Byatta ( my, ဗျတ္တ, ) was a senior commander in the Royal Army of King

Anawrahta Anawrahta Minsaw ( my, အနော်ရထာ မင်းစော, ; 11 May 1014 – 11 April 1077) was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone ...

. He was a seaman, who joined Anawrahta's service after having shipwrecked at

Thaton Thaton (; mnw, သဓီု ) is a town in Mon State, in southern Myanmar on the Tenasserim plains. Thaton lies along the National Highway 8 and is also connected by the National Road 85. It is 230 km south east of Yangon and 70 km ...

. He fathered two sons by a floral ogress from Popa district. The sons Shwe Hpyin Gyi and Shwe Hpyin Nge later entered the pantheon of Burmese

spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

as Shwe Hpyin Brothers.

Origin

The Muslim traders were shipwrecked off

and two brothers among them reached the city riding a plank, which drifted ashore near Thaton. They were known as Byatwi and Byatta. Upon reaching the shore, they took refuge in the monastery, in which an abbot resided, venerated by King Manuha of

Thaton Kingdom The Thaton Kingdom, Suwarnabhumi, or Thuwunnabumi ( my, သထုံခေတ် or ) was a Mon kingdom, believed to have existed in Lower Burma from at least the 4th century BC to the middle of the 11th century AD. One of many Mon kingdom ...

. The monk took care of and kept them near him. One day, in the absence of the monk, the two brothers cooked and ate the body of the dead Zawgyi, a hermit-like being with supernatural power and alchemist that had been found by chance in the forest, preserved by the monk for medicine, which could serve both the elixir of life and magical power. They gained extraordinary powers. Such news spread out across the kingdom and finally reached into the ear of the king, who got worried sick. He thus ordered his men to capture them. The king's men seized and killed Byatwi, then dismembered his body and buried those parts around the city wall as a protective charm against the enemies who might attack and seize the city. Byatta nevertheless, escaped and could flee to Bagan, where he served King Anawrahta, who later appointed him as his 'flower officer' for his superhuman strength. He rode his steed daily to get to

Mount Popa Mount Popa (, ) is a dormant volcano 1518 metres (4981 feet) above sea level, and located in central Myanmar in the region of Mandalay about southeast of Bagan (Pagan) in the Pegu Range. It can be seen from the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) Riv ...

over 30 miles south of Bagan, gather and offer flowers to the king when returned. He and a girl named Me Wunna on the mountain (legend says she is a floral ogress living on the mountain) fell in love with each other and begot two sons, known as the Shwe Hpyin Brothers.

Note

References

Burmese Muslims Pagan dynasty 11th-century Burmese people {{Myanmar-stub