Ma Mya Lay, the queen of the West Palace, was the most beloved queen of the king during the reign of Shwe Bo Min (Tharavati Min). Among the queens, she was also an ordinary queen with the most beautiful appearance.
The queen of the West Palace, ‘Ma Mya Lay’, was born in Hinthata City in 1171. Her parents are ‘Min Kyu Chi’ and ‘Mai Yi’. She was called ‘Mya Mya’ because of her beautiful appearance.
In 1188, when Ma Mya Lay reached the age of 17, Prince Tharavati, who had come from Eva to sign the Rantapo Treaty with the English, saw Ma Mya Lay and took her as his concubine.
From then on, she became the most cherished concubine of Prince Tharavati under the name “Mya Kale, Mistress of Shwe Longtai”.
‘Ma Mya Lay’, who had a passion for music since she was a child, devoted herself to studying music all the time during her life as the prince’s concubine.
Other music enthusiasts in the court were Myawati Mingyi Oo Sa, and Prince Pyay, the eldest son of the Prince of Tharavati.
At the age of 24, she gave birth to her daughter, Hlaing Htate Khao Tin, who is also known as “Ma Bao Kyi”, who is very skilled in music.
When she was 28 years old, in 1199, Prince Tharavati overthrew his brother King Sagaing and ascended the throne as the eighth king of the Konbaung dynasty.
He gave her the city of “Hinthata” and made her the queen of the West Palace.
The title is “Sri Mahasutadarana Sandadevi”.
Her daughter ‘Ma Bao Gyi’ was also given the title of “Shri Thuyatt Devi” and the city of ‘Hlaing’ was named ‘Hlaing Tung Khao Tin’.
The queen of the West Palace, ‘Ma Mya Lay’, was about 32 years old when King Tharavati was diagnosed with mental illness, and the disease gradually worsened.
His son, the prince Pyay, thought that he would usurp his throne and ascend the throne with his queen, Ma Mya Lay, so he imprisoned Ma Mya Lay. Then Ma Mya Lay wrote and sent the poem “All Love”.
The king was feel pleasant and called back.
Soon after, the king lost his mind and killed some of the deputies with spears. The nearby guard was also cut with a knife. Suspecting that they would rebel, the prince and his other 4 sons were beaten to death with a bamboo stick. The queen ‘Ma Mya Lay’, who was not of the royal family, was trampled to death by an elephant.
King Tharavati had only 9 years of reign, but during his reign, he had executed two queens.
The first queen was ‘Shin Minnu’, the queen of his brother Sagaing Min, who was killed when he ascended the throne.
The second queen is his most beloved queen ‘Ma Mya Lay’. 1 year after the death of ‘Ma Mya Lay’, King Tharavati had to die of madness.
