Legend Of Ancient Princess Thone Pan Hla Who Is Believed To Haunt Pyay In Myanmar

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - In the village of Ko Gyi Myoke, in Myanmar, there is an abandoned monastery. It is the site of princess Thon Pan Hla's burial. Legendary princess Thone Pan Hla is just as feared as respected among the villagers, who believe her spirit still haunts Pyay.

Thon Pan Hla’s shrine remains an object of devotion. Image credit: The Myanmar Times

The story of princess Thone Pan Hla is sad and tragic. Instead of having a wonderful life ahead of her, this beautiful young woman ended her days too soon due to envy.

The legend of princess Thone Pan Hla has a lasting legacy. Her memory is still kept alive by people who live in the small village near the ancient Pyu-era capital of Thayekhittaya.

According to an ancient legend, princess Thone Pan Hla was a beautiful woman who shone like gold in the morning. Her kingdom was in the Nattalin in the Bago region. She was to be married to King Duttabaung, the grandson of the great King Naga Naing.

The king was handsome. She loved him and looked forward to their union that would bring peace throughout the realm. Unfortunately, life was not easy for the young princess because the king's consorts were jealous of her beauty and conspired against her. They told Duttabaung that her loveliness was a magic trick and that she resembled a horrible ogre. In a cruel play on her name, they convinced him that she even assumed her true form three times a day: "three times pretty."

An abandoned monastery stands in Ko Gyi Myoke village, the site of Princess Thon Pan Hla’s burial. Photos: Thiri Lu / The Myanmar Times

The king was naïve and believed what he had been told. He became convinced his future wife was nothing more than a deception, so he had her driven from his door sight unseen.
The sad princess walked back, full of self-doubt. She paused on the way home to dig in the swampy ground with her bare hands to see her face in the water. Meanwhile, King Duttabaung realized his error and set after her, but it was too late.

Princess Thone Pan Hla died before the king could reach her, pining away in a forest. Heartbroken, he built her a tomb on the spot where she died, housing her loyal servants in a village around it.

The village was named Ko Gyi Myoke - "where the body is buried" - in the ancient land of Mhaw Zar.
The story of the princess's fate has been kept alive among locals. Villagers believe that if her spirit is treated with respect, good health and bountiful harvests will follow, but the penalty for disrespecting the princess is leprosy.

Nobody speaks ill of Princess Thone Pan Hla, particularly around Ko Gyi Myoke village, where the burial mound can still be seen.

People regularly make offerings, and villagers from Mhaw Zar and Mu Htaw villages collect donations to fund a ceremony of worship for Thone Pan Hla, held on the eve of the full moon day of Waso.

Written by - Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com 

Updated on January 6, 2023

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