Setkya Dewi

Thiri Pawara Atula Tilawka Maha Yazeinda Adhipati Yadana Dewi (Pali: Sīripavara Atulatiloka Mahārājindādhipati Ratanādevī; Burmese: သီရိပဝရ အတုလတိလောက မဟာရာဇိန္ဒာဓိပတိ ရတနာဒေဝီ; born Supaya; 23 December 1813 – 12 November 1876), commonly known as Setkya Dewi (Burmese: စကြာဒေဝီ; Pali: Cakrādevī), was the chief queen of Mindon Min of the Konbaung Kingdom from 1853 until her death in 1876. A daughter of Tharrawaddy Min, she was designated Princess Tabindaing (chief queen designate) during her father’s reign and held the senior female position at court under both Tharrawaddy and Mindon.

Educated at the Amarapura court, Setkya Dewi was noted for her learning in astrology, traditional Burmese Bedin, the Vedas, Western astronomy, and the English language. British contemporaries described her as an erudite “bluestocking”, and foreign envoys frequently presented her with scientific and astronomical instruments. As Thameedawgyi (princess royal) and Hnamadaw (king's sister), she acted as a political adviser, held extensive appanages, and uniquely received the Jīvita Dāna (Life Release) honour, which empowered her to commute death sentences.

Following Mindon Min's accession in 1853, Setkya Dewi was installed as his chief queen consort and crowned alongside him in 1857. As queen, she played a central role in the ceremonial and religious life of the Konbaung court, participating in major coronation rites, merit-making projects, and acts of royal clemency. She died in 1876 after a prolonged illness and was honoured with a state funeral and a royal tomb within the grounds of the Mandalay Palace.