Taung Nyo Treasure Huntaing

Once upon a time in Arakan, there was a small mountain near Taung Nyo Village . On top of the small Mountain , there was a small cave. One day, a treasure hunter came to hunt for the treasure inside cave by direction of his treasuring hunting book. He passed many lands, rivers and mountains to get there by carrying his small bag which had a small magic stick and his treasuring book. Arriving the gate of the small cave, he opened the door. At the time, he saw a giant snake came out of the cave to attack him. However, he quickly took his magic tablet from his bag and threw it into the snake mouth. Then, snick became tamed and let the hunter ride on its back. After approximately five minutes later, they arrived the end of the cave. It was a small wooden table at the end of a cave which had a small lamp on it. It was very dirty and it looked very old. The hunter got so disappointed because there was no treasure but little dirty lamp. However he brought this old little lamp with him. On the way back home, he saw an old couples farming and they were very poor. He approached the old couples and offered his small lamp to them. An old couple thanked to the hunter and the hunter head off to his way.
When an old woman was asleep in the middle of night, old man came out of the bed and began to clean the little lamp. He fixed the lamp and put some oil in it. Then, he lighted up the lamp. At the time, a giant ogre came out the a little lamp and he was on his knee in front of the old man. A ogre said to him “ my lord , what do you want”( Zar lo Ba Lay Ah Shon) . Seeing a giant ogre, an old man was so scared and he quickly put off the light. As soon as the light was off, the giant entered into the lamp and disappeared and old man went to the bed. The next morning, old man told nothing about it to his wife. He worked as usual and talked as usual to his wife as if nothing was happened last night. Beside, the speak from Ogre was echoed in his ear and he was thinking about it all the day. He said to himself, “ I must be brave and I must try it again tonight”. As sun went dawn and darkness came, the old man came out of the bed quietly and lighted up the little lamp. Then, he saw a big Ogre again who was on his kneed in front of him and asked the same question. The old man encouraged himself not to be afraid of Giant. The Ogre asked him, “ My lord, what do you want”. As old man loved to have opium, he answer, “ I want opium”. Ogre got a big smile on his face and gave the old man a handful of opium. The next morning, the old man was asleep soundly and his wife was puzzled with him. She was wonder why her husband did not woke up early today. As she found some opium, she would like to know where her husband got money to buy it. At the lunch table, old woman asked her husband if he was doing something behind her that she did not know. Old man tried to cover the story but he was not able to control it for a long time as old woman got tear in her eye. She was very pleased to hear it and told her husband about her plan.
In that night, old couple put light on the lamp and the Ogre came out as usual. He was on his knee and ask what they want from him. Old woman shut her husband moth up not to ask Opium again and he asked the Giant. “ we want gold”. Ogre agreed and give them lots of gold. Form that day onward, an couple became very rich and they lived happily by doing a little farming. One day, old man consulted his wife that he wanted to find the owner of the lamp to give it back as they were so rich. He said to his wife, “ my love, we have no sons or daughters and who is going to have all the gold we have. I think we should give the lamp back to treasure hunter. He must have family to feed.” . Old woman agreed and they started to enquired where the hunter was. A few month later, he heard that a hunter would come to sell the fruits in the village of Tha Won Chaung which was next to his village. Old man rushed to the Tha Won Chaung Village. When he saw young hunter , he called him and asked him to come with him to his home. He said, “ my dear young man, you must come with me now. I have very important thing to show you. You must not bother what you have got now. You must leave your boat here and come with me right now”. At first, hunter refused to come with him as he have to respect his customers and he did not want his business ruin. But an idea came into his mind and he remembered his little lamp that he had given to old man. Therefore, he agreed to come with man and reminded himself not to forget to bring his bed.
Off they went to the old man's farm. When they arrived the couple house, old man let hunter sit and take a rest for a while. A movement later, his wife brought little lamp and put on the light in front the hunter. Old man said to him, “ my dear young man, look carefully”. Hunter saw a giant Ogre came out the lamp and he was on his knee. Treasure hunter took his magic stick out of his bed and beat the Ogre. Ogre became lifeless. It fall dawn on the floor and died. Hunter took the Ogre eyes out and swallowed them and Ogre turned to the gold. The old couples were so surprised and they were very sad as Ogre was dead. Old man was very crossed with hunter and asked him, “what have you done? Why did you kill him? He gave us what we asked and you should not have killed him”. Before the old man finished his sentences, the young hunter fled and landed on the roof of the old couple house and he said to them, “ my dear friends, I appreciate and thank to both of you for your loyalty . This is what I am waiting for. I think you have plenty of gold which you would not able to spent until you die. I would like to suggest you to share this golden Ogre to the poor people of Taung Nyo village”. After that young hunter fled away and disappeared.
An old couple shared goldem Giant to the people in Taung Nyo village as hunter had told them and the whole village became rich. They lived together peacefully and happily for ever. It is said that even a widow has got around 25 kilos of gold in that time in Taing Nyo village.



( Ps: Taung village is situated between Pauk Taw and Tha Won Chaung village and it is famous in Pauk Taw town ship because of 45 caves on Taung Nyo's hill. It is said that five hundred Arakanese carpenters built this 45 caves in a one night on their stop when they run away from the Arakan as the King ordered them to kill because they got problem between King's song and the song of the leader of the a carpenters. The caves are amazingly beautiful and it has curved from one giant stone in the hill and there are countless Buddha images inside each cave)

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