Queen Phwar Saw of Bagan

                     I wrote an wiki article about her because she is the one of most famous and influential  women in the history of Myanmar. So, we have to learn about her in the grade 11 ( matriculation text book) about her. Mostly, we learned about the stone inscriptions of Her in the dedication to her deeds which is building the pagoda and donation various things including the servants to maintain and work in the pagoda. We can see many villages and the names of the pagoda builders with name of Phwar Saw, but it is important to note that there are serveral Phwar Saw in the different periods of  Bagan. The queen that I would like to mention about is Queen Phwar Saw of Seikkyaung, the Last queen of Bagan. 

Phwar Saw of Seikkyaung( also Shin Saw, 1237–1287)

 She was the queen consort of the last two kings of Pagan Dynasty of Burma ( Myanmar) from 1250 - 1287.She became the queen consort of Uzana of Pagan ( Sitthu III ) around 1256 AD and she was promoted to position of the Head queen consort when Uzana 's son Narathihapate assumed the Pagan throne in 1256.

Although she was the queen consort of the last two kings before the Pagan Dynasty collapsed, her influence in the country 's politics still lasted even in post Pagan period. She was one of the most famous women in Burmese history because of her great intelligent, political skills and tactical decisions.

Childhood

Mt.Popa

She was born into a farmer family in a small village called Seikkyaung at the foot of Mt.Popa near the capital city, Bangan which is located on the central plain of Myanmar.Her father was a rich farmer and he knew the value of his daughter so he raised her by giving everything good at his best.The legend said "when her father took her who was still an infant to his farm and put her under a tree while he was working on farm, the big snake came and covered on her body.Her father immdiately went to the village monastery and asked the abbot what is the interpretation of that event.The abbot said his daughter will become a queen in one day, then he raised his daughter at his best ".

One day, the Bagan King Uzana come and attended the ceremony of worshipping the Sprits of Mt. Popa.Phwar Saw's village was around the Mt. Popa and after the ceremony, he vistied to her village.Phwar Saw who was already adult at that time planted a tree and from this tree , three different speicies of flowers were suprisingly blooming. When Uzana heard about this new, he came to her home and looked at the tree. He saw her and he was attracted by her great beauty and he made her as his royal concubine.

Early years in court life

Renovation model of Bagan Palace 

Phwar Saw was just a country girl and she was nothing in the palace where only the royal bloods could influence.She was an ambitious girl but She was not proud, she was always clam and patient.She used her intelligent for her future goal and she has the good relation with other concubines.Within some months, she was promoted to the rank of queen from royal concubine and she became the favorite wife of King Uzana.The king was accidentally killed at Dala (part of modern day Yangon) in May 1256 while hunting elephants.

After her husband's death, the king's chief minister Yazathingyan apporached the powerful new widow and asked to do a plot which was to remove the Crown Prince Thihathu from the ascending the throne.Phwar Saw was involved from the background , supported the rebellion and married with a younger son by Uzana's commoner concubine, Prince Min Gwe Chee who would later became the King Narathihapatae or Tayoke Pyay Min ( the King who run away from Mongol invasion).

Yazathingyan who along with the support of the majority of the nobles and ministers, he couped the royal throne for Prince Min Gwe Chee, and tricked the Crown Prince Thiha Thu to come down to the burial ceremony of King Uzana in Dala and he murdered him there.

As the Head Queen

As a royal custom, King Narathihapatae married with five queen consorts including Shin Shwe the Khmer dancer and Shin Nan or Saw Lone who is descend from the royal blood line and one of the queens of the previous king.Phwar Saw then who is the favorite queen of the late king Uzana became the Head of consorts. The King was incompetent in both domestic and foreign affairs, then the chief minister Yazathingyan and Phwar Saw have to guide him in every political cases.The King respectly treated Phwar Saw and most of the time, he took decision from her.

Narathihapathae was a moon-calf person and it was difficult to predict his mind. Therefore, Phwar Saw had to intervence in most of the cases. In one event, the King became to hate sneezing, and he ordered all the courtiers not to sneeze before him.One Lady who wanted to sneeze but afraid the order of King saw a pot to release her feeling.She put her head into the pot and sneezed, unfortunatally, the sneezing sound became so loud because of the walls of pot and the King heard about it and ordered her to execute.Phwar Saw who knew that it was an unjustified case came near king and told that, as the buddhist law of nature, no human can avoid from the diseaes but the King was exception because of his power and perfection, If the king ordered not to sneeze, then he might elevate the lady into the same standarad with him, then the king forgave the Lady from the execution.

The king always consulted with her and sometimes he seek comfort from her , it was obvious, after he executed his favorite queen Shin Nan ( Saw Lone) for poisioning him.The queen also suggested him to consult with his chief minster in decisions of war and invasion of Mongols from north.

Later years

Pyay City

The king fled Pagan in panic to lower Burma along with his court.In Prome, his second son Thihathu, governor of Prome, arrested the king and forced the king to take poison.Phwar Saw was beside the King and adviced him to choose the poison as a way to death rather than with weapons.She comforted him and recited the Buddhist prayers to clam the king down before death.

After the King 's death, Thihathu persuaded Phwar Saw to be collaborated with him and recaptured the Pagan Capital.The Queen , who was disgusted with the prince 's actions, refused his proposal and went back to her native village as a dowager queen . However, her influece was lasted till the two kings Kyawswa and Sawhnit beyond the Pagan Dynasty as the court invited her to take part in election process of the King and advised on the country's politics.

In popular culture

The prayer inscritpion of Queen Phwar Saw is a rare old ancient scripture in burmese literature and a village near Bagan named after her.She was reversed as an able woman leader in Burmese history along with the Mon Queen Shin Sawbuand Scottish writer Maurice Collin wrote the book called " She was a Queen" .

Notes

^ Than Tun (1964): 135

^ a b Hmannan-1 (1829): 358