Salin Township: History
The town of Salin was established in 1194 by Sithu II during the Bagan Kingdom. The town's oldest stupas were also built at the same time, including the Pyidaw Oo Pagoda and a shrine to the nat (deity) Shin Saw Wa on the Wetthe Lake just west of the town. The town was destroyed during the turmoil following the collapse of the Bagan Kingdom but was rebuilt in its final establishment in 1370. The 14th century walls lasted until 1887.
Prior to colonisation, the Salin area has been historically home to many hereditary noble families, with lesser nobles controlling various rural farmlands in the wider Minbu District. The title associated with Salin was one of six non-royal landowner titles notable for each coming with more than 100,000 acres of land and the farmers who cultivated lands for these nobles were said to have gained more merit. "Salin" itself eventually became a title for nobles who used it as an honorific since the 17th century. The economy of this period relied heavily on peasants entering monetary bondage contracts with the nobles of Salin called Thet-Kayits. The peasants performed household or agricultural work to payoff their indentured servitude. These contracts were regulated towards the late Konbaung Dynasty with time limits placed on the contract of servitude by the reign of Mindon Min. Mindon Min, further gave his most beloved daughter control of tax-rich Salin district as a myosa. During British rule in Burma, Salin Township was established as part of the Magway Division. The famous writer Theippan Maung Wa worked for a period as a civil servant in Salin Township.
The township has remained as such to this day. In 1972, the township was officially redivided into 6 new urban wards and 102 village tracts. In March 2015, the town of Sinphyukyun was established by Legal Notification 356/2015 within the township. The township was last reorganised in 2018 to bring the number of village tracts down to the modern 99 tracts.