Ba Saw Phyu (, ; also spelled Ba Saw Pru, Arakanese pronunciation: ; also known as Kalima Shah; 1430–1482) was king of

Arakan Arakan ( or ; , ), formerly anglicised as Aracan, is the historical geographical name for the northeastern coastal region of the Bay of Bengal, covering present-day Bangladesh and Myanmar. The region was called "Arakan" for centuries. It is ...

from 1459 to 1482. He acquired

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

in 1459, and put down a rebellion there in 1481. He established religious contacts with

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and built the Mahabodhi Shwe-Gu Temple. Though he was beloved by his subjects for his enlightened rule, the king was assassinated by a servant of his eldest son Dawlya.

Early life

Ba Saw Phyu was born to Prince Khayi and Princess Saw Pa-Ba (), both of Launggyet royalty in early 1430.(Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 18): His parents were married c. mid-1429, after King Saw Mon had taken over Launggyet in April 1429. Prince Phyu had a younger brother Ba Saw Nyo and several half-brothers. Although he had an older half-brother, Min Khayi's first son by a commoner wife, Phyu's main rival to the throne was Min Swe, his half-brother whose mother Saw Pyinsa was also of Launggyet royalty and a first cousin of Saw Pa-Ba.Sandamala Linkara Vol.2 1999: 18 According to the Arakanese chronicles, the young prince was athletic as well as an expert archer and marksman. He was later married to

Saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...

Nandi and Saw Htin. He had a son, Dawlya, by Saw Nandi and two sons, Gamani and Narapati Sekkya, by Saw Htin. He also had at least two daughters.Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 23 Phyu was chosen as the

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

by the king in 1458. Min Swe, then governor of Launggyet, revolted, and came back with a force supplied by the

Shan state Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

Kale Kale (), also called leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars primarily grown for their Leaf vegetable, edible leaves; it has also been used as an ornamental plant. Its multiple different cultivars vary quite ...

(Kalay) in November 1458. However, Mrauk-U forces easily defeated the attack, clearing the way for Ba Saw Phyu as the undisputed heir apparent.Sandamala Linkara Vol.2 1999: 21

Reign

Soon after the Min Swe rebellion, King Khayi died, and Phyu succeeded the throne at age 29. The new king proved an ambitious king. In the first year of his reign, he took advantage of the turmoil at Sultan

Rukunuddin Barbak Shah Ruknuddīn Bārbak Shāh (, ; 1459–1474) was the son and successor of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud Shah. Initially appointed as the governor of Satgaon during the reign of his father, Barbak ascended the throne of the Bengal Sultanate in 1459. H ...

's court, and seized

.Phayre 1967: 78–79Harvey 1925: 140 (Note that the Arakanese chronicles claim that the conquest of Chittagong came nine years earlier in 1450 by King Khayi.Sandamala Linkara Vol.2 1999: 20) The conquest of Chittagong pointed as much to Arakan's rise as to Bengal's "weakness". After the conquest of Chittagong, Ba Saw Phyu issued a coin bearing the '' kalima'' in

Persian script Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

"as a token of sovereignty" over Chittagong. His reign was largely peaceful although rebellions did break out from time to time. In 1461, the lord of Tanlwe revolted. On 23 May 1476 (Thursday, 1st waxing of 1st Waso 838 ME), the

Thet people The Chaks ( ), are a community inhabiting the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, northeastern states of India and also in Myanmar. History By the mid-13th century, the Saks had diverged from the Kadu people, who now reside in northwester ...

revolted.Sandamala Linkara Vol.2 1999: 23–24 Both were easily put down but the most serious rebellion came in 1481 when Chittagong revolted. In December 1481 (Natdaw 843),(Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 24): Natdaw 843 ME = 22 November 1481 to 20 December 1481 he marched to Chittagong. The city was taken only after a fierce battle that lasted several days. The control of the city exchanged hands several times but Arakanese forces eventually prevailed. The chronicles report that Ba Saw Phyu chased the rebels deep into Bengal. The king founded a town called Pyin-htaung in 1463. In 1471, he expanded Mrauk-U city and built new moats and water canals. For religion, he built the Mahabodhi Shwe-Gu Temple, on a hill northwest of the palace. The temple's octagonal plan is attributed to the Le-Mro period.Gutman 2001: 87 He also established religious contacts with

, which presented him the

Tripiṭaka There are several Buddhist canons, which refers to the various scriptural collections of Buddhist sacred scriptures or the various Buddhist scriptural canons.

Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...

's sacred texts.

Death

Though "highly praised by his countrymen" for his enlightened rule, the king was assassinated by a servant of his eldest son Dawlya on 5 August 1482. Dawlya had been unhappy about the king's recent decision to anoint his younger half-brother Gamani as the

. The king was 52. The patricidal Dawlya succeeded him.Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 25

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phyu, Ba Saw Monarchs of Mrauk-U 1430 births 1482 deaths 15th century in Burma 15th-century Burmese monarchs