Maha Yazawin Kyaw

Yazeinda Yazawara Mandani (Rājinda Rājavara Maṇḍanī), or more commonly known as Maha Yazawin Kyaw (Burmese: မဟာ ရာဇဝင်ကျော်, pronounced [məhà jàzəwɪ̀ɴ tɕɔ̀]; lit. "Great Celebrated Chronicle"), is a Konbaung period national chronicle of Burma (Myanmar). The chronicle is very similar to Hmannan Yazawin, the official chronicle of Konbaung Dynasty, except for its more sympathetic treatment of the last Toungoo kings.[2]

This article is about a national chronicle written in the Konbaung period. For the 15th century chronicle, see Yazawin Kyaw.

Maha Yazawin Kyaw

Author	Monywe Zetawun Sayadaw
Original title	ရာဇိန္ဒ ရာဇဝရ မဏ္ဍနီ Yazeinda Yazawara Mandani[1]
Country	Kingdom of Burma
Language	Burmese
Series	Burmese chronicles
Genre	Chronicle, History
Publication date	1831–1832[2]
Media type	Parabaik paper

Brief

The chronicle had already been in the works in May 1829 when its author Monywe Zetawun Sayadaw, a Buddhist monk and one of the "most learned scholars" of the day was tapped by King Bagyidaw to head the Royal Historical Commission of Burma. The commission was asked to write a new official chronicle. The Sayadaw had already written an abridged chronicle in 1810, and Maha Yazawin Kyaw was intended to be a comprehensive national chronicle.[2] For the next three years and four months, the monk and the commission worked on compiling the new chronicle.[3]

While working on Hmannan, the monk however disagreed with other members of the commission on their portrayal of the last Toungoo kings. He felt that the existing assessments of the Toungoo kings by the Konbaung historians were too harsh and unwarranted. Though he was the head of the commission, his views did not prevail. The monk continued to work with the commission to the completion of the chronicle but also completed his own version c. 1831–1832 before Hmannan was officially completed. Aside from its more sympathetic narrative of the late Toungoo period, Maha Yazawin Kyaw does not differ much from the rest of Hmannan.[2]

See also

• Burmese chronicles

Notes

1. Maung Maung Tin Vol. 1 2004: 16
2. Thaw Kaung 2010: 53–55
3. Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: vi

References

• Maung Maung Tin (1905). Konbaung Hset Maha Yazawin (in Burmese). 1–3 (2004 ed.). Yangon: Department of Universities History Research, University of Yangon.
• Royal Historical Commission of Burma (1829–1832). Hmannan Yazawin (in Burmese). 1–3 (2003 ed.). Yangon: Ministry of Information, Myanmar.
• Thaw Kaung, U (2010). Aspects of Myanmar History and Culture. Yangon: Gangaw Myaing.