Shwegyin Nikaya

The Shwegyin Nikaya is the second largest monastic order of monks in Myanmar, one of nine monastic orders legally recognized under the country's 1990 Law Concerning Sangha Organizations, founded in 1860 by Ashin Zagara in the village of Shwegyin, from which it takes its name, when it formally separated from the larger Thudhamma Gaing during the reign of King Mindon. According to 2016 statistics the order comprised 50,692 monks, 9.47 percent of all monks in the country, making it the second largest order after the Thudhamma Gaing, and it maintained 3,608 monasteries, six percent of Myanmar's total; it is distinguished by stricter adherence to the Vinaya monastic discipline and a more centralized, hierarchical leadership than the Thudhamma Gaing. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/