Zabu Kun-Cha

The ''Zabu Kun-Cha'' (, ; also spelled Zambu Kungya) is a late 14th to early 15th century court treatise on Burmese statecraft and court organization. The text also includes a section on early history of Myanmar, which mentions several settlements across Myanmar that map to the archaeologically known Pyu settlements. About half of the 18th century court treatise ''Mani Yadanabon'' comes from the ''Zabu''.

Brief

The ''Zabu Kun-Cha Kyan'' ("Treatise of Casting the Net over the Zabudipa")(Hudson 2005: 29): Casting of the net over Zabudipa (Pali: Jambudīpa), which represents the known terrestrial world in Burmese Buddhism, is "used to suggest a comprehensive overview." is a compilation of famous advice offered by Chief Minister Min Yaza to kings Swa Saw Ke (r. 1367−1400) and Minkhaung I (r. 1400−22) of Ava.Aung-Thwin 2005: 123 The authorship of the text is usually attributed to the minister himself.Wade 2012: 124 "Each section typically begins with the king seeking advice on a historical problem," which is then followed by the minister's advice or submissions, supported by "a wealth of didactic examples from religious and historical literature".(Lieberman 1983: 137)'s review on the English translation of the ''Mani Yadanabon'', which covers only the Min Yaza portion, which is a reproduction of ''Zabu Kun-Cha''.

The text also includes a section on early history of Myanmar, which mentions several settlements across Myanmar that map to the archaeologically known Pyu settlements.Hudson 2004: 30 It covers a sequence of capitals of ancient Myanmar, starting with the Pyu city of Halin, followed by Ava (Inwa), Mekkhaya, Pinle, Kaungsin, Allagappa, Legaing, Tagaung, Sri Ksetra, Pagan (Bagan), Myinsaing−Mekkhaya−Pinle, Ava, Pinya, Sagaing and Ava. The list is quite different from those of the standard chronicles, of which ''Hmannan'' in particular.Hudson 2004: 29–30 ''Zabu'' is an early written text that mentions the spread of the Pyu city-states throughout the Irrawaddy valley from Tagaung to Sri Ksetra, and into the Panlaung and lower Mu and Chindwin valleys. According to Hudson, ''Zabu's'' authors apparently were aware that "the sites they listed all had some kind of archaeological evidence of antiquity. Kaungsin, Allagappa and Legaing, not prominent in other chronicles, were known to the author(s) when the ''Zabu'' was written."

While the text mainly deals with the precedents of Min Yaza, because of its historical sections, some scholars classify it a chronicleHudson 2004: 29Hall 1961: 53 while others do not. The ''Zabu'' was later included in the 1781 treatise ''Mani Yadanabon'', which also includes advice by later ministers. The ''Zabu'' portion represents "somewhat half under the total".Lieberman 1983: 137 It is through the ''Mani Yadanabon'' that the full text of ''Zabu'' or what is believed to be ''Zabu'' has survived. Only a portion of an 1825 copy of ''Zabu'' has survived.(Aung-Thwin 2005: 361): An 1825 manuscript of ''Zabu'' is in the British Library. Per Aung-Thwin, only Part VI is related to ''Zabu'' while the other five parts are not. (Hudson 2004: 284): Another handwritten copy exists in the Archaeology Department in the University of Mandalay. The surviving text was translated to English by U Pe in 1959; another version was translated in 2004 by Thaung Lwin with editorial input from Win Maung.Hudson 2004: 284

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* Data paper number 115.
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{{Burmese chronicles

Burmese chronicles
Burmese literature