Saw Mon Hla

Saw Mon Hla
စောမွန်လှ
Statue of Saw Mon Hla
Princess of Maw
Tenurec. 1040s–1058
Queen of the Northern Palace of Pagan
Tenurec. 1058–1070
PredecessorMyauk Pyinthe
SuccessorManisanda
Born1040s
Sae Lant village, Northern Maw Shan State
DiedHsipaw
SpouseAnawrahta
HouseMaw
FatherSaopha of Maw
ReligionTheravada Buddhism

Saw Mon Hla (Burmese: စောမွန်လှ [sɔ́ mʊ̀ɰ̃ l̥a̰]) was a principal queen of King Anawrahta of Pagan.[1][2] She is known in Burmese history for her beauty and her eventual exile instigated by other rival queens. Her story is still part of popular Burmese theater, and she is portrayed as a sad romantic figure.

The queen was daughter of the saopha (chief) of Maw Shan State, located between Pagan and Dali Kingdom (present day Yunnan). The native stories of Hsipaw (Thibaw) and Hsenwi (Theinni) claim Saw Mon Hla as their princess.[3]

In c. 1058, Anawrahta led an expedition to Dali. After his return from the Dali expedition, the king was presented with Saw Mon Hla by her brother (or in some telling, her father Saw Naung, the chief of Mon).[4] At Pagan, Saw Mon Hla quickly became the king's favorite queen.

  1. ^ Moore, Elizabeth (May 2009). "Archaeology of the Shan Plateau: the Bronze to Buddhist transition". Contemporary Buddhism. 10 (1): 91–110. doi:10.1080/14639940902969044. ISSN 1463-9947.
  2. ^ Smith, Stefan Halikowski (2011-09-23). Creolization and Diaspora in the Portuguese Indies: The Social World of Ayutthaya, 1640-1720. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-19048-1.
  3. ^ Takatani, Michio. "On Narrative Formation of Spirit Legends in Burma (Myanmar)". Hiroshima University.
  4. ^ Morgan, Diane (2007-11-30). Fire and Blood: Rubies in Myth, Magic, and History. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-313-08719-6.