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TAGAUNG
“ Myanmar begins with Tagaung”
goes a Myanmar saying. It is believed that the establishment of the
Tagaung Dynasty heralded
the beginning of Myanmar. A settlement was established at Tagaung
in about the 6th Century BC. Tagaung was also known
as Thindwe. When Tagaung Dynasty was established, there were in Upper
Myanmar Pyu people in the east. Kamyan in the
west and Thet in the north, and Mon in the Ayeyawady, Sittaung and
Thanlwin river valleys. Not much has been discovered of
the political, economic and social life of the Tagaung period. Pyu
funerary urns have been found at Tagaung. The Tagaung
Dynasty was probably a Pyu Dynasty as at Tharekhittra. Tagaung stood
as an early city-state of Myanmar.
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BEIKTHANO,
Vishnu city; An Ancient Pyu Capital (1-5
Century AD)
Beikthano
was earlier than Tharekhittra and Hanlin and was established
in about the 1st to 5th Century AD. It was traditionally called
Beikthano and
Pan Htwar city. The Pyu people of Beikthano engaged in agriculture
and
trade for their livelihood.
The people of Beikthano wore clothes woven of the floss of the
letpan
(Salmalia malabarica). They traded in perfumes and spices. They
were
skilled in architecture. The economy of Beikthano was based
upon
agriculture. The state as a social structure was already established
in this
period.
“Beikthano” is the Myanmar word for Vishnu, the
Hindu God who
manifests himself in a chain of divine incarnations or avatars
(i.e.
descents into temporal order), the two chief incarnations being
Rama, the |
good
king whose deeds are recorded in the Ramayana, and Krishna.
Although this ancient site is called Beikthano Myo or
Vishnu City, it is not an Indian or Hindu site, but an early
Buddhist center built by the Pyu people of Myanmar. The Pyus
were a
civilized nation from the early years of the Christian era and
have left behind many traces of their predominantly Buddhist
culture. Throughout the central plain of the Ayeyawady and parts
of the Sittaung vally the Pyus established towns and cities,
the principle ones being Thayekhittaya (Srikshetra) near pyay
(Prome), Beikthano and Halin (near Shwebo) in the north.
Of these three principle Pyu sites, Beikthano is probably one
of the earliest as it flourished from about the first to the
fifth
century A.D.
How to go there?
You can easily go to Beikthano by train from Yangon, Mandalay,
or Bagan. You should get off at Taungdwingyi Station in
Magway Division and take a taxi or a pony cart to the ancient
site which is about 12miles to the west.
If you are traveling by car or by bus it is on the way to Bagan,
can be reached from either Yangon or Mandalay. Although
there are no modern hotels in Taungdwingyi, the nearest town,
you can stop for the night at comfortable inns and guest
houses frequented by local travelers, and also enjoy good Myanmar,
Chinese or Indian food with the Typical Central Myanmar
flavor.
What to see?
At first sight, there left at Beikthano the ruined brick structures.
For tourists and visitors who are interested in history and
archaeology, Beikthano is one of the best examples of early
Pyu civilization and well worth visiting.
The first thing that you will notice is the city wall, shaped
like a rhombus, with each side measuring about two miles. The
massive fort walls were much higher during the early years of
this century, and were constructed of huge baked bricks.
Unscrupulous contractors found a ready source of bricks for
building roads and railway tracks during the colonial times,
and
hence the walls on the west have completely disappeared, due
not only to human depredation but also to natural causes.
These immense fortifications stood on higher ground, about 330
feet above sea level, and commanded the surrounding fertile
plain with its lovely lakes and rivers.
The northern and southern walls are better preserved. Excavations
carried out over 35 years ago, exposed wide gateways
which gradually curve inwards, the ramparts on either side extending
about 86 feet down an entrance passageway, to
enable the soldiers to have complete control over those entering
the city. There are also recessed for sentries.
Inside the ruins of the city, you can now see a large brick
structure measuring about 100 feet by 35 feet. Archaeologists
think
this is an important monastic building as there are eight cells
opening onto a long corridor-like hall. The small cells are
similar to
those found in monastic building of South India, especially
among the old Buddhist monasteries of Nagarjunakonda in Andhra
State.
Near the ruins of this monastery is the ruins of a stupa; only
the base remains and it is round in shape, with two concentrate
retaining walls. This is similar to old Buddhist stupas at Amaravati.
There are four cardinal points.
Another structure excavated seems to be a religious on also,
but related to the Pyu burial customs. It was probably a kind
of
sepulcher, because stretched human skeletons and human bones
and burial urns were found all around. U Aung Thaw, the
late Director-general of Archaeology who personally carried
out the early excavations, surmised that cremated bones were
temporarily buried or stored until a sufficient number was accumulated
for a ritual secondary burial.
U Chen Yi-Sein, a former member of the Myanmar Historical Commission,
in a recent research paper identified Beikthano as
the Lin Ying (Vishnu City) of ancient Chinese records. It was
an important trading center on the land route between India
and
China, and also with the Pyu and Mon people.
There is at present no site museum and small Pyu symbolical
coins, clay and stone seals with letters in the South Indian
Brahmi
script found at Beikthano are now on display at the National
Museum in Yangon.
The Legend
Beikthano, to the Myanmar people is a legendary place recorded
in our chronicles, a place which has at last been excavated,
which our minds conjuring up the rivalry between a beautiful
princess and a powerful king, her half-brother.
The legend begins in Tagaung which is supposed to be the capital
of the earliest kings of Myanmar. At one time it was ruled
by a powerful Queen whose lover was a fire-breathing Naga serpent
who could assume human form. After hero Maung Pauk
Kyaing slew the Naga lover and became king, twin sons were born
to the Queen. They were both blind, so they were put on
a raft and floated down the Ayeyarwady River. After an ogre
nymph cured their blindness, the younger prince married
Baydayi at Pyay and had a son Duttabaung who became a powerful
king at Thayekhitaya.
Duttabaug’s father also had a daughter named Panhwar who
became a great Queen at Beikthano. Her mother was the ogre-
nymph and so she was the half-sister of Duttabaung. The legend
records the rivalry between Thayekhitaya and Beikthano
and the fighting that took plce. At fist the Queen was able
to repal all her enemies and forces sent by King Duttabaung
with
the help of a big magical drum called Atula Sidaw given to the
Queen by Sakkra the Lord of the Celestial Beings. Whenever
enemies approached Beikthano, the city created according to
the legend, by the god Vishnu, the big drum would be sounded
making the water of the Yan Pe (Repelling enemies) River to
rise rapidly and flood the surrounding plain so that no attacking
army could cross it. Duttabaung had to resort to a stratagem
to take away the magical powers of the drum before he could
capture the city. Queen Panhtwar eventually lost and Duttabaung
took her back to Thayekhitaya to be his Queen consort.
Surrounding the area all around the ruins, is a lovely countryside
where present day Myanmar people live in peaceful villages
like Kokko Gwa. The Yan Pe Chaung, a rivulet, is near the village
and two lakes Gyo Gya Kan and the In Gyi lake. The villagers
grow rice and vegetables even as the Pyu people would have done
two thousand years ago.
The celebrated pagoda built by Queen Panhthwar, called Shwe
Yaung Daw, is to the north-east of the “Palace Site.”
This
lovely pagoda, in such tranquil surroundings is well-worth visiting.
The Buddha in previous incarnations was reputed to have lived
in this area as a White Elephant and also as a White Chicken
(Kyet-Phyu-Daw) at different times. The Shwe Yaung Daw pagoda
has tow elephant statues guarding the northern side,
instead of the usual Chinthe, mythical lion figures. You can
also see eight white chicken figures on the stupa. They al
commemorate the legend. There are also ancient wood carvings
of exquisite workmanship.
The vast cultivated plain, the tranquil villages and beautiful
scenery with lakes and rivers surrounding the ancient ruins,
testify
to the peace-loving nature of the villagers, who will warmly
welcome visitors from far and near who come to visit them.
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HALIN
( 3 TO 9 CENTURY AD)
Another significant Pyu site, Halin (or Halingyi-Great
Halin), Lies about 11miles south-
east of Shwebo in Upper Burma. It is reached by road from
Shwebo crossing
Moksogyon railway-station on the Mandalay- Shwebo line.
One passes through
irrigated rice-fields on the way but finds himself in
a dry scrubland as he
approaches the ancient site. There is a group of villages
with numerous small
modern pagodas to the south of the old fortified city.
This locality is noted for hot
saline springs. |
Through Hanlin was situated some distance
from Vishnu and
Tharekhittra, the layout of the city, the characteristics
of its architecture
and art, the design mould of its coinage, and the artifacts
and tools of its
people displayed general similarities. Thus, Hanlin may
be assumed to be
a Pyu city-state.
Hanlin was a significant cultural capital
of the Pyu people for nearly 500
years from the 4th to the 9th Century AD.
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SRIKSHETRA(THAYEKHITTAYA)
3 TO 10 CENTURY AD.
Srikshetra (Thayekhittaya in Burmese), one
of the ancient Pyu capitals of
Burma, lies five miles south-east of Prome on the eastern
bank of the
Irrawaddy and about 180 miles north-west of Yangon. The
founding of the
city is popularly attributed to the reign of Duttabaung
as early as the 101st
year of religion, that is, some two thousand four hundred
years ago.
Tharekhittra was
a city-state of the Pyu period. The economy was based
upon agriculture. There is evidence that coins were used
during this period. |
Coins
of the same period found in the same place had different
characteristics. The handicraft of the Tharekhittra Pyu
had an
important role in the production of that period. Tharekhittra
reached the stage of an ancient empire.
SUVANABHUMI
The center of the
state of Suvanabhumi has been presumed to be in the vicinity
of Bilin Township and Kelasa Hill in Mon
State. The Mon people settled there and established a
royal city. It comprised the valleys of the Sittaung and
Thanlwin rivers. It
was also known as Rammanadesa. Researches say that Suvanabhumi
was supposed to have been established in about
17th Century BC.
Since Suvanabhumi was established with a good
seaport it became a center for maritime trade. Gold, ivory,
perfumes, glazed
pottery, marble, rhinoceros blood and diverse herbal medicines
were produced. Theravada Buddhism first flourished here
along with traditional beliefs.
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BAGAN
(PAGAN) (1044-1287AD)
Bagan, lying on the eastern
bank of the Irrawaddy river in the dry zone of Central
Burma, is the most important historical site in the country.
It was the capital for two
and a half centuries when the Burmese empire reached the zenith
of its power. It is
to Bagan that religion of the people owes its greatest debt,
and it was here that
Burmese art and architecture passed through a golden age. Its
early history,
however, is wrapped in uncertainty. Tradition asserts that it
was originally a cluster
of nineteen villages, and pushes back the foundation of the
dynasty of fifty-five kings
to early2nd century.It is only in the middle of the 11th century
that legendary |
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accounts
give place to more substantial facts. Authentic history of the
dynasty begins with the accession of Anawrahta
(Aniruddha, 1044-77) in whose regim Bagan rose to pre- eminence. |
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