Bawlawkyantaw

Who is Bawlawkyantaw?

Bawlawkyantaw was the eldest son and first child of King Razadarit of Hanthawaddy Pegu. The prince is best known for his famous oath before his execution on the orders of his father that he shall be reborn to fight against his father if he were innocent. The people of Hanthawaddy and the people of rival Kingdom of Ava widely believed that Prince Minyekyawswa of Ava was the reincarnation of Bawlawkyantaw, fulfilling the prophecy of the oath.

Razadarit ordered the execution of his own son at a young age because he was afraid that the young prince would later raise a rebellion against him. Razadarit had driven the prince's mother Queen Talamidaw to commit suicide, and feared that the young prince would one day avenge for his mother's death. Razadarit, who was never his father's favorite, himself had raised a rebellion against his own father, King Binnya U when he was only 15. Razadarit was in Bassein when he ordered the execution of his son, who was in Pegu. It was 1390. The king's executioners took Bawlawkyantaw to the Shwemawdaw Pagoda. The young prince was imprisoned for three days at the pagoda during which he was said to have reread the Abhidhamma.