Sokkate (, ; 29 March 1001 – 11 August 1044) was king of Pagan dynasty of Burma (Myanmar) from 1038 to 1044. The king lost his life in a one-on-one combat with Anawrahta, who succeeded him and went on to found the Pagan dynasty.[Coedès 1968: 133, 149]
According to the chronicles, Sokkate was a son of King Nyaung-u Sawrahan whose reign was usurped by King Kunhsaw Kyaunghpyu. Kunhsaw married Nyuang-u's three chief queens, two of whom were pregnant and subsequently gave birth to Kyiso and Sokkate. Sokkate and Kyiso were raised by Kunhsaw as his own sons. When the two sons reached manhood, they forced Kunhsaw to abdicate the throne and become a monk. When Sokkate became king after Kyiso's death in a hunting accident, he took one of Kunhsaw's queens who had given birth to Anawrahta. When Anawrahta came of age, he challenged Sokkate to single combat, and killed the king.[Htin Aung 1967: 31]
Dates
Various chronicles do not agree on the dates regarding his life and reign.
[Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 347] The oldest chronicle
Zatadawbon Yazawin is considered to be the most accurate for the Pagan period.
[(Maha Yazawin 2006: 346–349): Among the four major chronicles, only Zatadawbon Yazawin's dates line up with Anawrahta's inscriptionally verified accession date of 1044 CE. (Aung-Thwin 2005: 121–123): In general, Zata is considered "the most accurate of all Burmese chronicles, particularly with regard to the best-known Pagan and Ava kings, many of whose dates have been corroborated by epigraphy."] However,
Zata itself is contradictory in its reporting of Sokkate's birth date: its regnal list and horoscope sections report different birth dates.
[Zata 1960: 39, 63] The table below lists the dates given by four main chronicles, as well as
Hmannan's dates when anchored by the Anawrahta's inscriptionally verified accession date of 1044. The length of reign is given as 6 years by
Zata but according to the other chronicles, it was
Kyiso, the predecessor, who ruled for six years.
[ Moreover, according to Hmannan, Sokkate was three months younger than his half-brother Kyiso.][Hmannan Vol. 1 2003: 227]
|
|
| Zatadawbon Yazawin (List of Pagan monarchs section) | 1000–1044 | 44 | 1038–1044 | 6 |
| Zatadawbon Yazawin (Horoscope section) | 18 April 991–11 August 1044 | 53 | 1038–11 August 1044 | 6 |
| Maha Yazawin | 951–1002 | 51 | 977–1002 | 25 |
| Yazawin Thit and Hmannan Yazawin | 965–11 January 1018 | 52 | 992–11 January 1018 | 25 |
Accession
Sokkate succeeded his brother Kyiso at age 36 c. 1 April 1038.[Based on Zata's reporting per (Zata 1960: 63), he came to power at age 36 in year 400 ME. It means he came to power between the new year's day of 400 ME (25 March 1038) and the day before his 37th birthday, 8 April 1038 (2nd waxing of Kason 400 ME).]
Notes
Bibliography
