Salwe

Salwe (Burmese: စလွယ်, [səlwɛ̀]) are issues for Burmese orders. A salwe is a shoulder-belt formed with metal chains, normally fashioned in gold or silver, which are fastened in four places, in shields or bosses, and worn over the shoulder like an officer's sash.[1]

For the Polish chess player, see Gersz Salwe.
Salwe on Mindon Min's shirt

The Burmese monarchy used the salwe was purely secular, as it was used to recognize merit and service to the state.[1]

Etymology and origins

The Burmese language word salwe စလွယ် is a corruption of the Hindi term janeu (जनेऊ).[2] Janeu (also known as upanayana) in Hindi, refers to a sacred investiture or Brahminical cord found in the higher castes of Hindu society.[3]

It is of ancient Burmese origin.[1] The salwe is referenced in the Salwedin Sadan (Book of the Order), a Burmese text that states the number of salwe cords that members of each of the four Hindu varnas wore:

  1. Rulers (Khattiya) - 9 cords[1]
  2. Ritualists (Brahmana) - 6 cords[1]
  3. Merchants (Vessa) - 1-3 cords[1]
  4. Commoners (Sudda) - none[1]

Usage
Salwe as seen at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka.

The number of strands or threads indicate rank in the order.[1] The salwe was worn as a symbol of high character, to maintain the purity of character of one's family or caste.[1]

During the Konbaung Dynasty, high-ranking ministers with immunity from various forms of execution (thetdawshay) also wore salwe of 18 strands.[1] The following is a list of Konbaung-era grades and corresponding number of salwe strands conferred:

Grades during the Konbaung Dynasty[1]
GradeNumber of Strands
King24
Crown Prince21
Shan Sawbwas, Princes of the Blood18
Shan Myosas, other Royal Family Members15
High-ranking Ministers (Mugyi, Matgyi)12
Lower-ranking Ministers (Mulat, Matlat, Mu-nge, Matnge)3-9

Current usage

The following salwes are currently issued by the Government of Burma:

gollark: mDNS probably.
gollark: > though.<|endoftext|>Maybe it's some sort of bizarre optimization mechanism, but not a declarative statement.<|endoftext|>I mean, it's a not-based thing.<|endoftext|>It's not really a huge problem though.<|endoftext|>https://i.redd.it/iwd0fxjhon8zq0fwgQyQh21.jpg<|endoftext|>I'd prefer the 3G version but discord's nitpicking seems to be annoying.<|endoftext|>I think there's a better way to do it, but I can't really help you much.<|endoftext|>I will probably just replace my Discord bot with a closed timelike curve, but I don't know if there's a good way to do that.<|endoftext|>I'm not sure if it's going to be very hard to make it work right, but I suppose it would be way more annoying.<|endoftext|>I mean, I don't know if it actually works, and I can't really make it work properly right now, as it's just a really simple and simple one.<|HIGHLY advanced artificial intelligence.
gollark: I "know" "JavaScript", yes.
gollark: You may have accidentally routed all traffic the wrong way, or something.
gollark: They did make an ARM chip one time.

References
  • Myanmar–English Dictionary. Myanmar Language Commission. 1993. ISBN 1-881265-47-1 http://sealang.net/burmese. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  • Scott, James George; Hardiman, John Percy (1900). Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States. 2. Rangoon: Government of Burma.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

See also
  1. Scott & Hardiman 1900, p. 134.
  2. MLC 1993.
  3. Scott & Hardiman 1900, p. 135.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.