Thurathadi

Thurathadi (Burmese: သူရဿတီ; also spelled Thuyathadi or Thayéthadi) is a goddess in the Buddhist pantheon of Myanmar. She is one of the higher nats and guarding the Buddhist scriptures and promoting the welfare of scholars and writers.[1][2][3][4]:215 Students in Myanmar pray for her blessings before their exams.[4]:327[5] Her origins are said to be derived from the Hindu goddess Saraswati, the consort of Brahma.[6][7]

Thurathadi (Saraswati) at the Kyauktawgyi Buddha Temple (Yangon).

Iconography

Thurathadi is represented by riding on the side of the golden Hintha with her legs dangling off the side. She carries one or more Tipitaka books in her right hand.[8]

Origin and legend

According to legend, she is often equated with Saraswati from the Hindu religion. However, Thurathadi has a number of her own stories and has long been worshiped in Myanmar since the Pagan dynasty. In Myanmar, the Shwezigon Mon Inscription near Bagan, dated 1084 AD, recites the name Saraswati as follows:

"The wisdom of eloquence, called Saraswati, shall dwell in the mouth of King Sri Tribhuwanadityadhammaraja at all times." – Translated by Than Tun[9]

According to legend, she will be the mother of both the future king and his bride Mya Sein Yaung. She was also told that she would be reborn as a male and a Buddha. At a Bo Bo Aung shrine near Bagan, the statue of Thuyathadi riding her golden Hintha Bird is found just behind and to the side of the weizza's image. Thuyathadi is a very important nat in Myanmar, ranked and honored as one of the five great devas, and the oldest of all the nats. After the god Thagyamin, she is considered the most important supporter of the religion. Claim for her support of gaing beliefs in weizzas would seem designed to stress the higher Buddhist motivation of the weizzas. Because she guards the Buddhist scriptures—a traditional source of occult lore—and was once in India the goddess Saraswati, who was accredited with inventing Sanskrit, her reputed patronage adds both a Buddhist and scholarly air to weizza affairs.[10][11][12]

  • Statue of Thurathadi at Mount Popa
  • Thurathadi (Saraswati), Sandi (Chandi), Paramethwa (Shiva), Mahapeinne (Ganesha), Beikthano (Vishnu) in Burmese representation
  • Thurathadi painting at the Wat Buddhayapatitharam Temple, Malaysia

See also

References
  1. Chew, Anne-May. The Cave-temples of Po Win Taung, Central Burma: Architecture, Sculpture and Murals. White Lotus Press. ISBN 978-974-480-045-9.
  2. Myanmar (Burma). Lonely Planet Publications. ISBN 978-0-86442-703-8.
  3. Silverstein, Josef (1989). Independent Burma at forty years. Monograph Southeast Asia Program. 4. Cornell University. p. 55. ISBN 978-0877271215.
  4. Seekins, Donald (2006). Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar). ISBN 978-0810854765.
  5. Badgley, John H.; Kyaw, Aye. Red peacocks : commentaries on Burmese socialist nationalism. Readworthy. ISBN 978-93-5018-162-1.
  6. "BG1899". tuninst.net.
  7. "Saraswati: Beyond myths and legends". The Statesman. 3 March 2019.
  8. Ferguson, John P. Essays on Burma. Brill Archive. ISBN 978-90-04-06323-5.
  9. Than Tun (December 1976). "Saraswati of Burma" (PDF). South East Asian Studies. 14 (3): 433–441. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 December 2014.
  10. Scott, Sir James George. The Burman: His Life and Notions. Macmillan and Company, limited.
  11. Maung, Shwe Lu. Burma, Nationalism and Ideology: An Analysis of Society, Culture, and Politics. University Press. ISBN 978-984-05-1114-3.
  12. Silverstein, Josef. Independent Burma at Forty Years: Six Assessments. Southeast Asia Program. ISBN 978-0-87727-121-5.
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