Guwahati: Amid all chaos, where the ethnic armed groups continue offensives against the ruling Myanmar military junta across the Buddhist majority country, the Sanatani Hindus celebrated the 75th Maha Ramayana Harinama Ram chanting festival in the Rakhine/Arakan province in the western border of the Southeast Asian nation. The four-day festival was held in the Maungdaw locality with thousands of Hindu families along with local Buddhists who participated in sacred rituals with great enthusiasm, and concluded on 3 February 2026.
It was organized by the Maungdaw Hindu affairs committee with the support of the Arakan People’s Revolutionary Government, where the security was ensured by members belonging to the Arakan Army (AA). One of the most revered religious events for the Hindus in Myanmar/Burma, the festival was not usually promoted by the military rulers, and this time it became possible after the AA fighters captured the Maungdaw locality with a sizable population of Rohingya Muslims. The Bangladesh-bordering strategic town of Maungdaw and its surrounding areas have remained under the control of the AA since December 2024.
According to local Arakanese media outlets, over 3,000 Hindus from different localities like Buthidaung, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, besides Maungdaw, attended the religious ceremony, where a good number of AA officials were present. They were all served vegetarian dishes, prepared with local varieties of pulses and vegetables, where the authorities provided free healthcare to the participants during the festival. It is believed that the festival venue at the Kyaukpantu mountain in the coastal area has a historical connection to Lord Rama, Lord Lakshman, and Devi Sita.
Primary activities of the festival include the recitation of the great epic Ramayana and also prayers to the monkey god Hanuman. According to the traditional belief, by offering Puja to the son of Wind God, one gets endless blessings to overcome all difficulties in life. The celebration of the Ramayani festival is propagated to preserve religious traditions and also to foster harmony, unity and peace among all communities in the Arakan region of western Myanmar. The eastern neighbour of Bharat also witnesses the celebration of Diwali, Navaratri, Durga Puja, Panguni Uthiram, etc, primarily hosted by the Myanmarese Tamil and Bengali communities.
