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{{Short description|Polity in upper Myanmar (1365–1555)}}
{{Hatnote|"Ava Kingdom" was also a name commonly used for Burma under the [[Toungoo Dynasty]] and the [[Konbaung Dynasty]].}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=hist|アヴァ王朝|date=September 2025}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox country
|native_name = အင်းဝပြည်
|conventional_long_name = Ava Kingdom
|common_name = Ava Kingdom
|era =
|status = Kingdom
|event_pre = {{nowrap|Thado Minbya seized [[Sagaing Kingdom|Sagaing]]}}
|date_pre = {{nowrap|by 30 May 1364}}
|event_start = Kingdom of Ava founded
|year_start = 1365
|date_start = 26 February
|event_end = {{nowrap|Toungoo conquest}}
|year_end = 1555
|date_end = 22 January
|event1 = {{nowrap|[[Saw Omma of Pinya|Saw Omma's rebellion]]}}
|date_event1 = September 1367
|event2 = {{nowrap|[[Forty Years' War]]}}
|date_event2 = 1385–1424
|event3 = {{nowrap|Start of [[Mohnyin Thado|House of Mohnyin]]}}
|date_event3 = {{nowrap|16 May 1426}}
|event4 = {{nowrap|[[Toungoo dynasty|Toungoo]] secession}}
|date_event4 = {{nowrap|16 October 1510}}
|event5 = {{nowrap|Start of [[Confederation of Shan States|Shan period]]}}
|date_event5 = {{nowrap|14 March 1527}}
|p1 = Pinya Kingdom
|flag_p1 =
|p2 = Sagaing Kingdom
|flag_p2 =
|s1 = Toungoo Dynasty
|flag_s1 =
|s2 = Prome Kingdom
|flag_s2 =
|image_flag =
|flag =
|flag_type =
|image_coat =
|image_map = Burma in 1450.png
|image_map_caption = Ava {{circa|1450}}
|symbol =
|symbol_type =
|capital = [[Sagaing]]<br>[[Pinya]]<br>[[Inwa|Ava]]
|common_languages = [[Burmese language|Burmese]], [[Shan language|Shan]]
|religion = [[Theravada Buddhism]]
|government_type = Monarchy
|leader1 = [[Thado Minbya]]
|year_leader1 = 1364–1367
|leader2 = [[Swa Saw Ke]]
|year_leader2 = 1367–1400
|leader3 = [[Minkhaung I]]
|year_leader3 = 1400–1421
|leader4 = [[Mohnyin Thado]]
|year_leader4 = 1426–1439
|leader5 = [[Thohanbwa]]
|year_leader5 = 1527–1542
|leader6 = [[Sithu Kyawhtin]]
|year_leader6 = 1551–1555
|currency = Silver
|legislature = None (Rule by decree)
| today = [[Myanmar]]
}}
{{Contains special characters|Burmese}}
{{History of Burma}}

The '''Ava Kingdom''' ({{langx|my|အင်းဝပြည်}}, {{IPA|my|ʔɪ́ɰ̃wa̰ kʰɪʔ|pron}}; INN-wa pyi) also known as '''Inwa Kingdom''' or '''Kingdom of Ava''' was the dominant kingdom that ruled [[upper Burma]] ([[Myanmar]]) from 1365 to 1555. Founded in 1365, the kingdom was the successor state to the [[petty kingdom]]s of [[Myinsaing Kingdom|Myinsaing]], [[Pinya Kingdom|Pinya]] and [[Sagaing Kingdom|Sagaing]] that had ruled central Burma since the collapse of the [[Pagan Kingdom]] in the late 13th century.

Like the [[History of Myanmar#Small kingdoms|small kingdoms]] that preceded it, Ava may have been led by [[Bamar people|Bamarised]] [[Shan people|Shan]] kings who claimed descent from the [[Pagan Kingdom|kings of Pagan]].<ref name=mha-84-103>Htin Aung 1967: 84–103</ref><ref name=app-63-75>Phayre 1883: 63–75</ref> Scholars debate that the Shan ethnicity of Avan kings comes from mistranslation, particularly from a record of the Avan kings' ancestors ruling a Shan village in central Burma prior to their rise or prominence.<ref>Aung-Thwin 2010: 881–901</ref>

==Names==
The [[Burmese language|Burmese]] name for the Kingdom is '''{{lang|my|အင်းဝနေပြည်တော်}}''' (Inwa Naypyidaw) which is equivalent to '''Ava Kingdom''' in [[English language|English]] language.

== History ==
The kingdom was founded by [[Thado Minbya]] in 1364<ref name="Coedes">Coedès 1968: 227</ref> following the collapse of the Sagaing and Pinya Kingdoms due to raids by the [[Shan States]] to the north.

In its first years of existence, Ava, which viewed itself as the rightful successor to the Pagan Kingdom, tried to reassemble the former empire by waging constant wars against the [[Mon people|Mon]] [[Hanthawaddy kingdom]] in the south, the Shan States in the north and east, and [[Rakhine State]] in the west.<ref name="mha-84-103" />

While it was able to hold [[Taungoo]] and some peripheral Shan States ([[Kalaymyo]], [[Mohnyin]], [[Mogaung]] and [[Hsipaw]]) within its fold at the peak of its power, Ava failed to reconquer the rest. The [[Forty Years' War]] (1385–1424) with Hanthawaddy left Ava exhausted. From the 1420s to early 1480s, Ava regularly faced rebellions in its vassal regions whenever a new king came to power. In the 1480s and 1490s, the [[Prome Kingdom]] in the south and the Shan states that were under the sway of Ava in the north had broken away, and the [[Toungoo dynasty|Taungoo dynasty]] became as powerful as its nominal overlord Ava. In 1510, Taungoo also broke away.<ref name=mha-84-103/>

Ava was under intensified Shan raids for the first quarter of the 16th century. In 1527, the [[Shan States#Confederation of Shan States|Confederation of Shan States]], led by the state of Mohnyin in alliance with Prome, sacked Ava. The Confederation placed nominal kings on the Ava throne and ruled much of Upper Burma. As Prome was in alliance with the Confederation, only the tiny Taungoo in the southeastern corner, east of the Bago Yoma mountain range remained as the last holdout of the independent kingdom.

The Confederation's failure to snuff out Taungoo proved costly. Surrounded by hostile kingdoms, Taungoo took the initiative to consolidate its position, and defeated a much stronger Hanthawaddy in 1534–1541. When Taungoo turned against Prome, the Shans belatedly sent in their armies. Taungoo took Prome in 1542 and [[Bagan]], just below Ava, in 1544.<ref name=app-100-101>Phayre 1883: 100–101</ref> In January 1555, King [[Bayinnaung]] of the Taungoo dynasty conquered Ava, ending the city's role as the capital of Upper Burma for nearly two centuries.

[[File:AVA KINGDOM.jpg|thumbnail|center|Kingdom of Ava in 1368]]

== Capital ==
{{Main|Inwa}}

[[Thado Minbya]] founded the city of [[Inwa|Ava]] (modern day Inwa) and consecrated it as Ratanapura, the City of Gems, which was to remain the [[List of capitals of Myanmar|capital of Myanmar]] more or less continuously until the mid 19th century.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Aung-Thwin |first=Michael |title=Myanmar in the fifteenth century : a tale of two kingdoms |date=2017 |isbn=978-0-8248-7411-7 |location=Honolulu |pages=53–70 |oclc=990802695}}</ref> The city was designed according to the traditional principles of Burmese city design, which had existed since at least the [[Pyu city-states|Pyu period]]. Ava was the first Burmese city to be entirely walled, with an inner citadel and an outer civilian city. Ava's citadel is probably the only barrel shaped city in the world. According to legend the outline of the city walls was intended to replicate the appearance of a mythical Burmese Lion, a [[Chinthe]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Hla |first=U Kan |date=1978 |title=Traditional Town Planning in Burma |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/989177 |journal=[[Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians]] |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=92–104 |doi=10.2307/989177 |jstor=989177 |issn=0037-9808 |access-date=15 February 2023 |archive-date=10 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110233900/https://www.jstor.org/stable/989177 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Cooler |first=Richard M. |year=2002 |title=The Post Pagan Period – 14th To 20th Centuries. Part I |url=http://www.seasite.niu.edu/burmese/cooler/Chapter_4/Part1/post_pagan_period__part_1.htm |publisher=Northern Illinois University |access-date=15 February 2023 |archive-date=6 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206015924/http://www.seasite.niu.edu/burmese/Cooler/Chapter_4/Part1/post_pagan_period__part_1.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> What is certain is that Ava, or at least its inner citadel, is designed to replicate the Buddhist universe in miniature. The palace was constructed in the very centre of the citadel, which according to traditional principles of Burmese city design, corresponds to the location of the Buddha, therefore directly associating the King with the Buddha himself. This conferred upon the King a divine status and the palace as a religious centrepiece.<ref name=":2" /> The palace was specifically designed to emulate the highly auspicious [[Mount Meru]] in [[Hinduism|Hindu]]-[[Buddhism|Buddhist]] belief. The kingdom and its power emanated directly from the city as a mandala, encircling the entirety of the world (in theory) and therefore the city was a cosmological centre of a divinely ordained kingdom.<ref name=":1" />

During the reign of [[Swa Saw Ke]], a council was convened at Ava which was attended by the King, members of the [[Sangha]], [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese]] monks, and [[Brahmin|Brahmins]].<ref name=":1" /> In one inscription the city was said to be as pleasant as [[Trāyastriṃśa|Tavatimsa]], the most important of the Buddhist heavens which also served as the model for the earthly realm of Burmese kingdoms.<ref name=":1" /> Swa Saw Ke was known as an intellectual king who encouraged scholarly endeavours and the city was said to be full of intelligent conversation.<ref name=":1" />

== Legacy ==
Ava's most notable legacy was its contribution to [[Burmese literature|Burmese vernacular literature]] which flourished during this period. Literature moved from being written predominantly in [[Pali]] to using the vernacular [[Burmese language]]. Ava was a highly literate society with poetry being composed by people from all levels of society, such as a village headman of Palaung in 1355, who inscribed verse onto stone.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Aung-Thwin |first=Michael A. |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvvn2pv |title=Myanmar in the Fifteenth Century: A Tale of Two Kingdoms |date=2017 |publisher=University of Hawai'i Press |isbn=978-0-8248-6783-6 |pages=166–183 |jstor=j.ctvvn2pv |access-date=15 February 2023 |archive-date=19 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519112253/https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvvn2pv |url-status=live }}</ref> Inscriptions in classical Burmese during both the Bagan and Ava periods written by commoners and nobles appear at a ratio of 3:1 in favour of the commoners.<ref name=":0" />

Elaborate use of simile, metaphor, and other literary devices abound in Burmese verse, especially in the works of Shin Maharattathara.<ref name=":0" /> One of these works rejects the comforts of marriage and secular life for that of a forest ascetic. The following is a translation by Dr. Hla Pe, John Okell, and Anna Allott:

<blockquote>The maiden I marry shall be a forest dwelling, one that befits a hermit, far from the approach of men; she will tend to all my needs and will always keep me fed, with forest fruits for rice, and forest fruits for curry. I shall have Wisdom for my washing-water, for it cleanses the dirt of greed, hatred, and ignorance; and when I have neatly tied the ascetic's knot in my hair, I shall bedeck it with Faith for a garland; the fragrance of Meditation shall be my sandalwood, and I shall anoint myself with the sweet-smelling and cooling juice of aloes. ... I shall wear the priceless and costly garment of the Law.<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>

==See also==
* [[Burmese monarchs' family tree#Ava (1364–1555) and Prome (1482–1542)|Ava kings family tree]]
* [[Kingdom of Mrauk U]]
* [[List of Burmese monarchs#Ava (1364–1555)|List of monarchs]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite journal |last=Aung-Thwin |first=Michael |date=2010 |title=The Myth of the 'Three Shan Brothers' and the Ava Period in Burmese History |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |publisher=Cambridge University Press |volume=55 |issue=4 |pages=881–901 |doi=10.2307/2646527 |jstor=2646527 |s2cid=162150555 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite book |last=Coedès |first=George |title=The Indianized States of Southeast Asia |year=1968 |edition=1967 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |location=}}
* {{cite book | last = Harvey| first = G. E.| title = History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824 | publisher=Frank Cass & Co. Ltd | year = 1925| location = London}}
* {{cite book | last=Htin Aung | first=Maung | title=A History of Burma | publisher=Cambridge University Press | location=New York and London | year=1967 }}
* {{cite book |last=Phayre |first=Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur P. |title=History of Burma |year=1967 |orig-year=1883 |location=London |publisher=Susil Gupta}}

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{{Burma (Myanmar) topics}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ava, Kingdom of}}
[[Category:Ava dynasty|*]]
[[Category:1364 establishments in Asia]]
[[Category:14th century in Burma]]
[[Category:14th-century establishments in Burma]]
[[Category:1550s disestablishments in Asia]]
[[Category:15th century in Burma]]
[[Category:16th century in Burma]]
[[Category:Burmese monarchy]]
[[Category:Former countries in Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of Asia]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of Southeast Asia]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1555]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1364]]

Kingdom of Ava - Revision history

Hayat hospital at 16:02, 14 November 2025