Shwegyin Nikaya (Burmese: ရွှေကျင်နိကာယ, IPA: [ʃwèdʑɪ́ɴ nḭkàja̰]) is the name of the second largest monastic order of monks in Burma. Approximately 5% of Burmese monks (50,000) belong to this order.[1] It is one of 9 legally sanctioned monastic orders (nikaya) in the country, under the 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations.[2] Shwegyin Nikaya is a more orthodox order than Thudhamma Nikaya, with respect to adherence to the Vinaya,[3] and its leadership is more centralized and hierarchical.[4] Shwegyin Nikaya was founded in the mid-19th century by a chief abbot monk in the village of Shwegyin. It formally separated from the Thudhamma Nikaya during the reign of King Mindon Min and attempts to reconcile the two sects by the last king of Burma, Thibaw Min, were unsuccessful.[1] Monks of the Shwegyin Nikaya did not participate in the nationalist and anti-colonial movement in British Burma of the early 1900s.