Myanmar History

Myanmar has a long and complex history. Many peoples have lived in the region and the history began. The first identifiable civilization is that of the Mon. The Mon probably began migrating into the area in about 300 BC, and their first kingdom Suwarnabhumi, was founded around the port of Thaton in about 300 BC. The Pyu arrived in Myanmar in the 7th century and established city kingdoms at Binnaka, Mongamo, Sri Ksetra, and Halingyi. During this period, Myanmar was part of an overland trade route from China to India. By 849, the Burmans had founded a powerful kingdom centered on the city of Bagan and filled the void left by the Pyu. The kingdom grew in relative isolation until the reign of Anawrahta (1044 - 77) who successfully unified all of Myanmar by defeating the Mon city of Thaton in 1057.

After the collapse of Bagan authority, Myanmar was divided once again. The Burmans had restablished themselves at the city of Ava by 1364, where Bagan culture was revived and a great age of Burmese literature ensued. The kingdom lacked easily defendable borders, however, and was overrun by the Shan in 1527. Surviors of the destruction of Inwa eventually established a new kingdom centered on Taungoo in 1531 led by Tabinshwehti (reigned 1531-50), who once again unified most of Myanmar. A popular Burmese leader named Alaungpaya drove the Bago forces out of northern Myanmar by 1753, and by 1759 he had once again conquered Pegu and southern Myanmar while also regaining control of Manipur. He established his capital at Rangoon, now known as Yangon. Myanmar was known to the West ever since western explorers had heard of it. Marko Polo was the earliest known westerner who discovered Myanmar and introduced to the West.


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Mogok Sayadaw U Vimala
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
 
King Nanda
Photo Credit - www.asiaobserver.org
King Nanda was the king of the Taungoo dynasty of Myanmar whose reign (1581-99) ended with the dismemberment of the empire established by his father. Bayinnaung. Upon coming to the throne. Nanda Bayin was faced with a rebellion of his uncle. the viceroy of Inwa. whom he defeated three years later. In December 1584 Nanda Bayin marched into Siam. which had been a vassal of his father. to subjugate the Siamese patriot Naresuan.
 
1917: Burmese Monks
1917: Burmese Monks at Shwe Dagon Pagoda.
 
WW II British Troops in Burma
WW II: British troops in Burma, 1945.
 
Burmese Representative
Photo Credit - www.lostfootsteps.org
 
Nandawshay Sayar Tin
Photo Credit - www.moemaka.com
Nandashay Sayar Tin was the most famous Musician and Composer of Myanmar Music history. He was the composer of Myanmar National Anthem. Sayar Tin was born in 1892 at Mandalay.
 
Mingun Sayadaw
Statue of Mingun Sayadaw
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
 
U Thant Island
U Thant Island. or officially Belmont Island. is a tiny 100 x 200 foot (30 x 60 metre) artificial island in New York City's East River. just to the south of Roosevelt Island. It lies across from United Nations headquarters at 42nd Street. and is legally considered a part of the Borough of Manhattan and New York County. The islet is currently protected as a sanctuary for migrating birds. including a small colony of Double-crested Cormorant. and access is prohibited to the public.
 
Shwedagon Pagoda by Philip Adolphe Klier, Burma.
 
It is widely known that a number of temples in Bagan were cursed by the owner or the builder of the temples. Archaeological records found 41 temples in Bagan, Myanmar were cursed. Below are a few of them.
 
Myat Paya Lat
Myat Paya Lat
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
 
Zawgyi(writer)
Photo credit - www.wikipedia.org
Zawgyi (Burmese: ဇော်ဂျီ, conceived Thein Han (သိန်းဟန်, 12 April 1907 - 26 September 1990) was a recognized and driving Burmese artist, creator, abstract history specialist, commentator, researcher and scholastic.
 
Vintage Monastery
Vintage Monastery Burma (Myanmar).
 
Mahasi Sayadaw
The Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
 
Taunggwin Sayadaw
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
The Taunggwin Sayadaw U Visuddha Silacaraha (တောင်ခွင်ဆရာတော် ဦးဝိသုဒ္ဓ သီလာစာရဟာ) was the last Buddhist friar to hold the workplace as Thathanabaing of Burma. The workplace was annulled after his demise in 1938 and no successor was ever named.
 
1945: Rangoon Convocation Hall
1945 Japanese surrender to Allied forces in front of Convocation Hall (Rangoon, Burma).
 
General Aung San
General Aung San was born on 13 Feb 1915. Natmauk. Myanmar. Heaungsan was the Myanmar nationalist leader and assassinated hero who was instrumental in securing Myanmar's independence from Great Britain. Before World War II Aung San was actively anti-British; he then allied with the Japanese during World War II. but switched to the Allies before leading the Myanmar drive for autonomy.
 
King Tharyarwaddy
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
King Tharyarwaddy (A.D. 1837-1846) was the eighth king of the Alaungpaya. or Konbaung. dynasty of Myanmar. who repudiated the Treaty of Yandabo and nearly brought about a war with the British. Tharyarwaddy in 1837 deposed his brother Bagyidaw (reigned 1819-37). who had been obliged to sign the humiliating treaty that ceded the provinces of Arakan and Tenasserim to the British.
 
Sayar San
Photo Credit - www.rfa.org
Sayar San's (1930-1932) real name was U Ya Gyaw. He was born in Thayet Kan. Shwebo District. Mandalay Division. Once he became the leader of anti-British rebellion of 1930-32 in Myanmar. he was known as Saya San. Saya San was a native of Shwebo.
 
King Wareru
Photo Credit - www.goldentriangel.de
King Wareru (1287-1296) was famous king of Hanthawaddy (Hansavadi. or Bago). who ruled over the Mon people of Lower Myanmar. He was also called Magado or Chao Fa Rua. King Wareru was a Thai adventurer of humble origins who had married a daughter of King Ramkhamhaeng of Sukhothai and had established himself as overlord of Martaban on the Salween River in 1281.
 
British Army in Burma 1945
Soldiers remove their shoes while they visit a pagoda in Rangoon, 13 May 1945.
 
Mayan Civilization
Comalcalco was a major Mayan port city that was believed to have flourished between A.D 700 to A.D 900. Though others place it much older, and even perhaps older still, since the finds at Nakbe in the Petén, it may go back to 1000 BCE, and beyond. Since there was no rock quarry or stone to use in the area, they built the buildings out of bricks made of baked mud.
 
King Bagyidaw
Bagyidaw (A.D 1819-1837). king of Myanmar from 1819 to 1837. The seventh monarch of the Konbaung. or Alaungpaya dynasty. he was defeated in the First Anglo-Myanmar War (1824-26).
 
U Shwe Yoe
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
U Shwe Yoe's original name was U Ba Ga Lay. He was a pioneer famous Cartoonist. Actor. Comedian and Dancer. U Ba Ga Lay invented Myanmar's most famous Dance and Character known as U Shwe Yoe. He was born in 1893. Pathein. the delta region of Myanmar. His parents were U Pho Thi and Daw Thae Mhone. both were teachers of Pathein High School. He died in 1945 at the age of 52.
 
Ludu U Hla
Photo credit - www.wikipedia.org
 
Ludu U Hla (Burmese: လူထုဦးလှ; 19 January 1910 – 7 August 1982) was a Burmese writer, distributer, recorder, folklorist and social reformer whose productive compositions incorporate an extensive number of way breaking true to life works. He was hitched to kindred essayist and columnist Ludu Daw Amar.
 
King Alaungpaya 
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
 
King Bayinnaung
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
King Bayinnaung (1551-1581) was also known as Braginoco or Barinnaung. He was the king of the Taungoo dynasty and reigned from 1551 to 81 in Myanmar. He unified his country and conquered the Shan States and Siam (now Thailand). making Myanmar the most powerful kingdom in mainland Southeast Asia. In 1550 a revolt broke out among the Mons of southern Myanmar. and Bayinnaung's brother-in-law. Tabinshwehti. was assassinated at Bago in 1551 by a Mon prince.
 
King Bodawpaya
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
King Bodawpaya (1782-1819) was one of the greatest king of Myanmar. sixth monarch of the Alaungpaya. or Konbaung. dynasty. in whose reign (1782-1819) the long conflict began with the British.
 
Kawleikgyin Ne Win
Photo Credit - www.wikipedia.org
Kawleikgyin Ne Win (Burmese: ကောလိပ်ဂျင်နေဝင်း, 1 October 1928 – 2 June 1983) was a two-time Burmese Academy Award winning Burmese film actor and director. Conceived Ne Win, he was given his well known moniker after his fruitful presentation film, Kawleikgyin (The Collegian), so as not to be mistaken for the late Burmese strongman of a similar name, Gen. Ne Win.
 
1871: the first Burmese embassy to the UK arrives in the hope of a peace treaty with Queen Victoria. Seated L-R: Royal Secretary Naymyo Mindin Thurayn Maung Cheint; the Pangyet Wundauk Maha Minkyaw Raza Maung Shwe O. Chief Minister the Kinwun Mingyi (leading the embassy); the Pandee Wundauk Maha Minhla Kyawhtin Maung Shwe Pin (educated in Calcutta). Standing in back: Major A.R. McMahon. British Agent at Mandalay (I think) and Edmund Jones. Burmese Consul at Rangoon (both fluent in Burmese).Kinwun Mingyi
 
Ludu Daw Amar
Portrait of Ludu Daw Amar in her youth
 

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