page_title: Kengtung State
hierarchical_section_title: Kengtung State
caption_attribution_description: English: The Palace of the Saophas of Kengtung, a historic landmark with intricate interiors of carved and lacquered teak. It was destroyed in 1991 by the Burmese military regime despite local protests.
context_page_description: Kengtung, known as Menggen Prefecture or Möng Khün Chiefdom or Mueng Khuen Fu from 1405 to 1895, was a Shan state in what is today Burma. The capital and the residence of the ruler was Kengtung in the centre of the state. It was the only urban area in this mountainous state whose landscape is dominated by the Daen Lao Range.
  Kengtung was the largest of the states in present-day Shan State and ranked first in the order of precedence at the time of the invasion of the Shan States by the British Empire. It was also the easternmost of the Southern Shan States, lying almost entirely east of the Salween and stretching eastwards to the Mekong. It was separated from the northern Shan state of Manglon by the Hka River.
  Most of the early history of Kengtung is made up of myths and legends. At the time of British rule in Burma the Tai Yai people were the majority of the population in Kengtung state with other groups such as Akha and Lahu, forming sizeable communities. According to Wa tradition, in the distant past the territory had belonged to the Wa people who were displaced around 1229 and were later defeated by King Mangrai.
context_section_description: Kengtung (Burmese: ကျိုင်းတုံ; Shan: ၵဵင်းတုင် Chiang Tung), known as Menggen Prefecture (Chinese: 孟艮府) or Möng Khün Chiefdom or Mueng Khuen Fu (Tai Khün: ᨾᩧᩙᨡᩧ᩠ᨶ) from 1405 to 1895, was a Shan state in what is today Burma. The capital and the residence of the ruler was Kengtung (then known as "Tai Khuen City" 歹掯城) in the centre of the state. It was the only urban area in this mountainous state whose landscape is dominated by the Daen Lao Range.
  Kengtung was the largest of the states in present-day Shan State and ranked first in the order of precedence at the time of the invasion of the Shan States by the British Empire. It was also the easternmost of the Southern Shan States, lying almost entirely east of the Salween and stretching eastwards to the Mekong. It was separated from the northern Shan state of Manglon by the Hka River.
  Most of the early history of Kengtung is made up of myths and legends. At the time of British rule in Burma the Tai Yai people were the majority of the population in Kengtung state with other groups such as Akha and Lahu, forming sizeable communities. According to Wa tradition, in the distant past the territory had belonged to the Wa people who were displaced around 1229 and were later defeated by King Mangrai. The Wa now form a minority of only about 10% in Kengtung State despite having been —according to their myths— the original inhabitants.
caption: The Palace of the Saophas of Kengtung, a historic landmark with intricate interiors of carved and lacquered teak. It was destroyed in 1991 by the Burmese military regime despite local protests.[1]
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