THE SECOND BURMESE EMPIRE

(By Nithinand Yorsaengrat)

Published on Nov 19, 2003

After the Mongol invasions of Burma and the subsequent collapse of Pagan, the kingdom split into a number of smaller states, among these the principalities of the “Three Shan Brothers” in the Kyaukse area, which were established circa 1310.

In 1364, a half-Burman, half-Shan dynasty was founded at Ava, on the left bank of the Irrawaddy River (to the south of what is now Mandalay ).

In the south, the Mon were under Wareru (later known in Thai as Makatho, or King Fa Rua, a son-in-law of King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai), a Mon hero of Tai Yai blood who declared himself king in 1284 and established Martaban as the Mon capital. In 1365, the capital was moved Pegu by Binnya U, his great-grand-nephew and the leader of the Hongsawady or Hanthawaddy dynasty.

Lower Burma was ruled by the Hongsawady dynasty until around 1492, when it came under the influence of Toungoo.

The most important rulers of the Hongsawady dynasty before it merged with Toungoo include King Razadarit (a son of Binnya U, known in Thai as Rajadhiraj, 1385-1425), Queen Shin Saw Bu (1453-1472), a daughter of King Razadarit, and King Dammazedi (1472-1492), Shin Saw Bu’s successor and son-in-law.

Their neighbours, among them Ava, Chiang Mai, Kampaengphet and Ayutthaya , praised King Razadarit as the great warrior who managed to save the Mon kingdom from raids.

Queen Shin Saw Bu built relations with Ava by marrying one of its kings. According to Burmese legend, the queen was interested in Buddhism. She studied Tripitaka (Three Baskets of Buddhist Discipline) from two novices in Ava: Dhammaceti and Dhammapala. On completion of her studies she fled Ava and became the great queen of Hongsawady.

Shin Saw Bu was loved and respected by her Mon subjects. She supported Buddhist construction including the famous Shwedagon (literally the golden pagoda of Dagon or Yangon [ Rangoon ]. Known as Takoeng in ancient Thai, Shwedagon was reconstructed during her reign. The sacred pagoda is believed to enshrine hair relics of the Lord Buddha and dates back more than 2,500 years. It is the prototype or the Shwezigon pagoda in Pagan. During the reign of King Binnayakyan (1450-1453), the pagoda was raised in height by 92 metres. Queen Shin Saw Bu also ordered additions to the precincts of the pagoda, and it is remained very much the same as it looks today.

Dammazedi was a monk chosen for succession by Shin Saw Bu, and accordingly made to leave his cloisters and marry her daughter. He is considered one of the greatest Mon kings. During his reign, which coincides with that of King Tiloklacha of Lanna and King Boromtrailokanat of Ayutthaya , Hongsawady was the centre of Tharavada Buddhism derived from Lanka ( Ceylon ). Buddhist literature written in Mon, Pali, Sanskrit and Burman flourished in this era. A collection of the monk’s rulings, the Dammazedi Pyatton, still exists.

Unfortunately, after the death of Dammazedi in 1492, conflicts developed between the new king of Hongsawady, Binnya Ran, Dammazedi’s son and Minkyinyo, the then King of Toungoo, and a succession of wars ensued. Finally, Minkyinyao’s son King Tabinshweti (1531-1551) successfully extended his powers to Martaban, Hongsawady, the Tenasserim area, Tavoy and also the mid-Irrawaddy basin.

A few years later, Bayinnaung (1551-1581), Tabinshweti’s successor and brother-in-law established Hongsawady as the capital of the second Burmese Empire after Pagan. He unified the country and conquered the Shan States and Siam , thus making Burma the most powerful kingdom in mainland Southeast Asia .

In his reign the Mon, Burmans, Shan and other ethnic tribes became subjects of the single Toungoo-Hongsawady kingdom. Bayinnuang, better known as Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahtha and also Hanthawaddy Shinbhyushin, which literally translates as Lord of the White Elephant, was not only considered the great king of Burma but also a legendary ruler in Southeast Asia’s popular history. He is mentioned in Thai literature.

It is said that he was born in a small village in Pagan to a family of palm cultivators. His former name Cha Thet, which literally means a man with creeping termites, was bestowed on him as hundreds of termites covered his skin since his birth but never harmed him. Bayinnaung was a patron of Buddhism: He built pagodas, gave generous donations to monasteries, and maintained extensive diplomatic relations with the Buddhist kingdom of Ceylon .

In the late 16th century, Honsawady was in chaos. Bayinnuang’s sons fought against each other. The Mon and Arakanese joined revolutions with Prome, Chiang Mai (which had been under Burmese suzerainty since 1551) and also Toungoo. There was no single victor. Hongsawady slowly closed its curtains.

(Correction: we apologise for the mistake that appeared in yesterday’s newspaper. The town where the Pyu first settled before moving to Srikshetra should be Tagaung, not Dagon. Dagon is in the south and is now called Yangon or Rangoon and is the present capital of Burma .)

A series of articles on “The Wonders of Three Cultures” will be published in The Nation every weekday until November 28. The series is a part of “The Wonders of 3 Cultures” festival being held in Chiang Mai from November 28-30, which is sponsored by Thai Airways International and a number of other organisations and companies including the Nation Group. Highlights include seminars and a spectacular celebration of art, crafts and culture. For more information please visit www.thaiairways.com.

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