Prehistory of Burma
Encyclopedia
Various human species had lived in the region now known as Burma as early as 750,000 years ago. They were replaced by or probably mixed with Homo sapiens—the only surviving human species today. However, evidences for the earliest human settlements in Burma are not yet discovered. Current archeological evidence dates the settlements at about 11,000 BC in the caves of Padah-Lin
, which depicts Neolithic
culture. They further advanced to Bronze Age and to Iron age around 1,200 BC. These indigenous people, together with later migrating peoples formed mainstream of present day Burmese civilization.
The more recent migrations occurred during the third or fourth millennium BCE to last millennium BC. Pyu, Mon, Rakhine came from various parts of South Asia. They brought cultural diffusion
s among indigenous people and resided in different parts of Burma—with Pyu at the center, Mon at the South, and Rakhine at the west.
By about 1500 BC, ironworks were in existence in the Irrawaddy
Valley followed by Iron age
which began around 1200 BC. About 500 BC, a rice-growing population was living in a densely settled various systems of small cities and large villages in the valleys of Upper Myanmar. But Urban age probably did not emerge till the last century BC when advances in irrigation systems and the building of canals allowed for year long agriculture and the consolidation of settlements. From the 2nd century BC to founding of Pagan Dynasty in 11th century AD, these peoples traded with India
and dynasities of China including Han
and Qin
. These trades brought Buddhism and coinage which further spread to other South East Asian countries.
began to settle in Burma in 75,000 BC before the arrival of Homo sapiens from Africa. However, archaeological evidences of Homo sapiens before the 11th millennium are not yet discovered. The pre-migration period of Burma, spans from 11,000 BC to 4,000 BC before the mass migrations of Pyu
, Mon
and Arakanese people from India and Tibet
. This era is characterized by Stone age culture which later advanced to Bronze and Iron age cultures. The cave ritual system, which later used for Buddhism caves, is believed to have rooted in earliest civilization of this era. The effect can be seen today in many Buddhism ritual caves across Burma.
s of eastern Burma. Pebble tools, including choppers and chopping tools, are found in the Pleistocene
terrace deposits of the Irrawaddy
Valley of Upper Myanmar. These complexes are collectively known as the Anyathians, thus, the culture is called the Anyathian culture. The Early Anyathian is characterized by single-edged core implements made on natural fragments of fossil wood
and silicified tuff, which are associated with crude flake implements. However, domestications and polishing of stones, which are possible signs of Neolithic
culture, are not known until the discovery of Padah Lin caves in Southern Shan State.
at the edge of the Shan Plateau, depict the Neolithic age when farming, domestication, and polished stone tools first appeared. They are dated between 11,000 to 6,000 BC. The most significant of these is the Padah-Lin cave where over 1,600 of stones and cave paintings have been uncovered. These paintings lie from ten to twelve feet above the floor level depicting figures in red ochre of two human hands, a fish, bulls, bisons, a deer and probably the hind of an elephant. The paintings indicate that the cave was probably used for religious ritual. If so, these caves could be one of the earliest sites used for worshiping in Burma. The use of caves for religious purposes continued into later periods. Thus, Buddhist Burmese use of cave worshiping originates from the earlier Animist period.
suggests that Bronze Age of Burma began around 1500 BC in parallel with the earlier stages of Southeast Asian bronze production. This period spans from 1500 to 1000 BC during which knowledge of the smelting and casting of copper and tin seems to have spread rapidly along the Neolithic exchange routes.
Another site is the area of Taungthaman, near Irrawaddy River within the walls of the 18th century capital, Amarapura, was occupied from the late Neolithic through the early iron age
, around the middle of the first millennium BC. Small trades, barters as well as Animism had already begun in this age.
s among indigenous people and resided in different parts of Burma—with Pyu at the center, Mon at the South, and Rakhine at the west. The Pyu, the earliest inhabitants of Burma of whom records are extant, went on to found settlements throughout the plains region centered around the confluence of the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers that has been inhabited since the Paleolithic age.
The Pyu arrived in future Burma in the 1st century BCE or earlier and established city-kingdoms at Binnaka, Mongamo, Sri Ksetra, Peikthanomyo, Kutkhaing in the north, Halin gyi Thanlwin coastal line in the east, Gulf of Martaban
and its coast in the south, Thandwe in the southern west and Yoma in the west.
As early as 6th century, another people called the Mon
began to enter the present-day Lower Burma from the Mon kingdoms of Haribhunjaya and Dvaravati
in modern-day Thailand
. By the mid 9th century, the Mon had founded at least two small kingdoms (or large city-states) centered around Pegu and Thaton
.
somewhat distinct from the Bamar
(Burmans), although they may have intermarried with Sino-Tibetan migrants who later became part of the Bamar ethnicity. The Pyu, one of the founding fathers of the Bamar or Myanmar race, was believed to be the mixture of indigenous people and the Tibeto-Burman immigrants.
The Pyu, settled around Pyay
, and in the northwestern Ayeyarwaddy valley. Trace of their presence can be found in Sri Ksetra near Pyay, and in Beikthanoe in central Myanmar. From approximately 200 BC, Pyu people built a number of walled cities in central Burma, which are collectively known as Pyu city states whose plans consisted of rounded squares or rectangles which are often referred to as South East Asia indigenous creations.
Pyu people practiced Animism
before they contact with Indians thought trades and acquired Buddhism from them. The evidence of inscriptions shows that their Buddhism was mixed up with Hindu Brahmanic cults, Vaisnavism in particular. Eighth century Chinese records identify 18 Pyu states throughout the Irrawadddy valley, and describe the Pyu as a humane and peaceful people to whom war was virtually unknown and who wore silk cotton instead of actually silk so that they would not have to kill silk worms. The Chinese records also report that the Pyu knew how to make astronomical calculations, and that many Pyu boys entered the monastic life at seven to the age of 20.
It was a long-lasting civilization that lasted nearly a millennium to early 9th century until a new group of "swift horsemen" from the north, the Mranma, (Burmans
) entered the upper Irrawaddy valley. In the early 9th century, the Pyu city states of Upper Burma came under constant attacks by the Nanzhao Kingdom in present-day Yunnan
. In 832, the Nanzhao sacked then Halingyi, which had overtaken Prome as the chief Pyu city state. A subsequent Nanzhao invasion in 835 further devastated Pyu city states in Upper Burma. While Pyu settlements remained in Upper Burma until the advent of the Pagan Empire in mid 11th century, the Pyu gradually were absorbed into the expanding Burman kingdom of Pagan in the next four centuries. The Pyu language still existed until the late 12th century. By the 13th century, the Pyu had assumed the Burman ethnicity. The histories/legends of the Pyu were also incorporated to those of the Burmans.
(or Golden Land), referred to by the tradesmen of Indian Ocean.
. It may have been designed to help the Nanzhao pacify the surrounding country side. Over the next two hundred years, the small principality gradually grew to include its immediate surrounding areas— to about 200 miles north to south and 80 miles from east to west by Anawrahta
's ascension in 1044.
Padah-Lin Caves
Padah-Lin Caves are limestone caves located in Western Shan State, Taunggyi District, Burma near a path from Nyaunggyatt to Yebock, on a spur of the Nwalabo mountains within the Panlaung Reserved Forest...
, which depicts Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
culture. They further advanced to Bronze Age and to Iron age around 1,200 BC. These indigenous people, together with later migrating peoples formed mainstream of present day Burmese civilization.
The more recent migrations occurred during the third or fourth millennium BCE to last millennium BC. Pyu, Mon, Rakhine came from various parts of South Asia. They brought cultural diffusion
Cultural diffusion
In cultural anthropology and cultural geography, cultural diffusion, as first conceptualized by Alfred L. Kroeber in his influential 1940 paper Stimulus Diffusion, or trans-cultural diffusion in later reformulations, is the spread of cultural items—such as ideas, styles, religions, technologies,...
s among indigenous people and resided in different parts of Burma—with Pyu at the center, Mon at the South, and Rakhine at the west.
By about 1500 BC, ironworks were in existence in the Irrawaddy
Irrawaddy Delta
The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Ayeyarwady Region , the lowest expanse of land in Burma that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, 290 km to the south at the mouth of the Ayeyarwady River...
Valley followed by Iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
which began around 1200 BC. About 500 BC, a rice-growing population was living in a densely settled various systems of small cities and large villages in the valleys of Upper Myanmar. But Urban age probably did not emerge till the last century BC when advances in irrigation systems and the building of canals allowed for year long agriculture and the consolidation of settlements. From the 2nd century BC to founding of Pagan Dynasty in 11th century AD, these peoples traded with India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and dynasities of China including Han
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
and Qin
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
. These trades brought Buddhism and coinage which further spread to other South East Asian countries.
Pre-migration preiod
Homo erectusHomo erectus
Homo erectus is an extinct species of hominid that lived from the end of the Pliocene epoch to the later Pleistocene, about . The species originated in Africa and spread as far as India, China and Java. There is still disagreement on the subject of the classification, ancestry, and progeny of H...
began to settle in Burma in 75,000 BC before the arrival of Homo sapiens from Africa. However, archaeological evidences of Homo sapiens before the 11th millennium are not yet discovered. The pre-migration period of Burma, spans from 11,000 BC to 4,000 BC before the mass migrations of Pyu
Pyu
Pyu city states were a group of city-states that existed from c. 2nd century BCE to late 9th century CE in present-day Upper Burma . The city-states were founded as part of the southward migration by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu, the earliest inhabitants of Burma of whom records are extant...
, Mon
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
and Arakanese people from India and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. This era is characterized by Stone age culture which later advanced to Bronze and Iron age cultures. The cave ritual system, which later used for Buddhism caves, is believed to have rooted in earliest civilization of this era. The effect can be seen today in many Buddhism ritual caves across Burma.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 750,000- 275,000 years B.P. | Lower Palaeolithic men of early Anyathian culture (Homo erectus) lived along the bank of the Ayeyawaddy river. |
| 275,000-25,000 years B.P. | Lower Palaeolithic men of late Anyathian culture |
| 11,000 BC | Upper Palaeolithic men (Homo Sapiens) live in Badah-lin caves which situated in Ywagan township in southern Shan States. |
| 7,000 - 2,000 BC | Neolithic men live in central Myanmar, Kachin State Kachin State Kachin State , is the northernmost state of Burma. It is bordered by China to the north and east; Shan State to the south; and Sagaing Division and India to the west. It lies between north latitude 23° 27' and 28° 25' longitude 96° 0' and 98° 44'. The area of Kachin State is . The capital of the... , Shan State Shan State Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total... s, Mon State Mon State Mon State is an administrative division of Myanmar. It is sandwiched between Kayin State on the east, the Andaman Sea on the west, Bago Region on the north and Tanintharyi Region on the south, and has a short border with Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province at its south-eastern tip. The land area is... , Taninthayi Region, and along the bank of the Chindwin and Ayeyarwaddy rivers. |
| 1500 BC | Earliest evidence of copper and bronze works, rice growing, domesticating chickens and pigs in Irrawaddy valley |
| 500 BC | Iron-working settlements south of present day Mandalay Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region .... |
| 100 BC | Pyu people enter the Irrawaddy valley from north |
Mesolithic age
Roughly polished stone implements of various sizes are often found in the Shan StateShan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
s of eastern Burma. Pebble tools, including choppers and chopping tools, are found in the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
terrace deposits of the Irrawaddy
Irrawaddy
Irrawaddy may refer to:*Irrawaddy River, the main river of Burma*Irrawaddy Delta, a rice growing region of the country*Ayeyarwady Region, an administrative division of Burma*The Irrawaddy, a Burmese news publication based in Chiang Mai, Thailand...
Valley of Upper Myanmar. These complexes are collectively known as the Anyathians, thus, the culture is called the Anyathian culture. The Early Anyathian is characterized by single-edged core implements made on natural fragments of fossil wood
Fossil wood
Fossil wood is wood that is preserved in the fossil record. Over time the wood will usually be the part of a plant that is best preserved...
and silicified tuff, which are associated with crude flake implements. However, domestications and polishing of stones, which are possible signs of Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
culture, are not known until the discovery of Padah Lin caves in Southern Shan State.
Neolithic age
Three caves located near TaunggyiTaunggyi
-Transportation:The main access to Taunggyi is by road. A railway line that passes through Taunggyi was recently built in 1995, but at the moment it offers no passenger service. Regular railway passenger service to the rest of the country is through the town of Shwenyaung, twelve miles to the...
at the edge of the Shan Plateau, depict the Neolithic age when farming, domestication, and polished stone tools first appeared. They are dated between 11,000 to 6,000 BC. The most significant of these is the Padah-Lin cave where over 1,600 of stones and cave paintings have been uncovered. These paintings lie from ten to twelve feet above the floor level depicting figures in red ochre of two human hands, a fish, bulls, bisons, a deer and probably the hind of an elephant. The paintings indicate that the cave was probably used for religious ritual. If so, these caves could be one of the earliest sites used for worshiping in Burma. The use of caves for religious purposes continued into later periods. Thus, Buddhist Burmese use of cave worshiping originates from the earlier Animist period.
Bronze age
The finding of bronze axes at Nyaunggan located in Shwebo townshipShwebo Township
Shwebo Township is a township of Shwebo District in the Sagaing Region of Burma .It is located on the plains between the Mu River and the Ayeyarwady River. The ancient palace of King Alaungmintaya is being excavated there...
suggests that Bronze Age of Burma began around 1500 BC in parallel with the earlier stages of Southeast Asian bronze production. This period spans from 1500 to 1000 BC during which knowledge of the smelting and casting of copper and tin seems to have spread rapidly along the Neolithic exchange routes.
Another site is the area of Taungthaman, near Irrawaddy River within the walls of the 18th century capital, Amarapura, was occupied from the late Neolithic through the early iron age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, around the middle of the first millennium BC. Small trades, barters as well as Animism had already begun in this age.
Iron age
Bronze and iron age cultures were found to be overlapping in Burma. In this era, wealth was accumulating due to agriculture and to access to the copper resources of the Shan hills, the semi-precious stone and iron resources of the Mount Popa Plateau, and the salt resources of Halin. This wealth is evident in grave goods which includes items traded from Chinese kingdoms. A notable characteristics of the people of this era is that they buried their dead together with decorative ceramics and common household objects such as bowls and spoons.Migrations
The mass migrations occurred during the third or fourth millennium BCE to last millennium BC. Pyu, Mon, Rakhine came from various parts of South Asia. They brought cultural diffusionCultural diffusion
In cultural anthropology and cultural geography, cultural diffusion, as first conceptualized by Alfred L. Kroeber in his influential 1940 paper Stimulus Diffusion, or trans-cultural diffusion in later reformulations, is the spread of cultural items—such as ideas, styles, religions, technologies,...
s among indigenous people and resided in different parts of Burma—with Pyu at the center, Mon at the South, and Rakhine at the west. The Pyu, the earliest inhabitants of Burma of whom records are extant, went on to found settlements throughout the plains region centered around the confluence of the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers that has been inhabited since the Paleolithic age.
The Pyu arrived in future Burma in the 1st century BCE or earlier and established city-kingdoms at Binnaka, Mongamo, Sri Ksetra, Peikthanomyo, Kutkhaing in the north, Halin gyi Thanlwin coastal line in the east, Gulf of Martaban
Gulf of Martaban
The Gulf of Martaban is an arm of the Andaman Sea in the southern part of Burma. The gulf is named after the port city of Mottama . The Salween Sittaung and Yangon rivers empty into it....
and its coast in the south, Thandwe in the southern west and Yoma in the west.
As early as 6th century, another people called the Mon
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
began to enter the present-day Lower Burma from the Mon kingdoms of Haribhunjaya and Dvaravati
Dvaravati
The Dvaravati period lasted from the 6th to the 13th centuries. Dvaravati refers to both a culture and a disparate conglomerate of principalities.- History :...
in modern-day Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. By the mid 9th century, the Mon had founded at least two small kingdoms (or large city-states) centered around Pegu and Thaton
Thaton
Thaton is a town in Mon State, in southern Myanmar on the Tenasserim plains. Thaton lies along the National Highway 8 and is also connected by the National Road 85.-Etymology:...
.
Pre-Pagan period
The Pre-Pagan period is the era when recent immigrants began to mix with indigenous peoples. This era is characterized by Urban age when the city states began to established. Most notable ancient cities were founded by Pyu and Mons during this era.Pyu
Pyu refers to a collection of city-states and their language found in the central and northern regions of modern-day Burma (Myanmar) from 200 BC to 840 AD. The people of Pyu are believed to have been an ethnic groupEthnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
somewhat distinct from the Bamar
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
(Burmans), although they may have intermarried with Sino-Tibetan migrants who later became part of the Bamar ethnicity. The Pyu, one of the founding fathers of the Bamar or Myanmar race, was believed to be the mixture of indigenous people and the Tibeto-Burman immigrants.
The Pyu, settled around Pyay
Pyay
Pyay is a town in the Bago Division in Burma. It has an estimated population of 123,800 . Pyay is positioned on the Ayeyarwady River and is northwest of Yangon....
, and in the northwestern Ayeyarwaddy valley. Trace of their presence can be found in Sri Ksetra near Pyay, and in Beikthanoe in central Myanmar. From approximately 200 BC, Pyu people built a number of walled cities in central Burma, which are collectively known as Pyu city states whose plans consisted of rounded squares or rectangles which are often referred to as South East Asia indigenous creations.
Pyu people practiced Animism
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
before they contact with Indians thought trades and acquired Buddhism from them. The evidence of inscriptions shows that their Buddhism was mixed up with Hindu Brahmanic cults, Vaisnavism in particular. Eighth century Chinese records identify 18 Pyu states throughout the Irrawadddy valley, and describe the Pyu as a humane and peaceful people to whom war was virtually unknown and who wore silk cotton instead of actually silk so that they would not have to kill silk worms. The Chinese records also report that the Pyu knew how to make astronomical calculations, and that many Pyu boys entered the monastic life at seven to the age of 20.
It was a long-lasting civilization that lasted nearly a millennium to early 9th century until a new group of "swift horsemen" from the north, the Mranma, (Burmans
Bamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
) entered the upper Irrawaddy valley. In the early 9th century, the Pyu city states of Upper Burma came under constant attacks by the Nanzhao Kingdom in present-day Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
. In 832, the Nanzhao sacked then Halingyi, which had overtaken Prome as the chief Pyu city state. A subsequent Nanzhao invasion in 835 further devastated Pyu city states in Upper Burma. While Pyu settlements remained in Upper Burma until the advent of the Pagan Empire in mid 11th century, the Pyu gradually were absorbed into the expanding Burman kingdom of Pagan in the next four centuries. The Pyu language still existed until the late 12th century. By the 13th century, the Pyu had assumed the Burman ethnicity. The histories/legends of the Pyu were also incorporated to those of the Burmans.
Mon
The earliest external reference to a Mon kingdom in Lower Burma was in 844-848 by Arab geographers. The Mon practiced Theravada Buddhism. The kingdoms were prosperous from trade. The Kingdom of Thaton is widely considered to be the fabled kingdom of SuvarnabhumiSuvarnabhumi
Suvarnabhumi or Suvannabhumi meaning the "Golden Land" or "Land of Gold", is a term coined by the ancient Indians which refers broadly to Lower Burma, Lower Thailand, Lower Malay Peninsula, the Sumatra, but more generally accepted to refer more specifically to Lower Burma...
(or Golden Land), referred to by the tradesmen of Indian Ocean.
Pagan Kingdom
The Burmans who had come down with the early 9th Nanzhao raids of the Pyu states remained in Upper Burma. Trickles of Burman migrations into the upper Irrawaddy valley might have begun as early as the 7th century. More recent research indicates that the people of Nanzhao were Tibeto-Burman, and that the Burmans entered the Irrawaddy valley en masse in the 830s.) In 849, fourteen years after the last Nanzhao raid, Pagan was founded as a fortified settlement along a strategic location on the Irrawaddy near the confluence of the Irrawaddy and its main tributary the ChindwinChindwin River
The Chindwin River is a river in Burma , and the largest tributary of the country's chief river the Ayeyarwady . It flows entirely within Burma and is known as Ning-thi to the Manipuris.-Source:...
. It may have been designed to help the Nanzhao pacify the surrounding country side. Over the next two hundred years, the small principality gradually grew to include its immediate surrounding areas— to about 200 miles north to south and 80 miles from east to west by Anawrahta
Anawrahta
Anawrahta Minsaw was the founder of the Pagan Empire. Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turned a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that formed the basis of modern-day Burma...
's ascension in 1044.