The Thathanabaing of Burma (, also spelt Thathanapaing) served as the head of the Buddhist
Sangha
Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...
(order of monks) in pre-colonial
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 ...
, until the position was abolished in 1938 by the
British authorities in colonial Burma. The Thathanapaing was responsible for managing the monastic hierarchy and education at monasteries. The Thathanabaing resided in a royal monastery near the kingdom's capital.
However, appointees were usually commoners born in the villages, with no blood relationship with the royal house.
Their appointments were made on the basis of their mastery of Buddhist knowledge and literature.
Etymology
''Thathanabaing'', literally 'Keeper of the
Sāsana', is the native
Burmese rendition of
Sangharaja
Sangharaja (Pāli: ''sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' t ...
, or formally ''Mahasangharaja'' (), which is typically rendered into English as 'Primate', 'Archbishop' or 'Supreme Patriarch.' The term "Sangharaja" was popularly used from the 1300s to 1400s, but lost currency in subsequent centuries.
By the
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 ...
, Thathanabaing and Thathanapyu (သာသနာပြု) were frequently used.
History
According to
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 ...
, the office of the Thathanabaing dates to the reign of
Swa Saw Ke
Mingyi Swa Saw Ke (, ; also spelled Minkyiswasawke or Swasawke; 1330–1400) was king of Ava from 1367 to 1400. He reestablished central authority in Upper Myanmar (Burma) for the first time since the fall of the Pagan Empire in the 1280s. He ...
(1367-1400). British historians recognize a lineage of primates during the
Pagan Kingdom, beginning with the monk
Shin Arahan.
Konbaung dynasty
The office, in its last incarnation, was established by King
Bodawpaya
Bodawpaya (, ; ; 11 March 1745 – 5 June 1819) was the sixth king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma. Born Maung Shwe Waing and later Badon Min, he was the fourth son of Alaungpaya, founder of the dynasty and the Third Burmese Empire. He was procl ...
in 1784, after the constitution of the Sudhamma Council, a council of four elder monks (''thera''), of which the Thathanabaing was its head. Subsequent monarchs expanded the council, which varied from 8 to 12 members called ''sadaw''. Council members were appointed by the king and styled ''Dazeitya Sayadaw'' (, 'Teachers Possessing the Seal').
The Thathanabaing was appointed by the king and granted supreme authority with regard to religious doctrine and ecclesiastical administration. The Thathanapaing was responsible for the kingdom's religious affairs, including appointment of monastery abbots, monk orders according to the
Vinaya
The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist Sanghas (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines devel ...
, management of breaches of discipline, preparation of an annual report of the order, and administration of
Pali
Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
examinations.
The Thathanabaing was charged with managing the functions of two government officials, the ''Mahadan Wun'' (, Ecclesiastical Censor), who oversaw the king's charitable functions, ensured monk compliance with the Vinaya, and submitted registers of all active novices and monks, and the ''Wutmye Wun'' (), who managed the ''wuttukan''-designated religious properties (), including donated land and pagodas. The Burmese kingdom was divided into ecclesiastical jurisdictions, each of which was overseen by a ''gaing-gyok''. Underneath each ''gaing-gyok'' was a number of ''gaing-ok'', who were in turn assisted by a number of ''gaing-dauk''. Ecclesiastical disputes were settled by the ''gaing-gyok'' and decisions for appeal were made by the Sudhamma Council.
Colonial rule

In 1895, soon after the abdication of the country's last king,
Thibaw Min
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 ...
, the Taungdaw Sayadaw, then the Thathanapaing of Burma, died. A subsequent election elected the Pakhan Sayadaw as Thathanabaing-elect, although the British refused to acknowledge or recognize his title.
In 1903, the lieutenant-governor of
British Burma
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...
,
Hugh Shakespear Barnes, reinstated the title by ''
sanad'' charter, giving the Thathanapaing nominal authority over internal administration of the
Sangha
Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...
in
Upper Burma
Upper Myanmar ( or , also called Upper Burma) is one of two geographic regions in Myanmar, the other being Lower Myanmar. Located in the country's centre and north stretches, Upper Myanmar encompasses six inland states and regions, including ...
and over Buddhist ecclesiastical law. (
Lower Burma
Lower Myanmar (, also called Lower Burma) is a geographic region of Myanmar and includes the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta ( Ayeyarwady, Bago and Yangon Regions), as well as coastal regions of the country ( Rakhine and Mon States and Tanintharyi ...
, which had been annexed in 1852, remained without a religious head.) The
Taunggwin Sayadaw was appointed, but the position was abolished after his death and no successor was ever appointed.
Independence
On May 24, 1980, the
State Saṅgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee was formed as an official agency of the
Myanma government, tasked with essentially the same roles and responsibilities as those of the ''thathanabaing''.
List of Thathanabaing
Kingdom of Ava
# Yakhaing Sayadaw
# Amyint Sayadaw
Konbaung dynasty
# Atula Sayadaw
# Taungdwingyi Sayadaw
# Sayit Sayadaw
# Ashin Thapon
# Hteintabin Sayadaw
# Manle Sayadaw
# Min-o Sayadaw
# Zonta Sayadaw
# Minywa Sayadaw
# Maungdaung Sayadaw
# Salin Sayadaw
# The-in Sayadaw
# Maungdaung Sayadaw
# Bagaya Sayadaw
# Maungdaung Sayadaw
# Taungdaw Sayadaw
British rule
# Moeta Sayadaw
#
Taunggwin Sayadaw
Union of Myanmar
#
Cantimabhivamsa
Notes
References
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See also
*
Agga Maha Pandita
Aggamahāpaṇḍita (, ) is an honorific Burmese Buddhist title conferred by the Myanmar government to distinguished Theravada Buddhist monks.
Etymology
Aggamahāpandiṭa, meaning "foremost great and wise one," is derived from the following ...
*
Buddhism in Myanmar
Buddhism (), specifically Theravāda Buddhism (), is the official and state religion of Myanmar since 1961, and practiced by nearly 90% of the population. It is the most religious Buddhist country in terms of the proportion of monks in the p ...
*
Mahanayaka
*
Sangharaja
Sangharaja (Pāli: ''sangha'' religious community + ''raja'' ruler, king, or prince) is the title given in many Theravada Buddhist countries to a senior monk who is the titular head either of a monastic fraternity ( nikaya), or of the ''Sangha'' t ...
*
Sangha Supreme Council
The Sangha Supreme Council (; ) is the governing body of the Buddhist order ( Sangha) of Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asi ...
, Thailand
*
State Saṅgha Mahā Nāyaka Committee
*
Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia
The Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia (; , ) is the ''de facto'' leader of Buddhism in Cambodia.
Titles
The titles for the Cambodian Supreme Patriarchs are derived from Pali. The full official title of the Supreme Patriarch of the Maha Nikaya is ''S ...
*
Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
__NOTOC__
The Supreme Patriarch of Thailand or Sangharaja () is the head of the order of Buddhism, Buddhist bhikkhu, monks in Thailand. His full title is ''Somdet Phra Saṅgharāja Sakalamahāsaṅghapariṇāyaka'' ().
Ancient history
As ea ...
*
Burmese Buddhist titles Burmese Buddhist titles () encompass numerous honorific titles conferred by the Burmese government, to recognize members of the Sangha as well as civilians. These religious titles are conferred annually by the Burmese government, in a special ceremo ...
Burmese Buddhist titles