King Mindon Min (1808 – 1878), the penultimate ruler of an independent Myanmar kingdom, was a popular ruler who, together with his capable younger brother, managed to successfully defend his territory against British encroachment. They also modernized much of the kingdom and were feared–or at least respected–by the British, who did their best to be rid of both of them.

But King Mindon’s heart was with the Buddha.

Instead of living in the royal palace with his many wives and children, King Mindon lived in a monastery he constructed nearby. It was built entirely of teak, beautifully carved inside and out, and covered in gold leaf. Although much of the exterior carvings have weathered, the beauty of the structure is still evident today.

Have I said that the wood-carving is exquisite? Take a look at a few close-ups.

Inside, the ornate carving is better preserved, and the gold leaf that gave the monastery its name (Shwenadaw = Golden Palace) is still evident. Slender teak columns support a stunningly high ceiling.

King Mindon is also famous for convening a council of Buddhist leaders from all over the world to review and agree upon the Buddhist canon of laws (the Tripitaka). To commemorate this accomplishment, the King built a temple–the Kuthodaw Pagoda–where each of the 729 pages of the final version of the book is inscribed in marble and enshrined separately, each in its own small stupa surrounding a central pagoda. (I don’t think the electric halo was an original from King Mindon’s time.)

Alas, the ending of this story is a sad one. Although King Mindon survived a coup attempt by the British, his younger brother and heir Kanaung did not. Two of his own sons conspired against him in this attempt, resenting that Kanaung had been named heir and not them. And so the King was reluctant to name another heir after Kanaung’s death.

When he was old, his principal wife had designs on the throne for herself and her daughter, but alas, a woman could not inherit. And so she (the Queen) married her daughter to one of the King’s sons by another wife and systematically set about to murder all of his other sons who might be possible heirs. King Mindon survived all of his sons but the one.

And so the son/son-in-law did inherit the throne, becoming the last king of independent Burma, King Thibaw Min. He was a weak king, much dominated by his wife and mother-in-law. It wasn’t long before the British defeated him (in the third Anglo-Burmese war, 1885), ending Burma’s independence.