Narathu of Pinya

Who is Narathu of Pinya?

Narathu of Pinya was the penultimate king of Pinya Kingdom from 1359 to 1364. Narathu, the third son of King Kyawswa I, succeeded his brother King Kyawswa II in March 1359 just as Shan raids from the north began to intensify. His Pinya and cross river rival Sagain kingdoms came under repeated raids by the Shans.

In 1364, Narathu thought he had a plan to defeat his arch-rival Sagaing and the pesky Shan raiders from the north. He made an alliance with Saopha of Mogaung to jointly attack Sagaing. However, when the Mogaung forces attacked Sagaing, Pinya armies simply watched from the other side. Unfortunately for Narathu, his plan backfired. Mogaung armies sacked Sagaing without Pinya's help, and turned their aggression to Pinya for his betrayal. The Shan forces then crossed the river, and sacked the city of Pinya. Narathu was captured, and brought back to Mogaung as prisoner. He is known in Burmese history as Maw-Pa Min.

The Shans did not occupy central Burma but left Pinya and Sagaing after their raids, leaving in their wake a central Burma in tatters. Narathu's eldest brother, Uzana II succeeded the Pinya throne but lasted for only three months.