Ananda Thuriya (Burmese: အနန္တ သူရိယ, pronounced [ʔənàɴda̰ θùɹḭja̰]; also spelled Anantathuriya; d. 1174) was a senior minister to kings Sithu I, Narathu and Naratheinkha of the Pagan Dynasty of Myanmar.
He is best remembered in Burmese history for the poem he wrote for King Sithu II, just a few minutes before his execution, titled The Law of Nature.
The future minister, whose personal name is lost to history, began his career as a royal attendant at the palace of King Sithu I (r. 1112–67) in Pagan (Bagan).
[5] The attendant entered the upper echelons of power in 1151 when the king promoted him to serve as a royal adviser/minister (amat (အမတ်)), with the title of Ananda Thuriya.
[7] Royal chronicles say that Crown Prince Min Shin Saw vigorously opposed the appointment because of the attendant's commoner origins.
[8] In the following years, Narathu became the de facto heir-apparent, and Ananda Thuriya's career continued to rise alongside his patron's.