Thagyamin

A statue of Thagyamin at the Kyauktan Yay-Le Pagoda.

Thagyamin (Burmese: သိကြားမင်း, pronounced: [ðədʑámɪ́ɴ]; from Sanskrit ၐကြ Śakra), is the highest-ranking nat in traditional Burmese Buddhist belief. Considered king of the second heaven above Catumaharcika, he is derived from the Buddhist deva Śakra and the Hindu deity Indra.^[1]

Description

Thagyamin is often portrayed as holding a conch shell in one hand, and a yak-tail fly-whisk in the other, and seated or standing atop a three-headed white elephant (similar to the Thai Erawan).^[1] He is described as the ruler of the deva plane of existence, called Trāyastriṃśa (တာဝတိံသာ).

He was designated the preeminent of the official pantheon of 37 atet nat (အထက်နတ်) by King Anawrahta in the 11th century, in an effort to streamline animist practices among the populace and merge these practices with Theravada Buddhism. He is the only nat in the official pantheon not to have undergone a sudden and violent death, called a "green" or "raw" death (စိမ်းသေ).

Gallery

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  A portrayal of the King of Nats, Thagyamin

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  Thagyamin at the Shwedagon Pagoda

References

1. Hla Tha Mein. "Thirty-Seven Nats". Yangonow. Retrieved 2006-07-03.