Myanmar - Nyaung Yan Dynasty (A.D 1599 - 1752)

After the Pagan Kingdom was destroyed there appeared other short lived kingdoms: Pinya and Sagaing. Athin Ga Ra Saw Yun, a prince of one of the royal houses, established the Nyaung Yan Dynasty and made Sagaing the capital, but by one account it lasted only a scant 40 years and had 7 rulers [most accounts suggest a rather longer chronology]. In 1599 the Nyaung Yan Min, a younger son of Bayin Naung, ascended the throne of the "king of kings."

From 1599, when the Nyaung Yan Min, a younger son of Bayin Naung, ascended the throne of the "king of kings," the Nyaung Yan dynasty reigned at Ava, and at Pegu, holding sway throughout the whole of the present province, with the exception of Arakan. This was the first time the kingdoms of Burma and Pegu had ever been united under one sovereign. At the same time, the eastern frontiers of the Burmese empire had been pushed forward so as to include large tracts in Western China, all the Shan and Siamese-Shan States, and the greater portion of Siam. Anaukpetlun (1605-28) restored for a brief time the unity of the kingdom. His brother, Thalun (1629-48), moved the capital from Pegu back to Ava, a decision some significance, for it represented the withdrawal of effective Burman power from Lower Burma and the consequent relative isolation of Burman kings from outside influences brought by sea. Ava became involved in Chinese dynastic struggles when the last prince of the Ming Dynasty, Yong-li, sought refuge at the Burmese capital, provoking Manchu incursions into Upper Burma.

These kings ruled over the Kingdom of Ava which was almost in size equal to the Union of Burma minus the coastal strips of Yakhine and Tennasserim. Taking the River Irrawaddy as the dividing line running east to west in central Burma, lands on the north of tha line were known as the Province (Taing) of Sunapranta and south the Province (Taing) of Tampadipa. On the north and northeast Sunaparanta there were the Provinces of Gandhalarac or Sin, and Kamboja. On the south of Tampadipa there were Srekhettara, Jeyyawatthana and Ramanna. But it is considered that the majority of the Burmese were confined to the Provinces of Sunaparanta and Tampadipa and these two provinces were divided into seven divisions called Taik. In 1740, however, the Mon, who had never relinquished their aspirations for national independence, again revolted, and elected as King of Pegu a monk of Shan origin, who took the title of Budda Ketti.

Sagaing is famous for its Sagaing Hills, the numerous monasteries and nunneries and the nearby dome-shaped Khaung Hmu Daw Pagoda. The Innwa Bridge that spans the Ayeyarwady river at this point was destroyed by the retreating British forces in WWII but was rebuilt. Thabyedan Fort, on the Amarapura side of the river and beside the bridge, was used by the Myanmar Imperial Army to guard against the advancing British forces.

Sagaing Kaung Hmu Daw Pagoda, which literally means "Pagoda of Royal Merit at Sagaing ". But its official Pali name is "Rajamanicula". Built by King Tha Lun (A.D. 1629 -1642) of Nyaung Yan dynasty (A.D 1599 - 1752) in the year A. D. 1636 in commemoration of the reestablishment of Inwa as capital, the pagoda is the monument of historic importance as well as an object of veneration of the Buddhist masses because it enshrines the Tooth Relic of the Buddha brought from Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Unfortunately its grotesque shape has stretched the imagination of some story tellers to fabricate a silly etiological tale - when the royal architects asked King Tha Lun what shape he would like to build, the chief queen who was present nearby suddenly exposed her rounded breast for model! When and who cooked up this sacrilegious make believe is unknown, and some unlicensed tourist guides are telling their clients that it is the " breast pagoda".

The Maha Loka Tharahpu Image is now enshrined in Loka Tharahpu Temple located near the site of old capital Pinya near Inwa, Upper Myanmar. The donor of the Image was king Taninganwe of Nyaung Yan dynasty. His son and successor Mahadamayazadipati had it complete and gave it the name Maha Loka Tharahpu (The Great Crown of the World). The image measures 29 feet in height, 19 feet wide between the knees and, 9 feet in width and its pedestal is 3 feet and an inch high.

A consolidated national history was first compiled by the scholar U Kala in the reign of King Taninganwe (A.D. 1714-1733) of the Nyaung Yan dynasty. He collected, edited and compiled all chronicles and historical writings into three volumes namely Maha Yazawun Gyi (Great Chronicle), Yazawun Latt (Middle Chronicle) and Yazawun Choke (Brief Chronicle). His work came to be known as U Kala's Maha Yazawun Gyi.

In the south, meanwhile, Mon governors seceded and revived an independent Mon kingdom in 1740 in the previous Nyaung Yan dynasty under the descendents of the Myanmar king Bayintnaung. Myanmar and Mon kingdoms had been waging war for many years. Mahadhaminarajadhipati (AD 1733 - 1752) was the last king of the Nyaung-yan Dynasty

.