Min Saw Hla

Min Saw Hla မင်းစောလှ
King of Arakan
Reign	6 March 1556 – 24 July 1564
Predecessor	Dikkha
Successor	Sekkya
Born	1532/33 Tuesday, 894 ME[note 1] Mrauk-U
Died	24 July 1564 (aged 31) Monday, Full moon of Wagaung 926 ME[1] Mrauk-U
Consort	Saw Bon-Htut Saw Thanda
Father	Dikkha
Mother	Saw Mi Latt[1]
Religion	Theravada Buddhism

Min Saw Hla (Burmese: မင်းစောလှ, [mɪ́ɴ sɔ́ l̥a̰]; 1532–1564) was king of Arakan from 1556 to 1564. At accession, he made his first wife Saw Bon-Htut the chief queen but also married his father's chief queen Saw Thanda. He ordered a massive building program which built and repaired dams, irrigation canals as well as improved the defenses of Mrauk-U and other key towns around the kingdom.^[1] In 1561, he commissioned the building of Htukkanthein Temple.^{[note 2]}

He tightened control of Chittagong and the kingdom's northern perimeter. In the early 1560s, he sent the army to Tripura, whose ruler, according to Arakanese chronicles, submitted to Mrauk-U. He died in 1564 after a long illness. He had chosen his half-brother Min Sekkya to succeed him, and married Sekkya to his own full sister Dhamma Dewi.^[1]

Notes

1. Based on the chronicle reporting of his age at his accession and his death (Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 46–47), he was born between full moon of Wagaung 894 ME (17 July 1532) and 10th waning of Tabaung 894 ME (18 February 1533). Since he was born on a Tuesday, the range can be reduced to between 23 July 1532 and 17 February 1533.
2. (Gutman 2001: 118) says the temple "is said to have been built in 1571 by King Min Phalaung". But the Rakhine Razawin Thit chronicle (Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 46) says Htukkanthein was built by King Min Saw Hla in 923 ME (1561/62).

References

1. Sandamala Linkara Vol. 2 1999: 46–47

Bibliography

• Gutman, Pamela (2001). Burma's Lost Kingdoms: Splendours of Arakan. Bangkok: Orchid Press. ISBN 974-8304-98-1.
• Sandamala Linkara, Ashin (1931). Rakhine Yazawinthit Kyan (in Burmese). 1–2 (1997–1999 ed.). Yangon: Tetlan Sarpay.