Ruling Years : A.D (1084 - 1113)
King Kyanzittha was one of the most famous Bagan
Kings. He was born on 21 July 1030. The parents are not definitely known
but as the legend say, King Anawrahta and Queen Pyinsa Kalayarni gave
birth to him. King Kyanzittha was also said to be blessed by Lord Vishnu
and also known to be a divine of him.
King Kyanzittha had four queens, known as Abeyadanar,
Mani Sandar, Thanbulla, and Khin Tan. Abeyadanar was the daughter of the
Chief of Parainma Village. She was a friend of King Kyanzittha from
childhood and became his first love. They had a daughter called Shwe Ein
Si. Princess Shwe Ein Si fell in love with the Prince Parikhayar of
India. When King Kyanzittha came to know about this affair, he strictly
prohibited his daughter to have a relationship with a foreigner.
Finally, King Kyanzittha gave his daughter to the son of the late King
Saw Lu, Prince Sawyun.
Mani Sandar was also known with many names as Khin Oo,
U Saut Pan, Tri Lawka Wathan Dhaka Devi. Mani Sandar was the queen of
King Anawrahta as well as King Saw Lu.
King Kyanzittha had to run away twice from the
country because of the love affairs between them. The first time when
King Kyanzittha had to run away from Bagan, he met a girl named
Thanbulla in a small village called Kyaung Phyu. King Kyanzittha and
Thanbulla had a son called Raza Kumar, meaning the son of a King. Prince
Raza Kumar donated his villages to pagodas and carved a stone tablet
describing about his life and the sympathetic feelings between him and
his father.
Khin Tan was the daughter of the Chief of Htee Hlaing
Village. When King Kyanzittha had to fight against the enemies of Ngaye
Mankan, Htee Hlaing villagers supported him with their help. So after
the disruptions, he accepted Khin Tan as his queen. After King
Kyanzittha gained the crown of Bagan, Thanbula and her son Raza Kumar
came to Bagan. But at that time, King Kyanzittha has already distincted
the crown prince as the grandson Alaung Sithu. During the reign of King
Kyanzittha, the Mon culture were influncing the Bagan regions.
This can be known by looking at the stone tablets
found from those age. Most of the stone tablets are carved in Mon. King
Kyanzittha constructed and donated the famous Ananda Pagoda in A.D 1091.
It is known to have the size of 200 square feet, and constructed in a
cross design. The Lord Buddha's 550 life images are also portrayed in
the temple. There are four 31 feet tall Buddha Images on each side of
the temple. King Kyanzittha also built the new Palace of Bagan in A.D
1101. There was the main building in the center and was surrounded by
many small building, monuments on the other four sides. The construction
of the city took about six months. The detail construction of the palace
was preserved on a stone tablet written in Mon. During King Kyanzittha
reign, he sent a group of diplomats to China.