Indian Antiquary Vol 62

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 19

JANUARY, 1933]
CAPELAN
the neighbourhood of the Ruby Mines. Yule writes thus as to the celebrated mines :“Their locality is always called by the old travellers, Kapilan,' or 'Capelangan' some. times spoken of as a kingdom, sometimes as a city, or as a great mountain. The name is suggestive of the Palounge, a tribe inhabiting the hills immediately east of the mines. If one might hazard a further suggestion, Kha, signifying river in the language of the adjoining Kakhyens, Kha-Paloun may have been the name of the valley. The old Portuguese Summary of Eastern Realms, Cities, and Peoples, translated in Ramusio (vol. I.) says that about Capelangan there are molte terre habitate da gente non molto domestica, a description apply. ing strictly to the Kakhyens, if not to the more industrious Palaungs." See also ante, vol. LII, 134.
This is, however, unfortunately nothing more than & guess. Both the Palaungs and Kakhyans (Kachins as they are now oalled) are well known, and Mrs. Milne, authoress of the Palaung Grammar, wrote to me in 1922 in terms that rule out anything but a Burman origin for Capelan or Capellan: "In answer to your question about Capellan I fear that I cannot help you. I do not think that Thabeitkyim was in any way connected with rubies (but I may be mistaken), unless, for a time, & ruby market was held there. That may be possible, just as the name Golconda is connected with diamonds [from the Karnul District). It was easy in the old days to reach Thabeitkyim by river, from Rangoon or from Mandalay, but not easy to go to Mogok or to Kyatpyin, as there were many dacoits in old times in the Ruby Mines distriot. I think that it is more likely that Capellan or Capelam (I think that it is so written by Barbosa) may be the same as Kyatpyin. Mogok and Kyatpyin are quite near each other, and I fanoy that in old times quite as many rubies were found at Kyat. pyin as were found at Mogok. Mogok is now the better known place, as it is the headquar. ters of the English Ruby Mines Company."
As regards Thabeitkyin, in 1927 Mr. Harold Clayton informed me that "Kyatpyin is a village on the Irrawaddy above the first defile, from which the old road up to the Ruby Mines at Môgôk used to start. This road is now almost entirely superseded by the Government metalled road, which starts from below the defile at Thabeitkyin." He then went on to make the following suggestion: "Kyatmyê (mye=earth) is the name of a hard impervious olay, and it is quite possible that Kyatpyin has some connection with it. Pyin means liter. ally 'outside,' and the term is also used for open stretobes of country. Thus lebyin (= paddy field) means an open stretch of paddy fields. I have not been any distance inside from the river bank at Kyatpyin, but there is a comparatively large stretch of undulating country of a plain' character in that region, as compared with the hills of the Ruby Mines and the country further east. It is not particularly fertile, and so far as I am aware cultiva. tion is oonfined to paddy land in bottoms and various other orops on the alluvial land by the Irrawaddy and other streams. The most likely meaning of Kyatpyin is therefore to my mind the clay plain.' There is no reason, I think, to infer a Chinese derivation. Kystpyin is not far south of Tagaung, which is an early centre of Burmese influence and one of the first capitals of Burmese kings. Kipling's derivation Lung-tang-pen is a pure invention and definitely not a Burmoso formation. There is nothing resembling the Chinese word lan mean. ing 'old' in Burmese, nor have I ever heard it in connection with Kyatpyin. Lan means a road or way in Burmese, and Kyàtpyinlàn (Capelan) would mean simply the road to Kyatpyin.' " Here we have a reasonable derivation of Capelan.
The upshot of this brief enquiry then is that Capelan has been a constant European book name for the Ruby Mines District of Burma from at any rate 1440 onwards, and that it is a corruption of Kyatpyinlàn, heard by Europeans as Kappinlàn or Chàppinlàn, .o., Kyatpyin Road—the road to one of the places where the Burma ruby or red sapphire was principally found.