1967 publication of five rare Burmese chronicles ( Dhanyawaddy, Razadarit, Hsinbyumyashin, Nyaungyan, Alaung Mintaya ) | |
| Author | Yazataman |
|---|---|
| Original title | ဟံသာဝတီ ဆင်ဖြူရှင် အရေးတော်ပုံ |
| Country | Kingdom of Burma |
| Language | Burmese |
| Series | Burmese chronicles |
| Genre | Chronicle, History |
Publication date | 1579 |
Hanthawaddy Hsinbyushin Ayedawbon (Burmese : ဟံသာဝတီ ဆင်ဖြူရှင် အရေးတော်ပုံ) is a 16th-century Burmese chronicle of King Bayinnaung of Toungoo Dynasty. Though it is a biographic chronicle, it is a detailed account of the reign. The detailed coverage begins in 1550, right after the death of King Tabinshwehti, and ends in 1579, two years before the end of the reign. [1]
The Burmese language is the Sino-Tibetan language spoken in Myanmar where it is an official language and the language of the Bamar people, the country's principal ethnic group. Although the Constitution of Myanmar officially recognizes the English name of the language as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese, after Burma, the older name for Myanmar. In 2007, it was spoken as a first language by 33 million, primarily the Bamar (Burman) people and related ethnic groups, and as a second language by 10 million, particularly ethnic minorities in Myanmar and neighboring countries.
The royal chronicles of Myanmar are detailed and continuous chronicles of the monarchy of Myanmar (Burma). The chronicles were written on different media such as parabaik paper, palm leaf, and stone; they were composed in different literary styles such as prose, verse, and chronograms. Palm-leaf manuscripts written in prose are those that are commonly referred to as the chronicles. Other royal records include administrative treatises and precedents, legal treatises and precedents, and censuses.
Bayinnaung Kyawhtin Nawrahta was king of the Toungoo Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1550 to 1581. During his 31-year reign, which has been called the "greatest explosion of human energy ever seen in Burma", Bayinnaung assembled what was probably the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, which included much of modern-day Burma, the Chinese Shan states, Lan Na, Lan Xang, Manipur and Siam.
The chronicle was commissioned by the king's eldest son Nanda and brothers Minkhaung II of Toungoo, Thado Dhamma Yaza II of Prome and Thado Minsaw of Ava in 1564. It was compiled by Yazataman, a senior minister at Bayinnaung's court. He was a cavalry regiment commander, and served in several military campaigns under kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung. He also served at Bayinnaung's successor Nanda's court. [2]
Nanda Bayin, was king of Toungoo Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1581 to 1599. He presided over the collapse of Toungoo Empire, the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia.
Minkhaung II of Toungoo was viceroy of Toungoo (Taungoo) from 1549 to 1551 and from 1552 to 1584 during the reigns of kings Tabinshwehti, Bayinnaung and Nanda of Toungoo Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). He briefly revolted against his eldest half-brother Bayinnaung from 1550 to 1551 but was pardoned by Bayinnaung. Alongside his brothers Bayinnaung, Minye Sithu, Thado Dhamma Yaza II, Thado Minsaw and his nephew Nanda, he fought in nearly every campaign between 1552 and 1584 that rebuilt, expanded and defended the Toungoo Empire.
Thado Dhamma Yaza II was viceroy of Prome (Pyay) from 1551 to 1588, during the reigns of kings Bayinnaung and Nanda of Toungoo Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). Having begun his military career in the service of King Tabinshwehti, the youngest full brother of Bayinnaung was part of the small core group loyal to Bayinnaung, following the assassination of Tabinshwehti in 1550. Alongside his brothers Bayinnaung, Minye Sithu, Minkhaung II, Thado Minsaw and his nephew Nanda, he fought in nearly every campaign between 1550 and 1584 that rebuilt, expanded and defended the Toungoo Empire.
The author mentions that he compiled the chronicle using contemporary sources and some inscriptions, and that he considered 235 records of notable events that took place during the reign and selected 35 major events from the list. Most of the selected events are military campaigns, and are covered in detail. [3] A few non-military events covered are the building of a new palace and a new royal capital, the construction of four pagodas in the four corners of the capital Pegu, and the conferring of the kingship of Lan Na to his son Nawrahta Minsaw. It also provides accounts of the king's efforts to propagate Theravada Buddhism, the construction and repairing of pagodas, the banning of animal and human sacrifices in the new conquered Shan States, and the standardization of weights and measures in his empire. [4]
Nawrahta Minsaw was king of Lan Na from 1579 to 1607/08, and the first Burmese-born vassal king of Lan Na. He was also an accomplished poet.
The oldest extant palm-leaf manuscript copy of the original, copied on 4 January 1672 (5th waxing of Pyatho 1033 ME), is stored at the Universities Historical Research Center in Yangon. The next oldest copy is a mimeographed copy made in 1839 of an existing manuscript. [5]
Palm-leaf manuscripts are manuscripts made out of dried palm leaves. Palm leaves were used as writing materials in the Indian subcontinent and in Southeast Asia dating back to the 5th century BCE, and possibly much earlier. Their use began in South Asia, and spread elsewhere, as texts on dried and smoke treated palm leaves of Borassus species or the Ola leaf.
The Burmese calendar is a lunisolar calendar in which the months are based on lunar months and years are based on sidereal years. The calendar is largely based on an older version of the Hindu calendar, though unlike the Indian systems, it employs a version of the Metonic cycle. The calendar therefore has to reconcile the sidereal years of the Hindu calendar with the Metonic cycle's near tropical years by adding intercalary months and days at irregular intervals.
Yangon, formerly known as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and commercial capital of Myanmar. Yangon served as the administrative capital of Myanmar until 2006, when the military government relocated the administrative functions to the purpose-built city of Naypyidaw [nèpjìdɔ̀] in central Myanmar. With over 7 million people, Yangon is Myanmar's largest city and its most important commercial centre.
