Saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, wire, or chain with a hard toothed edge. It is used to cut through material, very often wood, though sometimes metal or stone. The cut is made by placing the toothed edge against the material and mov ...

Mon Hla ( my, စောမွန်လှ ) was a principal queen 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 ...

of Pagan. 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 Chao-Pha (; Tai Ahom: 𑜋𑜧𑜨 𑜇𑜡, th, เจ้าฟ้า}, shn, ၸဝ်ႈၾႃႉ, translit=Jao3 Fa5 Jao3 Fa5, my, စော်ဘွား ''Sawbwa,'' ) was a royal title used by the hereditary rulers of the Tai peoples of ...

(chief) of Maw Shan State, located between Pagan and

Nanzhao Kingdom Nanzhao (, also spelled Nanchao, ) was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries. It was centered on present-day Yunnan in China. History Origins Nanzha ...

(present day

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

). The native stories of

Hsipaw Hsipaw ( shn, သီႇပေႃႉ; Tai Nuea: ᥔᥤᥴ ᥙᥨᥝᥳ), also known as Thibaw ( my, သီပေါ), is the principal town of Hsipaw Township in Shan State, Myanmar on the banks of the Duthawadi River. It is north-east of Mand ...

(Thibaw) and Hsenwi (Theinni) claim Saw Mon Hla as their princess. In c. 1058, Anawrahta led an expedition to Nanzhao. After his return from Nanzhao expedition, the king was presented with Saw Mon Hla by the chief of Maw Shan State presented his daughter. At Pagan, Saw Mon Hla quickly became the king's favorite queen.

Built a Shwesayan Pagoda

According to the Burmese chronicles, the beautiful young queen was driven out by her rival queens who were jealous of her status as Anawrahta's favorite. Her rivals accused her as a witch. Therefore, Saw Min Hla inconvenience Anawrahta, and return to her homeland Maw. On her return to her birthplace, Sae Lant village in Northern Maw Shan State, One of her earrings, which enshrined a relic of the Buddha, dropped into the stream and dozens of golden sparrows appeared and encircled the spot where the earring fell. The stream is called "Na Daung Kya", which translates to “the earring fell into”. She built a pagoda near the riverbank (located in the present day Patheingyi, Mandalay), preserving her earrings and the Buddha relic, with its façade facing east toward her birthplace in Shan State. When King

heard the news, soldiers were dispatched and ordered to kill her if the façade of the pagoda faced east, and to set her free if it faced west, where Pagan is located. Saw Mon Hla heard the news, and in order to save herself, made a solemn wish and used her emerald shawl to turn the pagoda to face directly between east and west. The legend says that the queen was set free after the soldiers saw that the pagoda wasn’t facing Shan State. The pagoda was named Shwesayan, which translates to “encircled by golden sparrows". A remorseful Anawrahta is said to have donated the surrounding land to the pagoda towards the end of his reign.

Spiritual life

Some people believe Sao Mon Hla, who died at her home near

, along with her brother, became an guardian Nat (spirit) who protect the Pagan-style pagoda to present day. There is a Nat shrine near the Shwesayan Pagoda, which has a statue of Sao Mon Hla and her brother. Some people believe it is a shrine for the spirits and that if they make offerings, the spirits will bless them. Paying respect to the spirits of Sao Mon Hla and her brother at Shwe Sar Yan Pagoda has drawn more visitors than other pagoda festivals.

References

{{Queens consort of Pagan Queens consort of Pagan 11th-century Burmese women 11th-century Tai people