Outline of Buddhism in early History period of Burma.

The history of Burma, now officially Myanmar, is long and complicated. Several ethnic groups have lived in the region, the oldest of which are probably the Mon or the Pyu. In the 9th century the Bamar (Burman) people migrated from the then China-Tibet border region into the valley of the Ayeyarwady, and now form the governing majority. The history of the region comprises complexities not only within the country but also with its neighboring countries, China, India, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand.
Early history of Burma
Humans lived in the region that is now Burma as early as 11,000 years ago, but archeological evidence dates the first settlements at about 2500 BCE with cattle rearing and the production of bronze. By about 1500 BCE, ironworks were in existence in the Irrawaddy Valley but cities, and the emergence of city states, probably did not occur till the early years of the Common era when advances in irrigation systems and the building of canals allowed for yearlong agriculture and the consolidation of settlements.[1]Artifacts from the excavated site of Nyaunggan help to reconstruct Bronze Age life in Burma and the more recent archaeological evidence at Samon Valley south of Mandalay suggests rice growing settlements between about 500 BC and 200 AD which traded with Qin and Han dynasty China
Pyu city-states
The Pyu arrived in Burma in the 1st century BC and established city kingdoms at Binnaka, Mongamo, Siri Khettara, Peikthanomyo, and Halingyi. During this period, Burma was part of an overland trade route from China to India. Chinese sources state that the Pyu controlled 18 kingdoms and describe them as a humane and peaceful people. War was virtually unknown amongst the Pyu, and disputes were often solved through duels by champions or building competitions. They even wore silk cotton instead of actual silk so they would not have to kill silk worms. Crime was punished by whippings and jails were unknown, though serious crimes could result in the death penalty. The Pyu practiced Theravada Buddhism, and all children were educated as novices in the temples from the age of seven until the age of 20.
The Pyu city-states never unified into a Pyu kingdom, but the more powerful cities often dominated and called for tribute from the lesser cities. The most powerful city by far was Siri Khettara(Sare Khettara), which archaeological evidence indicates was the largest city that has ever been built in Burma. The exact date of its founding is not known, though likely to be prior to a dynastic change in A.D. 94 that Pyu chronicles speak of. Sari Khettara(Sare Khettara) was apparently abandoned around A.D. 656 in favour of a more northerly capital, though the exact site is not known. Some historians believe it was Hanlingyi. Wherever the new capital was located, it was sacked by the kingdom of Nanzhao in the mid-9th century, ending the Pyu's period of dominance.
Mon kingdoms
The 6th century Mon kingdom of Dvaravati in the lower Chao Phraya valley in present day Thailand extended its frontiers to the Tenasserim Yoma (mountains). With subjugation by the Khmer Empire from Angkor in the 11th century the Mon shifted further west deeper into present day Burma. Oral tradition suggests that they had contact with Buddhism via seafaring as early as the 3rd century BC and had received an envoy of monks from Ashoka in the 2nd century BC.
The Mons adopted Indian culture together with Theravada Buddhism and are thought to have founded kingdoms in Lower Burma including the Thaton Kingdom circa 9th century AD and Bago (Pegu) in 825. The Kingdom of Raman'n'adesa (or Ramanna) referenced by Arab geographers in 844–8.[1] is believed to be Thaton. The lack of archaeological evidence for this may in part be due to the focus of excavation work predominantly being in Upper Burma.
Pagan Kingdom (1044-1287)
To the north another group of people, the Bamar (Mranma / Myanma), also began to settle in the area. By 849, they had founded a powerful kingdom centred on the city of Pagan (spelled Bagan today) filling the void left by the Pyu.
Bamar tradition maintains that the Bamar were originally of three tribes, the Pyu, the Thet, and the Kanyan. Indeed, Pyu as a language and as a people simply disappeared soon after the Myazedi Inscription of 1113. The word Mranma,in both Mon and Myanmar inscriptions, came into being only at about the same time, lending support to this claim that the Pyu were an earlier vanguard of southward Tibeto-Burman migration who were entirely absorbed into a newly formed identity by later waves of similar people .
The Pagan Kingdom grew in relative isolation until the reign of Anawrahta who successfully unified all of Burma by defeating the Mon kingdom of Thaton in 1057. Consolidation was accomplished under his successors Kyanzittha and Alaungsithu, so that by the mid-12th century, most of continental Southeast Asia was under the control of either the Pagan Kingdom or the Khmer Empire. The Pagan kingdom went into decline as more land and resources fell into the hands of the powerful Sangha (monkhood) and the Mongols threatened from the north. The last true ruler of Pagan, Narathihapate felt confident in his ability to resist the Mongols and advanced into Yunnan in 1277 to make war upon them. He was thoroughly crushed at the Battle of Ngasaunggyan, and Pagan resistance virtually collapsed. The king was assassinated by his own son in 1287, precipitating a Mongol invasion in the Battle of Pagan; the Mongols successfully captured most of the empire, including its capital, and ended the dynasty in 1289 when they installed a puppet ruler in Burma.
Small kingdoms
After the fall of Pagan, the Mongols left in the searing Irrawaddy valley but the Pagan Kingdom was irreparably broken up into several small kingdoms. By the early 15th century, the country became organized along four major power centers: Upper Burma, Lower Burma, Shan States and Arakan. Many of the power centers were themselves made up of (often loosely held) minor kingdoms or princely states. This era was marked by a series of wars and switching alliances. Smaller kingdoms played a precarious game of paying allegiance to more powerful states, sometimes simultaneously.
Ava Kingdom (1364-1555)
Founded in 1364, Ava (Innwa) was the successor state to earlier, even smaller kingdoms based in central Burma: Myinsaing (1298–1312), Pinya (1312–1364), and Sagaing (1315–1364). Ava viewed itself as the rightful heir to the kingdom of Pagan, and in order to reassemble the lost empire, waged continuous wars against Hanthawaddy Pegu and Shan States in the late 14th to early 15th centuries. But by the late 15th century, it was Ava that was under repeated Shan raids. By the early 16th century, hitherto regional princely states like Prome (Pyay) and Toungoo (Taungoo) broke away from Ava. In 1527, Ava fell to a confederation of Shan States led by Mohnyin, which ruled much of Upper Burma from Ava until 1555. The Burmese language and culture came into its own during the Ava period.
Hanthawaddy Pegu (1287-1539)
Founded in Martaban (Mottama), Hanthawaddy was first to emerge out of Pagan's ashes. The capital was shifted to Pegu (Bago) in 1369. As was the case in Upper Burma, the kingdom too consisted of regional power centers in Pegu, Bassein (Pathein), and Martaban. King Razadarit successfully held off Ava in the Forty Years' War. In the second half of 15th century, Hanthawaddy, under Queen Shin Sawbu and her successor King Dhammazedi, entered its golden age. The kingdom, with a flourishing Mon language and culture, became a center of commerce and Theravada Buddhism, making it the strongest and most prosperous of all the post-Pagan kingdoms.
History of Shan States (1287-1557)
The Shans, who came down with the Mongols, stayed and quickly came to dominate much of northern to eastern arc of Burma—from northwestern Sagaing Division to Kachin Hills to the present day Shan Hills. The most powerful Shan states were Mohnyin (Shan: Mong Yang) and Mogaung (Mong Kawng) in present-day Kachin State, followed by Theinni (Hsenwi), Thibaw (Hsipaw) and Momeik (Mongmit) in present-day northern Shan State.[2] Minor states included Kalay, Bhamo, Nyaungshwe and Kengtung. Mohnyin, in particular, constantly raided Ava's territory throughout 15th and early 16th centuries and captured Ava itself in alliance with Prome in 1527. Mohnyin-led confederation of Shan states ruled much of Upper Burma (except for the Toungoo Kingdom) until 1555.
History of Arakan (1287-1784)
Although Arakan had been de facto independent since the late Pagan period, the Laungkrat dynasty of Arakan was ineffectual. Until the founding of the Mrauk-U Kingdom in 1430, Arakan was often caught between bigger neighbors, and found itself a battlefield during the Forty Years' war between Ava and Pegu. Mrauk-U went on to be a powerful kingdom in its own right between 15th and 17th centuries, including East Bengal between 1459 and 1666. Arakan was the only post-Pagan kingdom not to be annexed by the Toungoo dynasty.

How Buddhism was brought to Burma

Tapussa & Bhallika met the Buddha

Burmese people believed that during Lord Buddha life time, the two Burmese merchants named Tapussa and Bhallika from Ukkalapa near Yangon were travelling through the region of Uruvela (These two men were leaders of a large caravan that was passing through Magadha) and were directed to the Buddha by their member. The Buddha had just come out of seven weeks of meditation after his awakening and was sitting under a tree feeling the need for food. They made an offering of rice cake and honey to the Buddha and took the two refuges, the refuge in the Buddha and the refuge in the Dhamma (the Sangha, the third refuge, did not exist yet). Here, Burmese proudly claim that the Buddha's first meal was offered by Burmese Tapussa and Bhallika. As they were about to depart, they asked the Buddha for an object to worship in his stead and he gave them eight hairs from his head. After the two returned from their journey, the king of Okkallapa welcomed them with great honour on their arrival and they enshrined the three hairs in a stupa which is now the great Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.
It is believed in Myanmar that the hill upon which the Shwedagon Pagoda stands was not haphazardly chosen by Taputta and Bhallika but was, in fact, the site where the three Buddhas preceding the Buddha Gotama in this world cycle themselves deposited relics. Buddga Kakusandha is said to have left his staff on the Theinguttara Hill, the Buddha Konagamana his water filter, and Buddha Kassapa a part of his robe. Because of this, the Gotama Buddha requested Taputta and Bhallika to enshrine his relics in this location. Taputta and Bhanllika travelled far and wide in order to find the hill on which they could balance a tree without its touching the ground either with the roots or with the crown. Eventually, they found the exact spot not far from their home in Lower Myanmar where they enshrined the holy relics in a traditional mound or stupa. The original stupa is said to have been 27 feet high. Today the Shwedagon pagoda has grown to over 370 feet.


The Great Elder, Maha Thera Shin Gavampti invited the Buddha to Thaton in Lower Burma


“The first Indianized peoples in Burma were the Mons, an honour shared with their northern neighbours, the Pyus. The Mons, a people of Malay-Indonesian stock, are related to the early inhabitants of Thailand and Cambodia, who also spoke Mon-Khmer languages. The Mons, who are considered to be the indigenous inhabitants of lower Burma, established their most significant capital at Thaton, strategically located for trade near the Gulf of Martaban and the Andaman Sea.
“Little is known of the early history of the Mon people, how long their various kingdoms flourished and the extent of their domains. For example, it is not definitely known if it was the Mon or the Pyu who controlled the lower delta region. Descriptions in Chinese and Indian texts specify their settlement area as being around the present day cities of Moulmein and Pegu in the monsoonal plains of Southeast Burma. This area was first known as Suvannabhumi (‘Land of Gold’) and later as Ramannadesa (‘Land of Ramanna’), Ramanna being the word for the Mon people. The area known as Suvannanbhumi was often connected with the historical Buddha in the later Burmese chronicles, which credits the Mons with first establishing the Buddhist religion in Burma. Although little is known about actual religious practice, trade connections through the Mon port city of Thaton can be traced to the Indian kingdom of the Buddhist King Ashoka from as early as the 3rd century BC.

Some scholar records that Maha Thera Shin Gavampti was one of the Buddha’s main disciples but he is not frequently mentioned in the Buddhist scriptures. It was believed according to purely Mon tradition that the Buddha himself visited the Kingdom of Thaton after having been entreated by Maha Thera Gavampti, who was later invited to participate in the First Buddhist Council.

The Pali Dictionary wrote that after the conversion of the people of Ramanna to Buddhism there was a constant exchange between the Kingdom of Ramanna and Ceylon to establish the Sangha in Ceylon. The King of Ramanna is said to have made gifts of an elephant to every vessel bringing goods from foreign lands.
Maha Punna from Sunaparanta invited the Buddha to Pagan in Upper Burma

In the chapter entitled, “The Buddha’s Visits to the Region” (in the article Buddhism in Myanmar) Roger Bischoff tells us, “Punna, a merchant from Sunaparanta, went to Savatthi in India on business and there heard a discourse of the Buddha. Having won faith in the Buddha and the teachings, he took ordination as a bhikkhu-monk. After some time, he asked the Buddha to teach him a short lesson so that he could return to Sunaparanta and strive for Arahatship. The Buddha warned him that the people of Sunaparanta were fierce and violent, but Punna replied that he would not allow anger to arise, even if they should kill him.

“In the Punnovada Sutta (‘Advice to Venerable Punna’) the Buddha instructed him not to be enticed by that which is pleasant, and Punna returned and attained Arahatship in his home country. He won over many disciples and built a monastery of red sandalwood for the Buddha. According to some chronicles of Myanmar, the Buddha made the prediction that at the location where the red sandalwood monastery was, the great king Alaungsithu of Pagan would build a shrine. He then sent flowers as an invitation to the Buddha and the Buddha came, accompanied by 500 Arahats, spent the night in the monastery, and left again before dawn”.

Bischoff continued, “The Buddha stopped at the river Nammada close to Saccabandha Mountain. Here the Blessed One was invited by the Naga King Nammada to visit and preach to the Nagas, later accepting food from them”. Furthermore, “Namanta Naga and his friend Hermit came to pay homage to the Buddha and requested to have some kind of his representation for them to worship. Thus, the Buddha left two footprints, one at the foot of the Minbu Hill Range and the other a little higher up on the hill. These footprints are well known far and wide as Shwe Set Taw (‘Golden Footprints’)”. Bischoff reports that these “footprints, still visible today, were worshipped by the Mon, Pyu, and Myanmar kings alike”.

Maha Thera Sona & Uttara taught in Thaton

The Buddha said to the Bhikkhus that “O Bhikkhus, wander forth for the gain of the many, for the welfare of the many, in compassion for the world, for the good, for the gain, for the welfare of gods and men. Proclaim, O Bhikkhus, the Doctrine glorious, preach you a life of holiness, perfect and pure”.
Venerable Dr. Rewata Dhamma wrote: “Two and a half centuries after the passing away of the Buddha, according to the tradition preserved in the Sri Lankan chronicles, Emperor Asoka sent missionaries to preach the teachings of the Buddha outside India. At that time his son and daughter went to Sri Lanka to teach the Buddha-Dhamma. Also two monks named Sona and Uttara were sent to Suwanabhumi (Thaton) to spread the teachings.
“Buddhism was introduced to central Asia 234 years after the passing of the Buddha into Nibbana, i.e., in 240 BC. China received Buddhism for the first time in the first century BC and within a century it was officially recognized as a religion by the state. Buddhist monks began going to China from the end of the first century BC, and Buddhism arrived in Korea and in Japan in the fourth and in the sixth century CE respectively. Tibet received the Teachings of Buddhism in the seventh century while the Buddha-Dhamma has flourished in Thailand from the first or second century CE.
“According to Chinese chronicles and archaeological findings, Cambodia became a Buddhist country from the end of the fifth century CE. A large number of inscriptions discovered in different parts of Malaysia are written in Sanskrit and show that Buddhism was already flourishing in this part of Asia at this time. From this it can be seen that these Buddhist monks travelled to many strange countries without any financial support, facing many hardships during their journeys. They did not know anything about the countries where they were going and relied only on a strong confidence in the teachings of the Buddha.”

The Tipitaka was translated & presented to the King of Thaton

Maha Thera Buddhaghosa stayed in Sri Lanka at the invitation of his mentor Maha Thera Revata in order to translate the Tipitaka. Having completed the translation, Buddhaghosa returned to Myanmar and presented King Dhamapalla of Thaton the translation of the Tipitaka. This event marks the arrival of the Buddha’s Words in Myanmar.
Who was Maha Thera Buddhaghosa? “Bhadantācariya Buddhaghosa was a 5th century Indian Buddhist Theravadin commentator and scholar. Buddhaghosa means ‘Voice of the Buddha’ in the Pali language. He translated extensive Sinhalese commentaries on the Pali Buddhist texts into Pali. Certain commentaries are also attributed to him, including one on the Vinaya and one on the Dhammapada that includes 305 stories for context. His Visuddhimagga Pali, (‘Path of Purification’) is a comprehensive manual of Theravada Buddhism that is still read and studied today. The book is divided into sections on Shila or ‘Ethics,’ Samadhi or ‘Meditation,’ and Pranna or ‘Wisdom.’ This is a traditional division in Buddhist teachings, which suggest that ethics are essential to meditation, and that meditation is essential to developing wisdom. From the Buddhist point of view, this is the ‘path of purification’ because it purifies the mind of the defilements of greed, hatred, and delusion.”
Shin Arahan converted the King of Pagan, who unified Upper & Lower Burma
It is said that the troops of King Anawrahta, who ruled from 1044-77, invaded Thaton in order to acquire the Tipitaka Scriptures and thereby the kingdom was broadened beyond the present-day boundaries. Home Bagan wrote: “The Mon-Myanmar War came about like this. In those days, Lower Myanmar was more advanced in some aspects than Upper Myanmar as it is closer to the sea and had more international contacts and trade. Pure, Theravada Buddhism also flourished there first while Upper Myanmar was following the religious teachings of quack-priests called Aris (who believed in animism). To give an example of the religious practices taught by the Aris: a bride had to offer herself to the Aris on the night of her wedding! A learned monk from Thaton by the name of Shin Arahan went to Bagan – probably to propagate the true Buddhist religion. King Anawrahta did not like the teachings and practices of the Aris and therefore welcomed him with open arms.
“The king was pleased with Shin Arahan’s introductory sermons on Buddhism and expressed his desire to introduce it to his kingdom. The venerable monk informed him that the propagation of Buddhist religion in Bagan would be facilitated if the king could obtain a set of the Three Pitaka, the complete teachings of the Buddha, from Thaton. Accordingly, King Anawrahta sent a mission bearing appropriate gifts to the kingdom of Thaton to request for a set of the Three Pitakas. Regrettably, King Manuha of Thaton turned down the request in undiplomatic terms. As a result, the Myanmar forces of Bagan marched on Thaton, conquered it and took back to Bagan not only sets of the Three Pitakas, but also the royal family and many Mon artisans as prisoners of war. The culture of Bagan was enriched by this infusion of Mon arts and crafts, no doubt, for the Mons are an enterprising race well-known for their industry and creativity. But Thaton's greatest contribution to the culture of Bagan was without any doubt pure; Buddhism.”
As a result, “The Mrammas or Myanmas established a powerful kingdom with its capital at Pagan and gave their name to the whole country in the tenth century CE. At that time Tantric Buddhism was already flourishing amongst them, but King Anawratha was converted to Theravada Buddhism. Since that time, “Burma has been known as a Theravada Buddhist country. It always had a good relationship with Sri Lanka and there was a constant exchange of monks between the two countries to study Buddhist literature and to strengthen the Buddha-Dhamma. There were numerous Burmese contributions to Theravada Buddhism and to Pali literature.”
Tradition reports that the King of Ceylon presented Lord Buddha’s holy tooth to King Anawrahta. He also obtained the sacred collarbone of Gotama Buddha from Thayekhittaya. Chronicles say that when the sacred relics arrived, King Anawrahta descended knee-deep into the river to receive them. Shin Arahan advised the king that for the benefit of men he should enshrine the relics within a stupa so that it might be worshipped for as long as what is called a sasana in Pali, i.e., 5000 years. The king placed the relics on a jewelled white elephant and vowed, “Let the white elephant kneel in the place where the holy relics should rest.” And it was there that the Shwezigon Pagoda (Stupa) was built.
The first arrival of Buddha Sasana in Burma
The first arrival of Buddha Sasana in Burma was associated with the legend of the Shwedagon Pagoda. In accordance with this legend, Buddhism arrived in Myanmar in the lifetime of Buddha. In the Maha Sakarit year 103, while the Buddha. was in a phalasamapatti meditation at the foot of Rajayatana Lin Lun tree in the Uruvela Forest near the Nerajara River, two merchant brothers Taphussa and Bhallika of Ukkalapa village of Ramannadesa came to worship the Buddha .The brothers offered the Buddha honey cakes and the Buddha preached the Dhamma to them. At their request the Buddha gave them eight sacred hairs of His Head as His relics to venerate. On their return home, they enshrined the Sacred Hairs in a ceti (pagoda) they built on the hill then called Tampaguta. That ceti was we now call ShwedagonPagoda.
The second arrival of Buddha Sasana in Burma
In the Maha Era 111 (666 BC), in the 8th Vassa of Buddha, Arahat Maha Thera Shin Gavampti entreated the Buddha to visit Thaton (Sudhammapura) in the Kingdom of Ramannnadesa. The people in that place become Buddhists after hearing the Dhamma.
The third arrival of Buddha Sasana in Burma
In the Maha Era 123 (678 BC), in the 20th Vassa of the Buddha, Maha Punna came and requested the Buddha to visit Sunaparanta Vaniccagama. When Buddha came to that place with 500 disciples, a monastery built of sandal wood was offered to the Buddha to reside. Namanta Naga and his friend Hermit came to pay homage to the Buddha and requested to leave some kind of his Representative for them to worship. Thus, the Buddha left two footprints, one at the foot of the Minbu Hill Range and the other on a little higher up on the hill. These Buddha footprints are well known far and wide as Shwe Set Taw( literally Golden Footprints).
The fourth arrival of Buddha Sasana in Burma
When the Third Buddhist symbol was held during the regime of Emperor Asoka in Buddhist Era 235, foreseeing that the Buddha Sasana would spread to far off places and flourish there, Buddhist missionaries were dispatched to nine countries and nine places. Maha Thera Sona and Uttara accompanied by three arahats came to Suvannabhumi ( Thaton ) in Ramannadesa to carry out missionary work there.
The fifth arrival of Buddha Sasana in Burma
In the Buddhist Era 930 or A.D.386(circa) during the reign of King Mahanama of Sri Lanka who was a contemporary of King Thiligyaung of Bagan of Myanmar Mahar Thera Buddhaghosa who was a native of Gotha village in the Kingdom of Rajagahan came to Sri Lanka at the invitation of his mentor Maha Thera Revata. Mah Thera Buddhaghosa resided in Maha Vihara and he translated into Magadha, Tipitaka written Sri Lankan language. He brought to King Dhamapalla of Thaton in Ramannadesa his translated work. That is the arrival of the Buddha Sasana in Myanmar in the form of written tipitaka.

Arrival of written Tipitaka in Tampadipa ( Bagan )
Buddha Sasana flourished in the Pyu City Kingdoms. By virtue of the artifacts excavated from archaeological sites such as Sri Kestra, Beikthano, and Hanlin show that at that time Mahayana Buddhism co-existed with Theravada Buddhism. Other places where Buddha Sasana flourished were Rakhine Vesali and Ramanna Desa. When Anawrahta became king in A.D. 1044, he was intent upon purifying Buddhism which was prevalent in Bagan. After he met Venerable Shin Arahan and achieved Tipitaka from Thaton Theravada Buddhism flourished in Myanmar.

Theravada Buddhism / Orthodox Buddhism
Just like Roman Catholic and Protestants, there are 2 major churchs in Buddhism: Theravada and Mahayana. Theravada Buddhism is the orthodox church, and it dominates in Myanmar, Thailand, and southeast Asia. Buddhist meditation, the practice of mental concentration leading ultimately through a succession of stages to the final goal of spiritual freedom, nirvana. Meditation occupies a central place in Buddhism and combines, in its highest stages, the discipline of progressively increased introversion with the insight brought about by wisdom. Meditation, though important in all schools of Buddhism, has developed characteristic variations within different traditions.
Emissaries sent by King Ashoka in the third century BCE first brought the Dharma to Burma. By the fifth century, the Theravada was well established, and by the seventh century the Mahayana had appeared in regions near the Chinese border. By the eighth century, the Vajrayana was also present, and all three forms continued to coexist until King Anaratha established the Theravada throughout the land in the eleventh century. Pagan, the royal capital in the north, was adorned with thousands upon thousands of Buddhist stupas and temples, and was the principal bastion of Buddha Dharma on earth until sacked by the Mongols in 1287. In succeeding centuries the Theravada continued strong, interacting closely at times with the Dharma centers of Ceylon [Sri Lanka]. The Burmese form of Theravada acquired a unique flavor through its assimilation of folk beliefs connected with spirits of all kinds known as nats. Today 85 percent of Burmese are Buddhist, and Buddhism is the official religion of the country.
Buddhism was officially adopted by the Burmans, the major racial unit of Burma, as early as the eleventh century. Indigenous tradition, however, takes back this introduction even to the life time of Buddha when, so it is said, the faith came to this country through the good offices of two Mon merchants, Tapussa and Bhallika. The Buddha, so says the tradition, graced them with some hair of his head which they carried and enshrined on the top of the Singuttara hill, at the place where now stands the famous Shwedagon. This pagoda, however, is not the only shrine of which Burma can boast. There are innumerable shrines scattered all over the country, quite a few of them fairly celebrated, the maximum number being clustered within a sixteen square mile area at Pagan, the nerve centre of ancient Burmese Buddhist culture.
Leaving aside the tradition whose authenticity is yet to be proved, it can be said with some definiteness that Buddhism, particularly its Theravada form, was implanted at Pagan for the first time as early as the eleventh century by the Burmese monarch Anawrahta (1044—77). Urged by his spiritual adviser Shin Arahan, the king requested the Mon monarch Manuhal of Suvannabhumi (identified with Taikkala in the Bilin township of the Thaton district) to kindly send him a set of the Pali Buddhist scriptures. Unfortunately the request was rudely turned down whereon Anawrahta waged a fierce war against the Mon king, humbled him, ransacked his capital and brought back to Pagan some thirty huge sets of the Pali scriptures. Fitting honour was extended to the scriptures which were housed with all solemnity at Pagan in a library specially built for the purpose. The people envisaged a new order of life obsessed as they were by the faith of the Aris and other indigenous religious rites and practices, and with this great acquisition opened a new chapter in the religious life of the people.
Incidentally, it is worth recalling that according to the Mahavamsa, a Pali chronicle of the fifth century Ceylon, Buddhism reached Suvannabhumi as early as the third century before Christ when emperor Asoka sent there two Buddhist monks, Sona and Uttara, to preach the teachings of the Master. Though it is somewhat difficult to determine the genuineness of this statement, yet the whole affair does not appear to be just a figment of imagination. It should further be mentioned that researches in archaeology have proved beyond doubt that as early as the sixth century, if not the fifth, of the Christian era, Sanskrit Buddhism had found a fair stronghold at Sriksetra, ancient Prome, which was then the cradle of the Pyu culture.
After Anawrahta had brought over the Pali scriptures to Pagan, its study coupled with the pressure put forth by Shin Arahan, encouraged the king to make Theravada Buddhism the religion of the state. His enthusiasm ushered an era of religious reform. Pagodas rose, a new programme of education was adopted, and the cause of culture was strongly encouraged and advocated. After the death of Anawrahta, his son Kyanzittha (1084-1113) followed his father's programme of reform. According to the Shwesandaw inscription of the year 1093 he sent a mission to India to restore the temple at Buddhagaya, where Gautama had attained Enlightenment, an act which became the first official attempt on the part of a Burmese king at establishing cultural contacts with India. Shin Arahan continued to be spiritual adviser of the king, and it was to him more than to anybody else that Burma owes the establishment of Theravada Buddhism, and the era of pagoda building which he inaugurated was the most creative age in Burmese religious and cultural history. It should be mentioned here thit if Anawarahta and his successors were not able or did not care to exterminate all the other existing cults, they gradually weakened them by unwavering patronage to the Theravada. Having command over the seagirt coast of Burma, they were able to keep in touch with the reigning Buddhist monarchs of Ceylon, to check their Pali Texts with those of the latter and to receive and give help in matters religious.
Towards the end of the thirteenth century, Pagan fell before the onrush of the invading Tartars, and Burma was left in a state of prolonged anarchy and confusion. Buddhism naturally shared in the general decline. Religion languished, the Samgha split up into sects, and though pagodas were built, none of them could rival even the lesser temples of Pagan.
I mentioned things above are about early history of Burma and Outline of Buddhism in early History period of Burma.

kosukha(Minhla)