Yawnghwe ယွင်ႈႁူၺ်ႈ |
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Princely State of the Shan States | |||||
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Yawnghwe State in brown in a map of the Shan States | |||||
Historical era | British Raj | ||||
• | Foundation of the city of Yawnghwe | 1359 | |||
• | Abdication of the last Saopha | 1959 | |||
Area | |||||
• | 1901 | 2,241 km2(865 sq mi) | |||
Population | |||||
• | 1901 | 95,339 | |||
Density | 42.5 /km2 (110.2 /sq mi) |
Yawnghwe (Shan: ယွင်ႈႁူၺ်ႈ), known as Nyaungshwe (Burmese: ညောင်ရွှေ) in Burmese, was a Shan state in what is today Myanmar. It was one of the most important of the Southern Shan States. Yawnghwe state included the Inle Lake. The administrative capital was Taunggyi, located in the northern part of the state. The Agent of the British government, the Superintendent of the Southern Shan States, resided at Taunggyi and the king's palace was at Yawnghwe.
According to tradition in very distant antiquity there was a predecessor state in the area named Kambosarattha.
The city of Yawnghwe, which gave name to the state, was founded in 1359 by two mythical brothers, Nga Taung and Nga Naung, who arrived from Tavoy (Dawei) and were allowed to build a capital by a prince who ruled the region. The brothers brought 36 families from Tavoy and established themselves in the new city.
Yawnghwe included the subsidiary states of Mawnang (Heho), Mawson, Loimaw, Loi-ai and Namhkai. Historically the majority of the population in the state belonged to the Intha, Pa-O, Danu, Shan and Taungyo people groups.
The state of Yawnghwe formally accepted the status of British protectorate in 1887.
Sao Shwe Thaik was the first president of the Union of Burma and the last Saopha of Yawnghwe he married Sao Nang Hearn Kham of the royal family of North Hsenwi. His residence in Yawnghwe town, the Haw, is now the "Buddha museum" and is open to the public.