Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, is a Southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma (the official name until 1989). Naypyidaw is the capital city of Myanmar. It is the biggest nation in Mainland Southeast Asia by area, with a population of over 54 million as of 2017.
Geography
Myanmar covers an area of 678,500 square kilometres (262,000 sq mi). It is located between latitudes 9° and 29° North and longitudes 92° and 102° East. It is bounded to the northwest by Bangladesh and India, northeast by China, east and southeast by Laos and Thailand, and southwest by the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Myanmar comprises seven states- Kachin State, Kayan State, Kayin State, Chin State, Sagaing Region, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, Magway Region, Mandalay Region, Mon State, Rakhine State, Yangon Region, Shan State and Ayeyarwady Region. The country majorly lies on the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator.
Culture
Religious sites are the best places to see aspects of Burmese culture. Myanmar is principally a Theravada Buddhist country. The religious tradition developed during the times of war between King Anawrahta of Bagan and the Mon Kingdom in Thaton, and which continues to the present day, is a syncretic blend of ‘pure’ Buddhism with deeply embedded aspects of the original Hindu-animist culture or nat worship, together with strands of Hinduism and the Mahayana tradition of northern India. “Land of Pagodas” commonly describes Myanmar due to the land majorly occupied by Buddhist pagodas or stupas. The four most significant Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Burma- Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Mahamuni Buddha in Mandalay, Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Mon State, and Bagan, an ancient capital by the Ayeyarwaddy River where large numbers of stupas and temples have stood in numerous states of restoration for over a millennium.
Cultural Heritage
Monuments such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), clusters of buildings, and locations are examples of cultural heritage (including archaeological sites). Myanmar has two World Heritage Sites on the list of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) as of 2022: Pyu Ancient Cities in 2014 and Bagan in 2019. Both locations are cultural. Myanmar also has 15 sites on its preliminary list.
Pyu Ancient Cities
The Pyu Ancient Cities provide the earliest evidence of the introduction of Buddhism into Southeast Asia nearly two thousand years ago, as well as the attendant economic, sociopolitical, and cultural transformations that resulted in the rise of the region’s first, largest, and longest-lived urbanised settlements up until the 9th century. Halin, Beikthano, and Sri Ksetra attest to the many features of the development of this new kind of urban settlement for the Southeast Asian area. The irrigated environment of the Pyu era still influences the rural lifestyles of the present inhabitants at all three Pyu Ancient City sites. At the same time, the religious structures continue to be honoured by Buddhist pilgrims from all across the region. The remnants of three brick, walled, and moated towns, Halin, Beikthano, and Sri Ksetra, may be found in large irrigated landscapes amid the dry zone of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River basin. They are based on the Pyu Kingdoms, which existed for almost 1,000 years between 200 BC and AD 900. The three cities are ancient sites that have been partially explored. Excavated palace citadels, burial grounds, manufacturing sites, huge brick Buddhist stupas, partly intact walls, and water management facilities – some still in operation – that supported organised intensive agriculture are among the ruins.
The archaeological integrity of the Pyu Ancient Cities may be demonstrated in the standing monuments, in-situ structural remains, untouched unexcavated remains, and the still-working agricultural landscape. The urban footprint of each city, delineated by well-preserved moated city walls, is still clearly recognisable two millennia after its creation. The limits include crucial qualities of exceptional universal worth, such as a nationally representative of the vast irrigated landscape that sustained the cities.
Bagan
Bagan, located on a corner of the Ayeyarwady River in Myanmar’s central plain, is a holy site with an outstanding spectrum of Buddhist art and architecture. The series property’s seven components comprise several temples, stupas, monasteries, pilgrimage sites, archaeological remnants, frescoes, and sculptures. The property gave a stunning testament to the height of Bagan civilisation (11th-13th century CE) when the place was the centre of a regional empire. This colossal architectural ensemble portrays the religious fervour of an early Buddhist dynasty.
Bagan’s integrity is based on the ability of the eight elements to convey the Outstanding Universal Value: the material evidence of the landscape, ancient monuments, landmarks, inscriptions, artworks, murals, cloth paintings, and the overall setting; the ongoing intangible heritage and cultural practises; and the governance of pressures on the state of conservation. Bagan’s integrity is threatened by various issues, including tourist and developmental pressures, environmental challenges, and natural calamities.
Moving forward, the past always specifies the identity of the history of monuments located in Myanmar and defines the country in various fields of art and architecture.
Images
- 2013 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Map of Myanmar. [Map]
- Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library. Pyu Ancient Cities. [Photography]
- XplorMor Inc./ Our Place World Heritage – non-exclusive. Hanlin, Pyu Ancient Cities. [Photography]
- Department of Archaeology and National Museum. Bagan. [Photography]
- Department of Archaeology and National Museum. Tu Ywin Taung. [Photography]
Online sources
- List of world heritage sites in Myanmar (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Myanmar (Accessed: January 1, 2023).
- Centre, U.N.E.S.C.O.W.H. (no date) Pyu Ancient Cities, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1444/ (Accessed: January 1, 2023).
- Centre, U.N.E.S.C.O.W.H. (no date) Bagan, UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Available at: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1588 (Accessed: January 1, 2023).
