When a Burmese king died, his royal white umbrella was broken and the great drum and gong at the palace's bell tower (at the eastern gate of the palace), was struck.[1] It was custom for members of the royal family, including the king, to be cremated: their ashes were put into a velvet bag and thrown into the river.[2] King
Mindon Min was the first to break tradition; his remains were not cremated, but instead were buried intact, according to his wishes, at the place where his tomb now stands.[2] Before his burial, the King Mindon's body was
laid in state before his throne at the Hmannandawgyi (Palace of Mirrors).[3][4]
List of tombs
Amarapura
Tomb of King
Bodawphaya (Amarapura) – King Bodawpaya reigned from 1781 to 1810, i.e., for 38 years. His was the longest reign among the kings of the Konbaung dynasty. He is remembered in history as the builder of the gigantic
Mingun Pagoda, to which he dedicated a huge bell, which is the second largest in the world. His body was burnt on the site of the so-called "tomb," and the ashes were placed in a velvet bag and thrown into the
Irrawaddy River.[5]
Tomb of King Bagyidaw (Amarapura) – Bagyidaw was a grandson of Bodawpaya, being the son and heir of the
Einshemin, who conquered
Arakan in 1784 and brought away to Amarapura the celebrated
Mahamuni image, the palladium of the
Rakhine people. Bagyidaw was under the influence of Nanmadaw Me Nu, his notorious chief queen and her brother Minthagyi Maung O, through whose intrigues and machinations the
First Anglo-Burmese War broke out in 1824. He reigned from 1819 to 1837. His body was cremated on the site of his "tomb" and the ashes were thrown into the Irrawaddy River.[5]
Tomb of King
Tharrawaddy Min (Amarapura) – Shwebo Min was the father of Kings Pagan and Mindon, and reigned from 1837 to 1846. He rebelled against his brother, Bagyidaw, and deposed him. His body was cremated on the site of his "tomb" and the ashes were thrown into the Irrawadd River.[6] A wooden structure with a corrugated iron roof was constructed over the tomb. The structure was dismantled and replaced with a masonry
pyatthat at a cost of 1,183 rupees.[7]
Tomb of King Mindon's mother (Amarapura) – Erected in 1852. The old queen died just before the accession of her son, who was the wisest ruler of the Konbaung dynasty.[8]
Mandalay
Tomb of King
Mindon Min – King Mindon died in 1878. He was the tenth of the Konbaung dynasty, which was founded in 1753. Before he died, he left instructions that his body should be buried and not cremated, thus violating the time-honoured custom of burning the dead bodies of the members of the royal family. The mausoleum erected over his remains within the
Mandalay Palace enclosure is a good specimen of Burmese work in glass mosaic.[9]
Tomb of Queen
Hsinbyumashin –
Hsinbyumashin, the only daughter of the notorious
Nanmadaw Me Nu, chief queen of King
Bagyidaw, was the second queen of Mindon and mother-in-law of
Thibaw. She died at Rangoon in 1900, and her body was permitted to be buried near Mindon's tomb.[9]
Tomb of Medawgyi, mother-in-law of Mindon – Medawgyi, mother-in-law of Mindon, was the mother of King Pagan. She died in 1874.[9]
Tomb of Nanmadawgyi – Nanmadawgyi, daughter of Medawgyi referred to in No 4, was the chief queen of Mindon. She was a wise princess and was learned especially in history and astrology, and was the constant adviser of her husband. She died in 1876 and was buried in the palace stockade. Her tomb was the third erected within the sacred precincts of the palace, the first being that of the Myauknandaw Queen, the favourite wife of King Mindon, and the second being No. 4.[9]
Tomb of Medawgyi (Laungshe Queen), Queen of Mindon – The
Laungshe Mibaya was a queen of Mindon and mother of King Thibaw. She was of Shan extraction, being a descendant of a daughter of the Sawbwa of Thibaw (Hsipaw). As queen dowager she enjoyed some power, and a White House was built for her residence. She died in 1881, that is, three years after the accession of her son.[10]
Shwebo
Tomb of King
Alaungpaya – His remains were interred at
Shwebo.[7] In 1898, a wooden
pyatthat was erected over his tomb, and a marble tombstone was laid on the tomb at a cost of 833 rupees.[11]
Ratnagiri
Tomb of King
Thibaw – His remains are interred at a tomb in
Ratnagiri, along with his second consort, Supayagalay.[12] Descendants of the royal family announced in April 2017 to plan a mausoleum for Thibaw at
Mandalay Palace.[13]