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Nyaung-u Sawrahan (Burmese:ညောင်ဦး စောရဟန်း,pronounced[ɲàʊɰ̃ʔúsɔ́jəháɰ̃]; alsoTaungthugyi Min c. 924–1001) was king of thePagan dynasty ofBurma (Myanmar) from c. 956 to 1001. Although he is remembered as theCucumber King in theBurmese chronicles based on a legend, Sawrahan is the earliest king of Pagan whose existence has been verified by inscriptional evidence.^[1] According to scholarship, it was during Sawrahan reign that Pagan, then one of several competing city-states in Upper Burma, "grew in authority and grandeur".^[2] The creation ofBurmese alphabet as well as the fortification of Pagan may have begun in his reign.^{[note 1]}

Despite the historical importance, the king's reign is recorded in the chronicles with what has been identified as a legend by scholarship. According to the legend, Sawrahanusurped the throne from KingTheinhko. Once a farmer, Nyaung-u killed Theinhko when he stole acucumber from his field. Nyaung-u Sawrahan was accepted as king by the queen to prevent unrest in the kingdom and became known as Taungthugyi Min (Cucumber King orFarmer King;တောင်သူကြီးမင်း).^[3] The story is likely a fairy tale. There are at least three other versions—an exact parallel in the Burmese fairy tale "PrincessThudhammasari" and two variants in Cambodian history, one in the eighth and another in the 14th century. KingNorodom Sihanouk used to claim descent from the gardener to show proximity to his people.^[4]

Nyaung-u Sawrahan was overthrown byKunhsaw Kyaunghpyu, who in turn was overthrown by Nyaung-u's sonsKyiso andSokkate.

Various chronicles do not agree on the dates regarding his life and reign.^[5] The oldest chronicleZatadawbon Yazawin is considered to be the most accurate for the Pagan period.^{[note 2]} The table below lists the dates given by four main chronicles, as well asHmannan's dates when anchored by the Anawrahta's inscriptionally verified accession date of 1044.^[5]

• Aung-Thwin, Michael (1985).Pagan: The Origins of Modern Burma. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.ISBN 0-8248-0960-2.
• Aung-Thwin, Michael A. (2005).The Mists of Rāmañña: The Legend that was Lower Burma (illustrated ed.). Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.ISBN 9780824828868.
• Harvey, G. E. (1925).History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10 March 1824. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd.
• Kala, U (1724).Maha Yazawin (in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (2006, 4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
• Lieberman, Victor B. (2003).Strange Parallels: Southeast Asia in Global Context, c. 800–1830, volume 1, Integration on the Mainland. Cambridge University Press.ISBN 978-0-521-80496-7.
• Royal Historical Commission of Burma (1832).Hmannan Yazawin (in Burmese). Vol. 1–3 (2003 ed.). Yangon:Ministry of Information, Myanmar.

• Pagan dynasty
• 920s births
• 1001 deaths
• 10th-century Burmese monarchs
• 11th-century Burmese monarchs
• Usurpers

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• Short description matches Wikidata
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• CS1 Burmese-language sources (my)