The queen was daughter of the saopha (chief) of Maw Shan State, located between Pagan and Dali Kingdom (present day Yunnan).

According to Burmese chronicles, Saw Mon Hla was exiled by rival queens who were envious of her position as Anawrahta's favorite, accusing her of practicing witchcraft.

On her return to Sae Lant village in Northern Maw Shan State, one of Saw Mon Hla's earrings, which enshrined a relic of the Buddha, fell into a stream.

Saw Mon Hla, upon hearing the news, made a solemn wish to save herself and used her emerald shawl to turn the pagoda so that it faced directly between east and west.

King Anawrahta, deeply regretful after banishing his queen and hearing of her death, donated the surrounding land to the pagoda near the end of his reign.