Kyawswa I of Pinya
Kyawswa I of Pinya ငါးစီးရှင် ကျော်စွာ | |
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![]() Kyawswa I depicted as the Ngazishin nat (spirit) | |
King of Pinya | |
Reign | c. February 1343–1350 |
Predecessor | Uzana I |
Successor | Kyawswa II |
Consort | Atula Sanda Dewi Atula Maha Dhamma Dewi |
Issue | Kyawswa II Narathu Uzana II |
House | Myinsaing |
Father | Thihathu |
Mother | Mi Saw U[1] |
Religion | Theravada Buddhism |
Kyawswa I of Pinya or Ngarsishin Kyawswa (Burmese: ငါးစီးရှင် ကျော်စွာ, pronounced [ŋázíʃɪ̀ɴ tɕɔ̀zwà]; c. 1299–1350) was the third king of Pinya Kingdom from 1343 to 1350. Kyawswa, who descended from both Pagan and Myinsaing dynasties, ascended the throne of Pinya in 1343 after his half-brother Uzana I abdicated the throne. He unsuccessfully tried to reunite central Burma by making sporadic warfare against the rival Sagaing Kingdom ruled by his first-cousin Kyaswa.[2]
Kyawswa I died in 1350, and was succeeded by Kyawswa II. The last three kings of Pinya kings were all his sons. The Pinya Kingdom collapsed in 1364, 14 years after his death.
Background
Kyawswa seemingly had the perfect royal pedigree to rule. He was a grandson of King Narathihapate, the last sovereign king of Pagan Empire from his mother's side, and his father was Thihathu, who represented the ascent of Shan power in Burma.[2] While Kyawswa was three quarters Burman and one quarter Shan, he was likely brought up as Shan in his days in a Pinya court dominated by Shan ministers and warriors.
Lord of Five White Elephants
Kyawswa claimed the title Ngarsishin (meaning Lord of Five White Elephants) because he possessed five white elephants during his reign. White elephants were believed to represent the royal authority. His father, Thihathu, was also known as Tasishin (Lord of White Elephant), and his son and successor Kyawswa II was known as Laysishin (Lord of Four White Elephants).