Loyal vassal of Ava (1401–1425)

Ruins of Ava (Inwa) today

The first mention of him in the royal chronicles is c. early 1401^{[note 2]} when King Minkhaung I of Ava appointed one Baya Gamani governor of Singu, a small outpost 100 km north of the capital Ava (Inwa) at the foot of the Shan Hills. The king also appointed Gamani's younger middle brother governor of Siboktara with the title of Yazathingyan.^{[2][note 3]} The brothers were part of the loyalists installed by the new king who was facing several internal and external challenges to his rule. Starting out as cavalry battalion commanders,^[3] the duo quickly rose to become regimental commanders, and participated in several military campaigns, most notably in the decades-long war against the southern Hanthawaddy Kingdom until 1423.^[4]

Ava succession crisis (1425–1426)

Remains of the outer walls of Ava today

In 1425, the brothers became ensnarled in the succession crisis at the palace. That year, Queen Shin Bo-Me engineered the assassinations of kings Thihathu, and Min Hla within a three-month span, and placed her lover Prince Nyo of Kale on the throne in November.^[5] Many vassals viewed the couple's power grab as illegitimate, leading one major vassal ruler, Sawbwa Thado of Mohnyin to formally revolt in February 1426. Gamani, who had previously served under Nyo's command, was one of the few vassals that openly supported the prince. Yazathingyan and their youngest brother, Yan-Lo Kywe, an army commander, also sided with Nyo.^[5]

However, Gamani was the only one to stay with Nyo to the end. Even as Thado's forces closed in on Ava in May 1426, and most of the vassals renounced their allegiance to Nyo,^[6][7] Gamani and Yazathingyan continued to lead a severely depleted Ava court.^{[note 4]} Gamani advised Nyo to leave Ava for Arakan, and return with a larger force. Nyo accepted the recommendation but almost everyone else refused to come along. In the end, c. 15 May 1426,^{[note 5]} under the cover of darkness, only Gamani and his small battalion escorted the usurping couple out of Ava. His two brothers stayed behind and surrendered.^[8][9]

Gamani and the royal couple first ventured south by land along the Irrawaddy before sailing down to Salin. From there, they trekked west. Just a few days later, as they prepared to cross the Arakan Hills at Pe-Lun-Taung, west of present-day Shwesettaw, Nyo suddenly fell ill and died.^[7][8] After Nyo's death, Gamani, ignoring Bo-Me's fierce protests, stopped the journey, and waited to be arrested by the pursuing troops. While she became a queen of Thado, Gamani was put in prison.^[10][11][12]

Brief imprisonment and return to royal service (1426–1427)

Baya Gamani stopped Minye Kyawhtin's advance at Tabetswe, located between Ava and Pinle.

Yazathingyan, who became the chief minister of the new king,^[13] may have kept his older brother alive but could not keep him out of prison. For the next year and a half, Gamani was imprisoned in iron ankle shackles. His opportunity to escape came in late 1427 when an invasion force led by Prince Minye Kyawhtin, a claimant to the Ava throne, rapidly advanced towards Ava. The invasion caught the Ava command completely off guard since they had considered their victory over Kyawhtin's rebel army at Yenantha a year earlier to be decisive.^[14][15] More ominously, Thado did not have enough troops or experienced commanders to defend the capital region as he had just rushed down most of his forces to the south to meet the Hanthawaddy forces that had occupied the southernmost districts of Prome (Pyay). Desperate, the king asked Gamani to take command of a 1000-man regiment to hold the outer perimeter. Gamani agreed, and proved his worth. His regiment defeated Kyawhtin's forces at Tabetswe, 25 km southeast of Ava, and pushed them back to Pinle, about 70 km southeast of Ava.^[16][17]

Although the victory was limited—Kyawhtin would hold on to Pinle until 1445^[18]—Thado was grateful. The king not only restored Gamani to the governorship of Singu but also allowed him to collect as much gold from the royal gold vault in one scoop with his two hands each day for seven consecutive days.^[16][17] With the gold, Gamani built a Buddhist pagoda named A-Shay-Pyay Neibban in Tabetswe.^[16][17]

Later years (1427–c. 1450s)

Baya Gamani became a loyal vassal of King Thado. Though his career was not as distinguished as his brother Yazathingyan who became chief minister under Thado and two successor kings, Gamani twice participated in unsuccessful expeditions to Pinle under the command of the crown prince Minye Kyawswa (1428–1429 and 1433–1434). When Minye Kyawswa became king, he and Yazathingyan co-led the campaign that recaptured the rebellious southeastern vassal states of Taungdwin and Toungoo (Taungoo) in 1441.^[19][20] His last known military service came in 1443 when he was still a minister at the court.^[21] As the Chinese forces invaded, King Narapati appointed his eldest son and crown prince Thihathura of Ava, and Baya Gamani as the commanders of the forces to guard the capital while he marched to meet the enemy.^[22][23]

It was the last mention of Gamani in the chronicles. He is not mentioned when King Narapati appointed his son-in-law Min Phyu governor of Sagaing and the ten northern towns,^[24][25] which likely included Singu, in 1450 (or 1460).^{[note 6]} In contrast, chronicles do mention his brother who was also affected by the Min Phyu appointment: the king reappointed Yazathingyan, the previous governor of Sagaing, to Amyint.^[24][25]