Thamala
Mon · mortal · Mon traditional religion; continuing · Recorded classification
Thamala is the elder of the two princely brothers of the Hanthawaddy founding legend, sprung in tradition from the royal line of Thaton. Sailing the gulf, they came upon a small island in a lake where a hen sheldrake stood upon the back of the cock for want of room, the very omen the Buddha was said to have foretold, and there founded the city of Haṃsāvatī, 'she who bears the hamsa', the future Pegu. The chronicles make Thamala the first to reign but recount a bitter rivalry with his brother over the throne, a discord that colours the Mon memory of their old capital.
Domains
- city foundation
Powers
- found the city of Hanthawaddy
Relations
- sibling: WimalaThe two founding princes, brothers of Thaton stock.R. Halliday (trans.), 'Slapat Rajawan', Journal of the Burma Research Society 13 (1923) (primary)
- rival: WimalaThe chronicles recount contention between the brothers over the throne of the new city.G. E. Harvey, History of Burma (London: Longmans, Green, 1925) (secondary)
Sources
- Thamala, with his brother Wimala, founded Hanthawaddy (Pegu) on the site foreshadowed by a pair of hamsa birds, traditionally in 573 CE.: R. Halliday (trans.), 'Slapat Rajawan Datow Smim Ron', Journal of the Burma Research Society 13 (1923) (primary); Donald M. Stadtner, Sacred Sites of Burma (Bangkok: River Books, 2011) (secondary)