Thu Pabawadi (, ; 1861–1915), commonly known as Pyinzi Princess () or Pyinzi Supaya (), was a high-ranking royal princess of the late

Konbaung dynasty The Konbaung dynasty (), also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in history of Mya ...

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 ...

Life

Pyinzi Supaya was born to

King Mindon Mindon Min (, ; 1808 – 1878), born Maung Lwin, was the penultimate king of Burma (Myanmar) from 1853 to 1878. He was one of the most popular and revered kings of Burma because of his role in the Fifth Buddhist Council. Under his half brother ...

and his consort Magway Mibaya in 1861 at the

Mandalay Palace The Mandalay Palace (, ), located in Mandalay, Myanmar, is the last royal palace of the Konbaung dynasty, last Burmese monarchy. The palace was constructed between 1857 and 1859 as part of King of Burma, King Mindon Min, Mindon's founding of the ...

. Her father gave her the appanage of Taungdwingyaung. When Thado Minye, Prince of Pyinzi, was assassinated in the Myingun Myinkhondaing rebellion, she received the appanage of Pyinzi, and was known thereafter as Pyinzi Princess. When her sister, Mingin Supaya was found guilty of having sexual relationship with a commoner and was ordered to be imprisoned for violating social taboos concerning sex, her family and its servants were sent as slaves to Man Aung Yadana Wakhingone Pagoda. On 25 April 1883, at a

sayadaw A sayadaw (, ; , and alternatively spelled ''hsayadaw'', ''sayado'', ''sayāḍo'' or ''sayāḍaw'') is a Burmese Buddhist title used to reference the senior monk or abbot of a monastery. The word is a combination of Sanskrit word "acharya" (te ...

's request,

Supayalat Supayalat (, ; 13 December 1859 – 24 November 1925), also spelt Suphayalat, was the last queen of Burma who reigned in Mandalay (1878–1885), born to King Mindon Min and Queen of Alenandaw (; also known as Hsinbyumashin or Lady of the White Elep ...

set them free, but they remained under house arrest until the abdication of

King Thibaw Thibaw Min, also Thebaw (, ; 1 January 1859 – 16 December 1916), was the last king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) and also the last Burmese monarch in the country's history. His reign ended when the Royal Burmese armed forces ...

in 1885. Although they were not favored by Supayalat, she remained on good terms with the family and attended the ear-boring ceremony of the daughters of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat in

Ratnagiri Ratnagiri (IAST:Ratnāgirī ; �ət̪n̪aːɡiɾiː is a port city on the Arabian Sea coast in Ratnagiri District in southwestern Maharashtra, India. The district is part of Konkan division of Maharashtra. The city is known for the Hapus or ...

in 1910. Pyinzi Supaya died on 18 May 1915 at the age of 54 and was buried in the Mandalay Palace enclosure (see Konbaung tombs).

Distinctions

Because her mother was senior royalty, Pyinzi Supaya received the title

Supaya Supaya (, also spelt suphaya) is the highest royal title for the Burmese royal princesses. The title is given only to the daughters of the Chief Queen, and those of blue-blooded queens. It is said that there were only 8 princesses given the title o ...

. She accompanied

Setkya Dewi Thiri Pawara Atula Tilawka Maha Yazeinda Adhipati Yadana Dewi (; ; born Supaya; 22 December 1813 – 12 November 1876), commonly known as Setkya Dewi or Sekkya Dewi (; ), was Queen of the Konbaung Kingdom of Burma from 26 March 1853 to 12 Novembe ...

whenever she traveled about the palace in the royal palanquin and was one of eleven princesses who had the right to wear ''ghanamattaka'' clothes during King Mindon's reign. At the Rajabiseka Muddha consecration of her father in 1874, Pyinzi Supaya, wearing ''ghanamattaka'' clothes, together with her seven sisters, poured a libation on the king's head and made speeches.

Family

Pyinzi Supaya married U Pe and gave birth to three daughters Pyinzi Thameedawgyi, Pyinzi Thameedawlat, and Pyinzi Kodawle. Pyinzi Kodawle died at a young age. The British government contributed 15

rupee Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currency, currencies of Indian rupee, India, Mauritian rupee, Mauritius, Nepalese rupee, Nepal, Pakistani rupee, Pakistan, Seychellois rupee, Seychelles, and Sri Lankan rupee, Sri Lanka, and of former cu ...

s to fund her daughters' educations.

References

{{reflist Konbaung dynasty 1861 births 1915 deaths Burmese Buddhists Burmese princesses People from British Burma Daughters of kings