Setkya Dewi

Setkya Dewi was born Supaya on 23 December 1813^[1] at the House of Thayet in the Amarapura Palace, Amarapura, during the reign of her great-grandfather King Bodawpaya.^[2] Her father, the Prince of Thayet (later Tharrawaddy Min),^{[nb 2]} was a son of Crown Prince Thado Minsaw, Prince of Shwedaung, and the Princess of Taungdwingyi.^[3] Her mother, the Princess of Kyapin, was the daughter of Thiha Thura Maha Dhamma Yaza, Viceroy of Pagan, and Min Shwe Nan, a daughter of Hsinbyushin and his chief queen.^[3] Setkya Dewi had seven siblings, five of whom died young; her elder brother was Pagan Min, who later abdicated in favour of her husband, Mindon Min.^[4] She and her husband were also half-siblings, as Mindon Min was a son of Tharrawaddy Min and the Queen of the Southern Palace.^[4]

Setkya Dewi was educated at home, and her strongest subject was astrology.^[5] She studied both the traditional Burmese Bedin and the Vedas.^[6] She learned English under her grandfather, the Prince of Mekkhaya,^[7] and acquired knowledge of Western astronomy from Charles Lane, an English merchant.^[7] She was highly regarded by British visitors, who frequently brought her gifts related to her scientific interests.^[5] In a letter to Major Arthur Phayre on 21 May 1853, Lord Dalhousie described her as "the Queen with such very blue stockings".^[8] When Phayre arrived at the Amarapura court on 17 September 1855, he presented her with a telescope.^[9][10]

Upon the abdication of Setkya Dewi's paternal uncle Sagaing Min following a forty-day^[11] palace revolution that began on 24 February 1837,^[12] her father ascended the throne on 30 April that year.^[13][14] Setkya Dewi consequently assumed the position of Thameedawgyi^{[nb 3]} (the equivalent of Princess Royal).^[15] On 31 May 1837, she was granted the appanages of Sagaing, Myede, Kyangin, Dala, and Tharrawaddy.^{[nb 4][17]} At her father's Rājjābhiseka coronation ceremony, held from 10 to 12 July 1840—a date chosen by her^[6]–Setkya Dewi was conferred the title Thiri Pawara Tilawka Yadana Mingala Dewi (Pali: Sīripavara Tiloka Ratanā Maṅgalā Devī; Burmese: သီရိပဝရ တိလောကရတနာ မင်္ဂလာဒေဝီ).^[18] She was styled Princess Tabindaing and her father designated her as the future chief queen of the next monarch.^{[2][nb 5]}

Acting as an adviser to her father,^[19] Setkya Dewi was bestowed the newly established honour of Jīvita Dāna (Burmese: အသက်ဒါနဆု, Athet Dāna Hsu; lit. 'Life release award'). This distinction conferred upon her the authority to grant clemency to individuals sentenced to death, particularly those prosecuted as political prisoners during succession crises.^[20][21] She retained this prerogative into the reign of Mindon Min.^[2] She was the first and only princess in Burmese history to receive such an honour.^[6] Through her intervention, approximately fourteen people were absolved of their guilt,^[7] including Sagaing Min,^[2] Myawaddy Mingyi U Sa,^[22] Hsinbyumashin,^[23] Yaw Mingyi U Pho Hlaing, and Hlaing Hteik Khaung Tin.^[24]

Ear-boring ceremony

A festival honouring the kaṇṇavijjhana maṅgalā (ear-boring ceremony) of Setkya Dewi was held from 8 to 28 November 1840 in Amarapura, beginning with a Thingyandaw bathing rite.^[25] At around 8:00 a.m. on 11 November, a ceremony performing the ear-boring, hair-knotting, shawl-wrapping, and necklace-wearing rites for Setkya Dewi took place before the Bhamarāsana Throne in the Glass Palace.^[25] Her maids of honour were the Princesses of Hlaing, Pindale, Yinge, Taungtha, Nyaung-oke, and Saw-hla. A simultaneous hair-knotting and ear-boring service was conducted for the Princes of Padein, Tayoke-myaw, and Mindat.^[25]

As part of the ceremony, forty-two prisoners were released. Bolts of paso, gaung baung, and cotton cloth were distributed to princes, ministers, counsellors, su-yays,^{[nb 6]} and su-gaings.^{[nb 7]} Additionally, pasos, htameins, gaung baungs, scarves, and towels were given in charity to attendees.^[25] On 28 December 1840, at the Southern Samote Hall,^{[nb 8]} food offerings were made to 1,200 monks from surrounding kyaungs. Further offerings were made to 1,000 monks on 3 January 1841.^[26]

Setkya Dewi's brother Pagan Min acceded to the throne following their father's death on 17 November 1846,^[27] and Setkya Dewi therefore became Hnamadaw^{[nb 9]} while retaining her position as Princess Tabindaing.^[28] At the opening ceremony of the royal hti and throne on 27 February 1847, she was granted the appanages of Sagaing, Singu, Kyaukmyaung, Myede, Kyangin, Tharrawaddy, Dala, and Taungoo.^[29] The King further entrusted her with the duty of caring for the Queen Mother on his behalf.^[30][31] Maha Thiha Minhtin was appointed hnamadaw-wun^{[nb 10]} to serve as her private secretary.^[30][31]

In the aftermath of the Second Anglo–Burmese War, Mindon Min ascended the throne following a succession conflict with his half-brother Pagan Min. Mindon Min and his brother Kanaung Min, accompanied by their immediate family and retainers,^[32] left the capital through Laygyun Gate of the northernmost front moat after 6 p.m. on 18 December 1852.^[33] They fled to Shwebo, the ancestral seat of King Alaungpaya,^[34] arriving shortly after midday on 21 December 1852.^[35]

The succession dispute was resolved on 17 February 1853,^[36] with Pagan Min being overthrown and placed under house arrest.^[32] Setkya Dewi, the Queen Mother, Ayeedaw^{[nb 11]} Myingun Mibaya, Thiri Tilawka Maha Yadana Dewi, and the Princesses of Hlaing, Pindale, and Yinge were brought to pandals in the court of Shwebo on 10 March 1853.^[37] Around 1:36 a.m. on 26 March, Setkya Dewi was installed as the chief queen consort in front of the Great Audience Hall.^[37] During the ugindaw bwint (lit. 'opening of the royal palace') ceremony of 16 June 1854 at the Amarapura Palace, she assumed the regnal title Thiri Pawara Maha Yazeinda Yadana Dewi.^[38] She was two years older than her husband, and Mindon Min referred to her affectionately as Amadaw or Ma-phaya (lit. 'Royal elder sister').^[2] Mindon Min and Setkya Dewi's coronation ceremony was held on 14 May 1857 at the newly built Mandalay Palace.^[39]

On 26 August 1876, Setkya Dewi fell ill the day after accompanying her husband on a visit to the royal gardens by royal boat.^[40] She had previously fallen ill on 7 August that year but recovered after ten days.^[40] This second illness proved more serious. Eight physicians, together with her personal doctors Naymyo Thekka Nawratha and Meikhtila Saya, attended her.^[40] Their work was supervised by Mingyi^{[nb 12]} Maha Mingaung Thinkhayar, Myosa (Duke) of Hlaingtet and Wundauk^{[nb 13]} of Kinnzin,^{[nb 14]} and Mingyi Minhla Maha Sithu, Myosa of Wetmasut and minister for Shwepyi.^{[nb 15][40]} Later, a German physician, Minkyaw Theiddi Bithekka Pyinnnyar, who served as minister for forestry, was added to the medical team.^[41] The Myosas of Yaw and Myothit presented the Queen with eight golden htis, which her brother Pagan Min, the former king, brought to the southern royal garden where she resided.^[42]

As acts of merit for Setkya Dewi's recovery, a budget of 170,000 kyats was allocated from the royal treasury. Sixty-five bridges were repaired, and sixty-five prisoners were released.^[41] Beginning on 2 October 1876, daily food offerings were made to sixty-five monks at the Zetawun Hall.^[41] Ten sayadaws from the city presided over a three-day recitation of the Paṭṭhāna, Bojjanga Sutta, and Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, which Setkya Dewi listened to attentively.^[41] The Queen died on 12 November 1876 at around 11:06 a.m., reportedly while listening to the recitations of the sayadaws.^[42]

Setkya Dewi's remains were prepared for lying in state, overseen by her husband, her brother Pagan Min, and her sister the Queen of the Western Palace.^[42] Her body was placed in the coffin on 14 November.^[42] A statue of Setkya Dewi was created under the supervision of the Myosa of Khanpet, using 5.55 viss of gold.^[43][44] Mindon Min himself supervised the daily construction of the royal tomb in the northern royal garden, and the Myosas of Khanpet and Hlaingtet were instructed to oversee the work.^[43]

The procession to the royal tomb took place on 2 December 1876. The bier was carried first by the elder princes to the Western Samote Hall, including the Princes of Thonze, Mekkhaya, Nyaungyan, Nyaungok, and Thibaw.^[43] From there, it was borne by the Princes of Taungnyo, Myinsaing, and Htantabin and other sons and grandsons of Kanaung Min to the royal tomb.^[45] From the tomb itself, the body was carried by the Queen of the Central Palace, the Queen of the Western Palace, and other mibayas and princesses to the funeral pyre.^[45] Mindon Min held royal audience at the royal tomb for three months following her death^[45] and thereafter wore white cloth exclusively.^[44]

Her personality and role were adapted into a character in the Thai television drama The Royal Fire, where she was portrayed as Queen Sekkharadevi by Priyanuch Panpradab in 1996 and by Chiranan Manochaem in 2017.^[46]