Myinsaing
Myingsaing
မြင်စိုင်း | |
|---|---|
  Myingsaing Location in Myanmar | |
| Coordinates:21°36′N96°12′E/ 21.600°N 96.200°E[note 1] | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Region | Mandalay |
| District | Kyaukse District |
| Township | Kyaukse Township |
| Village tract | Hngetkataung |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30(MMT) |
Myinsaing(Burmese:မြင်စိုင်း,pronounced[mjɪ̀ɰ̃záɪɰ̃];also transliterated asMyinzaing) is a historical site, located inKyaukse Township,Mandalay Region, Myanmar. It was one of thethree de facto capitals of Myanmarfrom 1297 to 1310 during theMyinsaing period.In the present day, the historical capital area is known as the Myinsaing Old Town (မြင်စိုင်း မြို့ဟောင်း). To its north lies a settlement known colloquially as "Myinsaing Village".
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
According to theroyal chronicles,Myinsaing in the 1170s was a small settlement that later became part of the Nine Irrigated Districts (ရေလွှဲ ကိုးခရိုင်) ofKyaukse.[note 2]The settlement is mentioned in a 1266 stone inscription.[note 3]It remained a small village until the 1280s when theMongol invasionstoppled thePagan Empire,and Myinsaing's native sons—the brothersAthinkhaya,YazathingyanandThihathu—emerged as the main power brokers in the postwar era. By 1293, Myinsaing was amyo(မြို့) a district-level town ruled by a royal governor, Athinkhaya.[note 4]
Myinsaing period[edit]
Myinsaing became one of the three de facto capitals of the rump kingdom in 1297 when the brothers overthrew KingKyawswafor having submitted to the Mongols earlier in the year.[11][12][13]The brothers put up a puppet king inPagan(Bagan) but they effectively ruled the kingdom out of their respective fiefs: Myinsaing,MekkhayaandPinle.[12][13]To be sure, Myinsaing was the primary capital of the three. When the Mongolsinvaded again in 1301,it was at Myinsaing where the brothers made their last stand. The town's fortified defenses with triple adjoining ramparts[14]withstood a 10-week siege by the Mongols who withdrew after receiving a bribe.[note 5]
In commemoration of the victory, Athinkhaya built theNan Oo Pagodaas well as a proper palace in 1301.[18]Myinsaing's status as the premier de facto capital ended when Athinkhaya died in 1310. The youngest brotherThihathu,based out of Pinle, emerged as the undisputed ruler, and chose to build a new capital atPinya,40 km (25 mi) northwest of Myinsaing, in 1313.[19][20]
Post-Myinsaing period[edit]
Myinsaing remained a symbolically important fief for another century. Its governorship was held by the closest members of the royal family including Gov.Sithu of Myinsaing,who served as the regent of thePinya Kingdombetween 1340 and 1344,[21]and PrinceThray Sithu of Myinsaing(r. 1386–1426).[22][23]During theAva–Hanthawaddy War (1401–1403),Myinsaing was listed as one of the 53[24][25]or 54[26]fortified towns of Ava.
By 1802/03, it was no longer a royal governorship but instead was governed by a mayor,myothugyi(မြို့သူကြီး).[note 6]It was still an appanage awarded to members of the royal family. Its last feudal lord was PrinceThado Minye Yanshein,better known as the "Myinsaing Prince", who after theThird Anglo-Burmese Warcontinued the fight against the British until 1886.[28]A 1925British colonial erareport states that the Myinsaing old town by then was "a brick-strewn area, which [contained] two large but much damaged pagodas", surrounded by "traces of the walls".[4]
Present day[edit]
Today, Myinsaing is part of theKyaukse Township.The historical old town is located about 7 km (4.3 mi) east ofKyauksetown.[29]Its main attraction is theNan Oo Pagoda,[30][18]which has been partially repaired.[note 7]Other areas of interest include traces of the three rings of ancient ramparts and the excavated foundation base of the old palace inside the walls.[18]
North of the old town along the road to the Kyaukse Industrial Zone lies a settlement known colloquially as "Myinsaing Village".[30]Neither the old town or the village appears to be incorporated as a village or ward under the name of Myinsaing. Burmese government maps of Kyaukse Township from 2019 and 2020 show the area immediately east of Kyaukse town as Taungnatha (တောင်နံ့သာ).[note 8]At any rate, a 2017 article inThe Irrawaddystates that the "large village" of "Myinsaing" had a post-primary school and a few district-level offices, and that new wards were being planned.[30]
Transport[edit]
Myinsaing is part of the Kyaukse road network. The modern village is situated along side the Kyaukse–Hpyauk Seik PinRoad that connects Kyaukse in the west to the Kyaukse Industrial Zone in the east.[30][18]In 2017, a 0.8 km (0.50 mi) long dirt road connected the old town and the main road, which in turn was connected toNational Highway 1via the Kyaukse 15th Street Exit.[30]
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^Based on the geo coordinates of theNan Oo Pagoda.[1]
- ^QueenWeluwaddy(r. 1174–1186) was born in Myinsaing.[2][3]
The earliest of the nine districts were founded by KingSithu II(r. 1174–1211), Weluwaddy's husband. Kyaukse was the administrative center of the districts, which consisted of five districts along theZawgyi Riverand four along thePanlaung River.[4] - ^The inscription describes a series of religious donations by the daughter of Minister Thingathu. The donations were made on Thursday, the 7th wa xing ofWagaung628 ME,[5]which translates toFriday,9 July 1266. If it was on a Thursday, the date should be 8 July 1266.
- ^It may have become amyoas early as 1289, the year of King Kyawswa's accession. Chronicles do not agree on who was appointed governor of Myinsaing by Kyawswa:
- TheMaha Yazawinchronicle (1724) saysYazathingyanwas appointed governor of Myinsaing by King Kyawswa.[6]
- TheYazawin Thit(1798) says Athinkhaya was appointed governor of Myinsaing.[7].
- TheHmannan Yazawin(1832) accepts theYazawin Thit'scorrection.[8]
Per inscriptional evidence, Kyawswa became king on 30 May 1289.[9]Furthermore, a contemporary inscription, dated 19 February 1293, states that the brothers were lords of Myinsaing, Mekkhaya and Pinle.[10]
- ^The siege began on 25 January 1301.[15][16]Upon receiving a bribe of 800 taels (30 kg) of gold and 2200 taels (83 kg) of silver,[17]the Mongol army withdrew between 6 April 1301 and 8 April 1301.[15][16]
- ^Per the two extantsittans(စစ်တန်း;lit. 'census') of 1164 ME (1802/03 CE) and 1239 ME (1877/78 CE) by themyothugyisof Myinsaing[27]
- ^The pagoda is no longer brick strewn but most of the original stoneworks around the pagoda have been lost.[30]Only two of the original votive tablets have survived; one of which is chipped on the upper righthand corner.[30][18]
- ^Myinsaing was not explicitly listed as an officially incorporated "ward" or "village tract" in the2014 census.[31]A 2019General Administration Department(GAD) report shows the area immediately east of Kyaukse town's boundary as Taungnatha,[32]and as being part of theHngetkataungvillage tract.[33]A 2020 government map also shows the area east of Kyaukse as Taungnatha.[34]
References[edit]
- ^"Myinsaing Nan Oo Pagoda".Google Maps.Retrieved2024-06-09.
- ^Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 208
- ^Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 312
- ^abNeild, et al 1925: 156
- ^Taw, Forchhammer, Tun Nyein 1899: 122
- ^Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 254
- ^Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 154
- ^Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 361
- ^Than Tun 1959: 119–120
- ^Than Tun 1959: 121
- ^Than Tun 1959: 119, 121–122
- ^abHtin Aung 1967: 74–75
- ^abAung-Thwin 2017: 25–26
- ^Aung-Thwin 2017: 28
- ^abThan Tun 1959: 122
- ^abThan Tun 1964: 137
- ^Harvey 1925: 77
- ^abcdeTein Taman 2020
- ^Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 369–370
- ^Harvey 1925: 78
- ^Than Tun 1959: 124
- ^Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 271
- ^Hmannan Vol. 2 2003: 59
- ^Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 311, 315
- ^Aung-Thwin 2017: 255
- ^Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 446–447, 452
- ^Neild, et al 1925: 122
- ^Mya Myintzu, et al 2020: 116, 120
- ^Yazawin Thit Vol. 1 2012: 154, footnote 5
- ^abcdefgThan Naing Oo 2017
- ^MIMU 2017: 8–11
- ^MIMU 2019: 12
- ^MIMU 2019: 11
- ^"Myanmar: Kyaukse Township - Mandalay Region - As per the September 2019 Government Gazette (revised November 2020 with Commonly-used Local Names) (27 Nov 2020) [EN/MY]"(PDF).Myanmar Information Management Unit.
Bibliography[edit]
- Aung-Thwin, Michael A.(2017).Myanmar in the Fifteenth Century.Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.ISBN978-0-8248-6783-6.
- Harvey, G. E.(1925).History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824.London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
- Htin Aung, Maung(1967).A History of Burma.New York and London: Cambridge University Press.
- Kala, U(2006) [1724].Maha Yazawin(in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
- Maha Sithu(2012) [1798]. Kyaw Win; Thein Hlaing (eds.).Yazawin Thit(in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (2nd ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
- Mya Myintzu; Moe Moe Pyone; Kyaw Min (2020)."Prince Myinzaing and Early Armed Resistance Movements".Meiktila University Research Journal.XI(1). Meiktila: Meiktila University.
- Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) (2017).The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census: Mandalay Region, Kyaukse District, Kyaukse Township Report(PDF).Naypyidaw: Department of Population, Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, Myanmar.
- Myanmar Information Management Unit (September 2019).Kyaukse Myone Daetha-hsaing-ya Achet-alet Myaကျောင်ဆည် မြို့နယ် ဒေသဆိုင်ရာ အချက်အလက်များ[Kyaukse Township Regional Information](PDF)(Report) (in Burmese). MIMU.Retrieved7 July2024.
- Neild, Ralph; Searle, H.F.; Stewart, J.A. (1925)."Kyaukse District".Burma Gazetteer.A.Rangoon: Government Printing and Stationery, Burma.
- Royal Historical Commission of Burma(2003) [1832].Hmannan Yazawin(in Burmese). Vol. 1–3. Yangon: Ministry of Information, Myanmar.
- Taw, Sein Ko;Emanuel Forchhammer;Tun Nyein(1899).Inscriptions of Pagan, Pinya and Ava: Translation, with Notes.Rangoon: Archaeological Survey of India.
- Tein Taman (27 September 2020)."မြင်စိုင်းနန်းဦးစေတီတွင် ရှေးဟောင်းဇာတ်တော် စဉ့်ကွင်းများနှင့် စဉ့်ကွင်းစာများကို ယနေ့တိုင်လေ့လာနိုင်"(in Burmese). Myanmar Digital News.
- Than Naing Oo (27 May 2017)."ကျောက်ဆည်လွင်ပြင်ထဲက မြင်စိုင်း".The Irrawaddy.
- Than Tun(December 1959). "History of Burma: A.D. 1300–1400".Journal of Burma Research Society.XLII(II).
- Than Tun(1964).Studies in Burmese History(in Burmese). Vol. 1. Yangon: Maha Dagon.
