Maniket (Burmese: မဏိကက်, also spelt Manikhet), from Pali: Maṇikakkha (မဏိကက္ခ), is considered to be the earliest extant play in modern-day Myanmar, complete with dialogue, song lyrics, and stage directions.
[1] The storyline of Manikhet is based on the Sattadhanu Jataka, the 20th story in the Paññāsa Jātaka, a non-canonical collection of stories of the Buddha's past lives from Lan Na.
[1][2] The play is generally attributed to Padethayaza, a minister during the Nyaungyan period, who composed a pyo (a lyrical poem) in 1714.
[3][1] Other historians note that Manikhet may have originated during the reign of Bodawpaya, whose crown prince appointed a literary committee in December 1789 to translate songs and plays acquired from Thailand after Burmese conquest.
[4] The story follows the life of Suthanu, a prince in the kingdom of Varanasi, and his accompanying horse, Manikhet.