Yawnghwe (), known as Nyaungshwe () in Burmese, was a Shan state in what is today

Myanmar 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 has ...

. It was one of the most important of the Southern

Shan States The Shan States were a collection of minor Shan people, Shan kingdoms called ''mueang, möng'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' (''sawbwa''). In British rule in Burma, British Burma, they were analogous to the princely states of Britis ...

. Yawnghwe state included the Inle Lake. The administrative capital was

Taunggyi Taunggyi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Shan State, Myanmar 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 As ...

, located in the northern part of the state. The Agent of the British government, the Superintendent of the Southern Shan States, resided at Taunggyi and the king's palace was at

Yawnghwe Yawnghwe (), known as Nyaungshwe () in Burmese, was a Shan state in what is today Myanmar. It was one of the most important of the Southern Shan States. Yawnghwe state included the Inle Lake. The administrative capital was Taunggyi, located ...

History

According to tradition in very distant antiquity there was a predecessor state in the area named (ကမ္ဗောဇရဋ္ဌ). The city of Yawnghwe, which gave name to the state, was founded in 1359 by two mythical brothers, Nga Taung and Nga Naung, who arrived from

Tavoy Dawei (, ; , ; , RTGS: ''Thawai'', ; formerly known as Tavoy) is a city in south-eastern Myanmar and is the capital of the Tanintharyi Region, formerly known as the Tenasserim Division, on the eastern bank of the Dawei River. The city is about ...

(Dawei) and were allowed to build a capital by a prince who ruled the region. The brothers brought 36 families from Tavoy and established themselves in the new city. Yawnghwe included the subsidiary states of Mawnang (Heho),

Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was a British-born Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...

, Loimaw,

Loi-ai Loi-ai (also known as Lwe-e) was a Shan state in the Myelat region of what is today Burma. It was one of the westernmost Shan states, bordering with Yamethin district of Upper Burma. The capital was Lonpo ( Aungpan) and the population was mostly ...

and Namhkai. Historically the majority of the population in the state belonged to the Intha,

Pa-O The Pa'O (; , , or ; ; Eastern Poe Karen: တံင်သူ; ; also spelt Pa-O or Paoh) are an ethnic minority living in Myanmar, with a population of roughly 1,200,000 accounting for approximately 2.1% of the total population in Myanmar. Oth ...

, Danu, Shan and

Taungyo The Taungyo ( ''Tauñyoù lumyoù'') are a sub-ethnic group of the Bamar people living primarily in Shan State and centered on Pindaya. Language They speak Taungyo (တောင်ရိုးစကား Tauñyoùs̱áḵà), a Tavoyan dialect ...

people groups. The state of Yawnghwe formally accepted the status of

British protectorate British protectorates were protectorates under the jurisdiction of the British government. Many territories which became British protectorates already had local rulers with whom the Crown negotiated through treaty, acknowledging their status wh ...

in 1887.

Sao Shwe Thaik Sao Shwe Thaik (, ''Tsaw³ Kham⁴soek³''; , ; 16 October 1895 – 21 November 1962) was a Burmese politician who served as the first president of the Union of Burma and the last Saopha of Yawnghwe. His full royal title was ''Kambawsaraht ...

was the first president of the

Union of Burma Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...

and the last Saopha of Yawnghwe he married

Sao Nang Hearn Kham Sao Nang Hearn Kham (; 26 May 1916 – 17 January 2003) was the Mahadevi of Yawnghwe one of the most important Shan States. Her husband Sao Shwe Thaik was the 23d and last Saopha of Yawnghwe and became the first President of Burma and she beca ...

of the royal family of

North Hsenwi North Hsenwi was a Shan state in the Northern Shan States in what is today Burma. The capital was Lashio town which was also the headquarters of the superintendent of the Northern Shan State. North Hsenwi, with an area of 6330 m², had a populati ...

. His residence in Yawnghwe town, the Haw, is now the

Nyaungshwe Cultural Museum Nyaungshwe Cultural Museum () is a history museum dedicated to the former Shan saopha of Yawnghwe Sao Shwe Thaik, as well as to other rulers of Shan states. Located in Nandawon Ward, Nyaungshwe, Shan State, Myanmar, the museum is known for its co ...

and is open to the public.

Saophas

The rulers of Yawnghwe bore the title of ''

Saopha Saopha (), also spelled Sawbwa, was the title used by hereditary rulers of Shan states in Upper Myanmar. Chaopha and Chao Fa were similar titles used by the hereditary Tai rulers in mainland Southeast Asia and the Ahom kingdom in India. Nam ...

''; their ritual style was ''Kambojaraṭṭha Sīripavara Mahāvaṃsa Sudhammarāja''. They were entitled to a 9-

gun salute A gun salute or cannon salute is the use of a piece of artillery to fire shots, often 21 in number (''21-gun salute''), with the aim of marking an honor or celebrating a joyful event. It is a tradition in many countries around the world. Histo ...

by the British authorities. * 1359 - 1434 Si Hseng Hpa * 1434 - 1477 Hso Hseng Hpa * 1477 - 1518 Hso Hung Hpa * 1518 - 1557 Hso Yawk Hpa * 1557 - 1574 Sao Maw Hkam * 1574 - 1608 Kanh Ham Hpa * 1608 - 1615 Mahadevi Nang Nawn Pe 1st * 1608 - 1615 Sao Htoi * 1615 - 1646 Mahadevi Nang Nawn Pe 2nd * 1646 - 1658 Vacant * 1658 - 1663 Sao Kang Hom Hpa * 1663 - 1687 Hsu Wa * 1687 - 1695 Kyundaung Sa * 1695 - 1733 Hkam Leng * 1733 - 1737 Htawk Sha Sa * 1737 - 1746 Hsi Ton Sa * 1746 - 1758 Hke Hsa Wa * 1758 - 1758 Naw Mong 1st * 1758 - 1761 Yawt Hkam * 1761 - 1762 Hpong Hpa Ka Sa * 1762 - 1815 Sao Yun * 1815 - 1818 Sao Se U 1st * 1818 - 1821 Naw Mong 2nd * 1821 - 1852 Sao Se U 2nd * 1852 - 1858 Sao So Hom * 1858 - 1864 Sao Sa Hpa * 1864 - 1885 Sao Maung 1st * 1885 - 1889 Sao Chit Su * 1889 - 1897 Sao On * 1897 - 1926 Sao Maung 2nd * 1926 - 1952 (Yawt Hkam Serk) * 1952 - 1962 Sao Hseng Hpa

Traditional royal ceremonies

Formerly the Saopha of Yawnghwe would personally welcome the four

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

images during the annual festival at

Hpaung Daw U Pagoda Phaung Daw U Pagoda (, IPA: ; ), also spelt Phaung Daw Oo or Hpaung Daw Oo, is a notable Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar (formerly Burma), located in the village of Ywama on Inle Lake in Shan State. The pagoda is the site of a major annual pagoda ...

, an 18-day

pagoda festival Pagoda festivals (; ''paya pwe'') are regular festivals found throughout Myanmar that commemorate major religious events in pagoda's history, including the founding of a pagoda and the crowning of the pagoda's hti (umbrella). Pagoda festivals are ...

, during which the Buddha images were placed on a replica of a royal barge designed as a hintha bird and taken in a procession throughout Inle Lake. The elaborately decorated barge was towed by several boats of leg-rowers rowing in unison together with other accompanying boats. The images would be taken from the royal barge and a grand procession would take them to the saopha's palace (haw), entering the prayer hall from the eastern entrance, where the images would be kept for a few hours. Nowadays the festival is still held, but the images bypass the visit to the ''haw'' and are taken directly to the temple.

References

External links

*
"Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan states"The Imperial Gazetteer of India
{{Coord, 20, 39, 48, N, 96, 56, 06, E, region:SE-Asia_type:landmark, display=title 14th-century establishments in Burma 1359 establishments in Asia 1959 disestablishments in Burma Gun salute princely states ca:Yawnghwe

History

Saophas

Traditional royal ceremonies

See also

References

External links