U Nu
U Nu was the first Prime Minister of Burma after the 1947 Constitution of the Union of Burma was passed. U Nu was a devout Buddhist and he tried to establish Burma as a Buddhist country. On August 29, 1961, the Parliament announced that Buddhism was the official state religion, mainly as a result of U Nu's efforts. Cow slaughtering was officially banned in Burma. However, in 1962 Ne Win, who succeeded U Nu, repealed this measure and the effort to make Burma a Buddhist country was effectively halted. The construction of the Kaba Aye complex was part of U Nu's attempt to institutionalize Buddhism at the national level.