Mya Kaytu’s Nan Dalei Hmat Tan King -  Mindon's Daily Ritual: Table of Contents Number 21

Translated by Kyaw Myaing

Subject: Mya Kaytu’s Nan Dalei Hmat Tan – Royal customs by Mya Kaytu Publisher: Hnalone Hla Sarpei Phyant Khyi Yei (Hnalone Hla Publishers) First Printing (December, 1966 – 2000 copies) Second Printing (December , 1971 – 2000 copies Address: No.5, 100 Street, Kandawgalay Post Office, Phone: 12971, Yangon,

Myanmar Myakaytu is the “non de plume” or pen name of U Chan Mya, Professor for Burmese at Mandalay Arts and Science University. His other pen name is “Yuzana.” While performing his duties as Professor for Burmese he taught not only the best examples of ancient Burmese writings but also discussed and taught contemporary Burmese literature.

From the time that a genre of literature called “dawning of a new age” (Khit Hsan Sar Pei) came into being, Myakaytu has been writing many articles and other literary pieces till the time of his death. His works included articles, novels, pieces about Myanmar language and culture, research articles and poems. Out of all his literary pieces “Nan Dalei Hmat Tan” (Royal customs) is the most well-known.

In writing this book Myakaytu based his writings on the lectures of Sayagyi Shwe Pyi U Ba Tin, interviews with U Ba Tin and other elders who lived during the Yadanapon period and the notes he had made from his extensive reading of Myanmar history and literature. In Myanmar literature, books and literary pieces written about Royal customs have not been that many. It is true, there had been “In Yone Sardan”, “Shwe Pon Ni Dan”, “Hluttaw Hmat Tan”, “Shwe Nan Thone Wawhara Abidan”. Thus Myakytu’s Nan Delei Hmat Tan has become a very popular book among those who wish to know and do research about Myanmar royal customs.

At present, this book is out of print and I was fortunate enough to have seen a copy of this book during my recent visit to Myanmar in 2006. What I have now is a photo copy of this book obtained only because my good friend allowed me to make a photo copy of his book for my research and reading pleasure. In this book, Myakaytu has written 39 very interesting articles about the Myanmar court during the Yadanapon period (this is the period when the Burmese royal capital was in Mandalay and during that time Mandalay was known as Yatanapon Myo. Yadanapon means – a heap of gems). I will make an attempt to translate all the articles in this book for the benefit of those researchers who have not yet laid eyes on the actual hard copy of this book.

Table of Contents  

1.History of pagoda slaves and liberation.

2.Min Yin Naratheinkha’s Ahteindaw

3 Pagan and Shin Maha Kassapha

4.Nartaung Mya Min

5.Maung Ma Hnoke set

6.Ancient Universities

7.How scholars are chosen in ancient times

8.Burmese Thingyan

9. Ancient custom for capturing wild elephants

10.Royal ceremony for inspecting horses

11.Farm workers of the royal lands

12.Royal tea server

13.Commander of the Royal Guards

14.Royal plowing ceremony

15 Tin Tein Yan Hmu (in charge of interior decoration at the court)

16.King, Monk and Court Poet

17.Protector of the Sasana and King Mindon

18.King Mindon and a piece of dried fish

19.King Mindon’s sweet heart Mae Thei

20.King Mindon and three stanzas of a poem

21.Kind Mindon’s daily ritual

22.Three Meetings with princes

23.Hluttaw

24.Sartaw Wun U Khei (Court official in charge of the Kings meals)

25.Royal physicians

26.Two persons who received King Mindon’s favors

27.King Mindon and Pakhan Mingyi

28.Ministers would not bend their decisions to please the King

29.Minister for Kalas (Minister in charge of foreigners)

30.Residence for Foreign Envoys during the Amarapura period

31.Ceremony for presentation of diplomatic documents

32.King Mindon and Bearer (not sure of spelling)

33.Travelers who came to Burma in ancient times

34.Views of the colonialists regarding Burmese military strategy

35.The end of the underwater bombs 36.Ranong Maung Toke

37.Achoke Tan Saya Pe 38.Lottery during King Thibaw’s reign

39.The King will pay all debts

To enable the reader to get a taste of Myakaytu’s mastery of his subject matter and the depth of his knowledge of Myanmar history, especially the periods spanning King Mindon’s reign and King Thibaw’s reign I have chosen and translated one article entitled “King Mindon’s daily ritual”.

Please read this article presented below. “It is certain that the citizens would think that the King who rules their country leads a peaceful life of luxury and ease, partaking all kinds of sensual pleasures in the Golden Palace free from worries and cares. However, this is not the case. The King does not enjoy sensual pleasures in any manner more than the average citizen. Kings have to attend morning meetings and evening meetings to discuss matters of state, consult state matters with his ministers and give decisions on grave and minor matters. By reading the details about King Mindon’s daily ritual, I am sure the reader will become aware that the king’s day passes much too quickly and that he does not have much time to indulge in the pleasures of the royal palace. Before I write about the King’s daily ritual, it will be necessary for me to provide an explanation about how the royal chambers are situated.

Since there are eight royal thrones and nine chambers, the chamber where King Mindon resides is the chamber where the Bamaya Thana Palin supported by carvings of bees. This chamber is also called the Glass Palace. The chamber where the King stays most of the time is the chamber to the north of the Bamaya Thana Palin Saung (the chamber where the Bamaya Thana Palin is situated). It is called the “Golden Chamber” and all courtiers know this when the name “Golden Chamber” is referred to.

This chamber called the “Golden Palace” is very wide and is therefore divided into the East wing, the West wing etc. The East wing is called “Hlaung Taw Oo Khaung”. The king uses this room for night time meetings with his court officials to discuss important matters of state. There are also chambers in the East wing. This is where the chief queen resides in the day time. During the night time only the lesser queens from the Eastern chambers come to see to the needs of the king. In the south side of the “Golden Palace” there is one chamber which the king uses as a meeting place. This is called the “Southern Golden Palace”. The king uses this place to have his morning meetings at 9:00 a.m. with his ministers.

Close to this “Southern Golden Palace” there is one chamber. This is called the “Small Southern Golden Palace”. This is where the king spends his time reading. When the king goes to this chamber none of his queens accompany him. However, when the king goes to other chambers, one of his queens always accompanies him. The queens do this in turns. Close to the West Wing there is a chamber called the Treasury chamber. This is where all the personal articles of the king are kept. Here are kept his royal clothes, gold and silver articles and precious jewels. One of the king’s favorite queens acts as the royal treasurer. This queen who acts as royal treasurer keeps the golden key and at night has to sleep at the foot of the king’s bed. She does not return to the Western palace but stays beside the king day and night.

To the north of the “Golden Palace” one can find the Sandalwood Palace. This palace as the name implies is made of sandalwood. This is where the king rests and enjoys the cool breeze and the sweet smell of fragrant flowers from the royal garden. Royal toilet chambers are attached to each of the said royal chambers but the king rarely uses them. He only uses the royal toilet chamber attached to his bed chamber. Thus the king’s daily routine begins at 5:30 a.m. and ends at 11:00 p.m.

5:30 a.m. The king usually wakes up before the Royal Drum strikes four. It is about 5:30 a.m. according to the western clock. He does not go out of his mosquito net as soon as he wakes up. He sits up and lets the queens know that he is awake by making sounds. The queens who have to sleep beside his bed have to wake up earlier than the king to prepare all the things they need to prepare for the daily ritual. Then the queens enter the mosquito net and after undressing the king rub him with scented oils made from various flowers such as jasmine and gamones. The oil for the king’s hair and the oil for the body are kept separate. These scented oils are prepared in the Western palace by the queens themselves. They also use kadoe powder and powers made from flowers to rub the king’s body. The king does not take a bath every day so it is necessary to rub him with scented jasmine oil to make his body fragrant. This takes about half an hour.

6: 00 a.m. At this time, the king’s masseuse gives the king his morning massage. This massage is a light massage just to relieve him of muscular aches and pain. It is not a heavy massage. At 6: 15 a.m., the king gets up from his bed (called a Thalun) and goes to the toilet chamber. One of the queens have to accompany him in turns daily. The toilet chamber is big. It is about 15 feet all around. About 10 feet from the toilet hole in the floor there are water pots, pillows and towels. If there were any bad news to be submitted to the king, he has to be informed when he comes down from his toilet chamber. If there has been a death in the king’s family, he has to be informed at this time.

A death warrant from the Byetaik from the king’s minister has to be read to the king when he comes down from his toilet chamber. If the king says “let him live”, then the death warrant has to be postponed and the case has to be resubmitted to the king. If he does not say anything and turns away, then the death warrant issued by the Byetaik becomes confirmed. Thus it takes about half and hour. 6: 30 a.m. After coming down from the toilet chamber, the king does not return to his bed chamber but goes on to another chamber. This is where he is presented with water to wash his face. In Burmese it is called “myet hnar thit taw ye” (literally meaning royal water to wash the face). It is the custom for the princes to offer the king’s toilet water and his tooth brush every morning. (The tooth brush is made from the twig of a certain tree).

It is said that the Metkhaya Prince offers the king’s toilet water every day. This is the time for the king to meet his sons and gives them guidance and advice. The chief queen always attends to this ritual. After that the king’s long hair gets the daily brushing and grooming. Only the chief queen gets the privilege of doing this ritual. No other queen is allowed to touch the king’s hair. After the chief queen passed on, King Mindon would brush his hair by himself and he would put scented oil in his hair. He then ties his hair in a knot and makes sure that it is upright.

7:00 a.m.

At 7:00 a.m. the king returns to his Golden Palace chamber and changes his royal clothes. His favorite color is plain pink. Then he goes into the altar room to pray for about half an hour.

7:30 a.m. At this time he has his lunch. The food has to be presented by his queens and princesses. The princesses have to kneel by his side and recite the Buddhist scriptures while the king is having his meal. Mostly they have to recite the Satipatanna and Duthtan Kamahtana. The chief queen stays nearby and serves food to the king. At this time all the court ladies and all the queens wait on the king. They all have to come in turns. If a certain queen was not feeling well, she is allowed to stay behind in her chamber. If certain queens or princesses are absent at this time, it was customary for the king to ask about them. This takes about half and hour.

9:00 a.m. When the central royal drum beats one, it is 9:00 a.m. according to the western clock. The King leaves his Golden Palace chamber and leaves for the south audience chamber of the Golden Palace to have his morning meeting. At this meeting the King’s ministers submit all matters relating to the administration of the country in detail. The chief queen and other lesser queens who wait on the King in turns are permitted to attend this morning meeting. Other lesser queens are permitted to return to their respective chambers as soon as the King’s morning meal is over. The duty for the queens to attend on the King begins from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This is the day shift. The evening shift begins from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. At the morning meeting telegrams, dispatches brought by couriers, foreign affairs and other important matters are discussed. Then other matters which are of lesser importance are discussed. There is no fixed time for the meeting to adjourn. Sometimes the meeting may take longer and end at around 11:00 a.m.

11:00 a.m. After the morning meeting it is time for the King to have his desserts and other delicacies. The lesser queens who are on duty wait on the King and serve him the desserts. The courtiers who are in charge of the King’s kitchen have to make all necessary preparations to provide the cups, saucers and dishes and send them to the King’s chamber. After the meal, the King would spend some time with his queens engaging in polite conversation. This is the time for the King to take is mid-day short rest. He spends his time with his queens to discuss private family matters.

12:30 p.m. After his meal of delicacies and sweets, the King goes to the southern palace for reviewing his troops. This is the time for the King to meet his top military commanders and discuss defense and military matters. Here all his land, navel forces and commanders from border areas are included. Here all matters relating to military appointments, movement and deployment for border troops, review and appraisal of the military and defense situation and enemy military deployments and movements are discussed. This takes about one or two hours.

2:00 p.m. This is the King’s free time. After reviewing the troops and discussing military matters, the King would proceed to his private chambers for his bath and taking care of his personal cleanliness and toilet needs. He then goes to the royal library. This is where all types of books, manuscripts and parabeiks are kept. The King only uses the white parabeiks. The letters are written with black ink. He also uses ornamented with lacquer and gold. He spends a great deal of time regularly reading the jataka tales and other important literary works. None of his queens are allowed to accompany the King when he goes to the royal library.

4:00 p.m. At this time the King finishes his reading and goes to the southern chamber to have his dinner prepared by the chief queen. Just like in the morning time all his lesser queens on duty and princesses attend on the King. The princesses would read out the Satipatana scriptures while kneeling respectfully nearby. The dinner would take about one hour. After his dinner, it was customary for the King to share some of the dishes with his favorite princesses and those princesses noted for their good conduct and behavior.

5:00 p.m. After finishing his dinner the King goes to the Sandal wood chamber. This is the place where the King enjoys the cool evening breeze and gets his rest and relaxation. The Royal dancers from the dance troupe accompanies the King to this chamber and entertains his Majesty with their “Anyeint” dance performances, musical instruments and songs. Some times the King would spend his time having conversation with the Royal writers called “Sarsodaws”.

Some times the King would listen to the reports of his Royal spies and listens to their reports in detail. These matters would include what actions need to be taken immediately and certain things that might prove a danger to the Kingdom. He also listens to corruption cases where high level Ministers might be involved. If there is a need for immediate action, he would give a Royal Command for the matter to be brought forth at the morning “Nyi Lar Kan” or Inner Council Meeting.

6:00 p.m. At this time His Majesty moves from the Sandal wood chamber to the Chamber situated at the front of the Royal Palace. There he attends the Night Inner Council Meeting. This meeting is not attended by all Ministers or junior ministers. This meeting is attended only by Ministers with portfolio. It is also attended junior court officials called “Atwin Wuns” and “Wuns”. Except for Ministers of the Hluttaw, other court officials and courtiers have to take turns and sleep within the inner chambers of the palace on alternate days as their “Night Sleeping Duty”. The duty list is read out right after the Night Inner Council Meeting. The meeting ends at 9:30 p.m.

9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. After the Night Inner Council Meeting His Majesty goes to the chamber of his Chief Queen at the western part of the Royal Palace and enjoys the dessert dishes prepared by the Chief Queen. After about half an hour the King changes into his night clothes and moves to the Royal Bed Chamber.

10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. In the King’s Bed Chamber special courtiers known as the “Royal Readers” (Sar Taw Phat) have to read to the King Buddhist scriptures such as “Pahtana pitaka” and “Thuraza Magga Dipani”. When the King is ready to go to sleep the Royal Readers have to leave the Royal Bed chamber as silently as possible with the Buddhist scripture books close to their chests.

On Sabbath days Sabbath days are days for the King to rest. He does not perform any duties but takes a good rest. On these days His Majesty receives specially invited Sayadaws in a chamber called the “Baun Taw Saung”. He takes his precepts and listens to the religious sermons there. At this time the King would ask any questions relating to the Sarsana to the Sayadaws and discuss these matters with them. The King also listens to the reports of the “Lu Pyan Taws” and discusses with them any matters that tarnishes the image of the  Sarsana. His Majesty listens carefully, takes note and takes appropriate action. In this manner, King Mindon would perform his daily Royal duties without any complaint.

This article has been written by referring to the “Shwe Nan Twin Atthoke Patti Thuwuddana Sardan, “Hluttaw Mhat Tan” and the “Myanmar Minmya Okechoke Pon Sardan”. Note: Translation completed on 6 February 2008.