Thonbanhla (Burmese:သုံးပန်လှ,[θóʊɰ̃báɰ̃l̥a̰];lit. 'Beautiful in Three Ways') is the fifth of the official 37nats in the Burmese pantheon. She is often associated with extraordinary beauty, tragedy, and divine transformation.[1]
According to legend, Thonbanhla was the younger sister of the natMaung Tint De (also known as Maung Tintala). After her family was involved in a dispute, she fled to Rakhine, where the Rakhine king adopted her as his daughter. Later, she married KingSmim Htaw Yama ofUtthala and gave birth to a daughter,Shin Mi-hnè. On a journey to Tagaung to visit relatives, she fell ill and died at Tapa Taung Ri, west of Inwa, and was then deified.[2][3]
Some legends state that after her death, her daughter Shin Nemi (also called Shinnae Mi) missed her so deeply that she too died as a child in Daung Ri village, becoming a nat herself.[4]
Thonbanhla is typically portrayed standing atop anogre who bends over a dais supported by anelephant. Her hair is braided into a topknot. She places her right hand on her chest and lets her left arm fall gracefully by her side. In some depictions, she stands on a giant elephant-shaped seat, with a detailed headdress and ornamental features symbolizing her nobility and sorrow.[1]
