Thakin Kodaw Hmaing

Maung Lun, writing as Thakin Kodaw Hmaing, was born on March 23, 1876. As a nine-year-old novice monk at Mandalay Palace, he witnessed the heartbreaking sight of King Thibaw and Queen Supayalat being escorted away into British exile in 1885—an indelible tragedy that fueled his lifelong anti-colonial resistance.

Adopting the defiant prefix 'Thakin' ('Master', previously reserved for British colonialists), Hmaing wrote satirical rhymed epistles (Tika) that inspired the Dobama Asiayone nationalist generation. In the post-war era, he headed the Internal Peace Movement, tirelessly mediating between the government and ethnic insurgencies. His mausoleum sits near the Shwedagon Pagoda.