had of the town, half hidden in tall coco-nut palms, and, over the tree-tops, of the to/vgj<3-scored moun- tains to the east. The town owes its piospenty mainly to the teak industry. The lessees of the valuable teak forests m the neighbourhood are the Bombay-Burma Trading Corporation, which at one time had a very large number of employes at Pyinmana The town is a flourish- ing trade centre, and is noted for its pottery. The clay used m its manufacture is of a darkish grey colour, curiously mottled with mst- coloured spots, and is found on the banks of the Ngalaik chaung.
Patches of colour are applied by rubbing the surface of the clay with pounded sulphate of copper or blue vitiiol. After the final burning the parts so treated appear green on a yellow ground, a colour effect which seems to appeal to the aesthetic sense of the Burmans The glaze is obtained by the application of pounded slag that mixed with rice-water till a viscid fluid is pioduced. Pymmana was constituted a municipality in 1888. The municipal income and expenditure during the ten years ending 1901 averaged between Rs. 36,000 and Us. 37,000. In 1903-4 the receipts weie Rs. 45,700, the principal sources being bazar fees (Rs. 30,000) and house and land tax (Rs. 8,000). The expenditure amounted to Rs. 38,300, Rs. 6,800 being devoted to conservancy, Rs 6,600 to roads, and Rs. 4,800 to the hospital and dispensary
