Min Shin Saw

Min Shin Saw (Burmese: မင်းရှင်စော, pronounced: [mɪ́ɴ ʃɪ̀ɴ sɔ́]; died 1167) was the eldest son of King Sithu I of Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). The prince was the heir apparent of the kingdom for a long time until he ran into disagreements with his father, late in his father's life. He was exiled to a place near Ava (Inwa), a few miles north of Pagan (Bagan). He turned the area into a highly cultivated region by building lakes and canals. When Sithu I (Alaungsithu) died in 1167, Min Shin Saw came back to Pagan to claim the throne. He was consecrated king but later that night, he was assassinated by his half-brother Narathu.

Disagreements with the king

According to the Hmannan Yazawin chronicle, Min Shin Saw had two specific run-ins with his father. In the first incident, the king's newest young queen, a daughter of the king of Pateikkara--a tributary to Pagan, stayed on the royal couch beside the king when the king's sons came to pay homage to him. Min Shin Saw refused to kneel down in front of the young queen whose name was Pabhavati. He said: "I'm the eldest son. Shall this Kala wench abide in the couch in my presence before all the ministers and councilors?" He left, saying "I'm not well."^[1] (Kala today means Indian but may have meant foreign in those days. Pateikkara is believed to be a kingdom near today's Chin State.)

In the second incident, Alaungsithu awarded a royal attendant a robe of princely attire, worn only by princes. When the attendant showed up with the robe at the royal council, Min Shin Saw stripped the robe off the attendant, saying "This garment is not for a king's usher or nurse to wear. Only the king's brothers and sons are worthy to wear it." The old king was greatly disturbed that Min Shin Saw was acting like a king even when the king was still alive.^[1]

Life in exile

The king first sent Min Shin Saw to prison but at the intervention of his mother Queen Yadanabon, reduced the sentence and sent him to exile. The prince and his followers settled near today's Ava, a few miles northeast of Pagan. The prince dammed the Aungpinle Lake, and another lake nearby. He built three canals, creating additional cultivated land. Because the land was fertile, three crops a year were raised. Min Shin Saw's enlightened policies raised funds for his treasury, and attracted a host of followers. He invited scholars and monks to write many books and teach them.^[1]

Despite his success in exile, the prince remained loyal to his father. At Pagan, however, Alaungsithu had chosen Narathu as the heir-apparent.^[1]

Return to Pagan and death

In 1167, Alaungsithu fell ill and was assassinated by Narathu who could not wait to be king. Min Shin Saw did not know about Narathu's treachery, and came back to Pagan to claim the throne. Narathu met him at the port, and proclaimed his elder half-brother the new king. Min Shin Saw was at once consecrated king. But later that night, Narathu poisoned Min Shin Saw, and claimed the throne for himself.^[2]

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