SITE
The earliest settlers in Myanmar were a race of highly cultured people known as the Pyu. Chinese records tell us that the Pyu migrated from the Tibetan plateau to the central Irrawaddy River basin in Myanmar around the 2nd century AD. Their cities, which lay along the banks of the Irrawaddy River and formed the mighty Pyu Kingdom, included Tagaung, Halingyi, Ton Nge Wa, Beikthano, and the capital, Sri Ksetra (Thayekhittaya). The Pyu, who were devout Buddhists and practiced Theravada Buddhism, constructed many extraordinary monuments honouring Buddha, but only a handful of these remain, and all are seriously threatened. Heavy rains in the region have led to severe water erosion, causing walls to crack and bricks to loosen, resulting in collapsed ceilings and an overall degradation of the buildings.

The earliest developed urban settlement of the Pyu was at Beikthano, near Prome. Eventually its dominance began to wane, and by the 5th century Sri Ksetra became the kingdom's capital and the centre of Pyu civilization. Profiting from its position near the Irrawaddy, the city traded with other seacoast cities, and a lucrative exchange of both culture and commodities began. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Pyu were indeed an exceptionally cultured civilization with their own language, a highly developed urban culture, excellent craftsmen and their own advanced architecture. Discovered at the ancient sites were funerary urns with ashes of the dead, and a wealth of gold, silver and bronze artifacts. Among the most important finds were twenty gold plates inscribed with Buddhist texts, dated to the 5th century. The Pyu were extremely skilled jewelers, and their gold jewelry in particular is magnificent. Stone and terra-cotta bas-relief sculptures depicting the birth of Buddha and other religious themes have also been found.

ARCHITECTURE
The pagodas and temples of the Pyu Kingdom were brick constructions of high quality and ingenious design; the vaulted arch system - a technique that was later employed regularly in temple architecture - appears for the first time in their construction. The Phayama and Payagyi Stupas are conical shaped structures located near Sri Ksetra. The cylindrical Bawbawgyi, an enormous structure measuring 73 metres in circumference, reaches a height of 46 metres and rests upon five circular terraces. The square temples of Bebe and Lemyethna became a prototype for future religious structures of its kind in the region.

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