
Rajadhirat
Rajadhirat was a
Mon king known for his military prowess.
Rajadhirat succeeded his father
Binnya U as ruler of
Pegu after a
succession struggle in
1383. He unified
Lower Burma during the 1380s. From
1385 to his death around
1421, Rajadhirat's kingdom of Pegu and the kingdom of
Ava in
Upper Burma most notably during the reign of King
Minhkaung were engaged in a continual state of warfare known as the Forty Year Mon-Burmese War described in the chronicle
Yazadiyit Ayeidawbon in
Burmese. The use of
scorched earth tactics by both sides was a prominent feature of this warfare.
Rajadhirat's daughter became the Mon Queen
Baña Thau (Burmese: Shin Saw Bu) several years later and reigned in relative peace starting a revival in
Theravada Buddhism.
The story of Rajadhirat's reign is recorded in a classic epic that exists in both
Mon language and
Burmese language forms. During the reign of the Thai king
Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1782-1809), this epic was translated into the
Thai language by court minister and author
Phra Khlang and is well-known in Thailand even today.