Pyinbya (, ; 817–876) was the king of the Pagan Dynasty of

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

(Myanmar) who founded the city of

Pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

(Bagan) in 849 CE. Though the

Burmese chronicles The royal chronicles of Myanmar ( ; also known as Burmese chronicles) are detailed and continuous chronicles of the Burmese monarchy, monarchy of Myanmar (Burma). The chronicles were written on different media such as parabaik paper, palm-leaf ...

describe him as the 33rd king of the dynasty founded in early 2nd century CE, modern historians consider Pyinbya one of the first kings of Pagan, which would gradually take over present-day central Burma in the next two hundred years. He was the paternal great-grandfather of King

Anawrahta Anawrahta Minsaw (, ; 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 Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that ...

, the founder of the Pagan Empire.

Chronicle tradition

According to the

, the future king was born to King Saw Khin Hnit of Pagan. He was born in either 817 CE (or 802 CE).Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 346 He was lord of Pyinbya village of Pagan prior to his accession, and known as Pyinbya Mintha. He succeeded his brother King Khelu as king in 846 CE. He founded the city of Pagan on 23 December 849 (6th waxing of Pyatho 211 ME).Zata 1960: 41 He also founded a settlement of Taungdwin in 857,Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 219 perhaps the southernmost limit of his nascent kingdom. He died in 876 CE at age 59 (in his 60th year). (Note that main

do not agree on his regnal years or birth and death years. The oldest chronicle '' Zatadawbon Yazawin'' is considered to be the most accurate for the Pagan period.)(Maha Yazawin 2006: 346–349): Among the four major chronicles, only ''Zatadawbon Yazawin's'' dates line up with Anawrahta's inscriptionally verified accession date of 1044 CE. (Aung-Thwin 2005: 121–123): In general, ''Zata'' is considered "the most accurate of all Burmese chronicles, particularly with regard to the best-known Pagan and Ava kings, many of whose dates have been corroborated by epigraphy." The table below lists the dates given by four main chronicles, as well as Hmannan's dates when anchored by the Anawrahta's inscriptionally verified accession date of 1044. Pyinbya was succeeded by his son Tannet.

Scholarship views

According to mainstream scholarship, Pyinbya is one of the earliest kings of Pagan, founded by the Mranma (Bamar / Burmans) of the

Nanzhao Kingdom Nanzhao ( zh, t=南詔, s=南诏, p=Nánzhào), also spelled Nanchao, , Yi language: ꂷꏂꌅ, ''Mashynzy'') was a dynastic kingdom that flourished in what is now southwestern China and northern Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries ...

. Pagan is the first known

Burman Burman is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Anneli Burman (born 1963), Swedish curler *Barney Burman, American make-up artist *Barry Burman (1943–2001), English figurative artist *Ben Lucien Burman (1896–1984), American aut ...

settlement in the Irrawaddy valley, following the devastating raids into upper Irrawaddy valley by Nanzhao that lasted from the 750s to the 830s. After the attacks, which left the Pyu states severely weakened, large numbers of Mranma warriors of Nanzhao and their families remained in the upper Irrawaddy valley.Lieberman 2003: 90 Pagan was founded as a fortified settlement along a bend in the Irrawaddy river. The new settlement may have been designed to help the Nanzhao pacify the surrounding countryside. It was a certainly a strategic spot, close to the

Chindwin river The Chindwin River (), also known as the Ningthi River (), is a river in Myanmar and is the largest tributary of the Irrawaddy River. Sources The Chindwin originates in the broad Hukawng Valley of Kachin State of Burma, roughly , where the Tanai, ...

and just to the west of a richly irrigated rice plain.Myint-U 2006: 56 Pagan was one of several competing city-states until the late 10th century when it grew in authority and grandeur.Lieberman 2003: 90–91 Two hundred years after Pyinbya founded Pagan, his great-grandson

went on to create the Pagan Empire, the first ever unification of the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pyinbya Pagan dynasty 817 births 876 deaths 9th-century Burmese monarchs