Water, Ritual, and Prosperity at the Classical Capital of Bagan, Myanmar (11th to 14th Centuries CE): Archaeological Exploration of the Tuyin-Thetso “Water Mountain” and the Nat Yekan Sacred Water Tank | ၁၁ မွ ၁၄ရာစ( ◌ျမ+,ာ့ ဂႏ◌ၲဝင34ဂံေ◌ခတ္၏ ေ◌ရအသံ◌(◌းခ်မႈ၊ ႐ိ(းရာေဓလ့ႏ◌ွင္◌ ့ သာယာေဝ◌ျပာမႈ - အGထတI... (original) (raw)
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Research Article_ Open Access journal powered by Open Journal Systems_ e-ISSN 2586-8721 p-ISSN 1858-4101, 2019
The IRAW@Bagan project is aimed at developing an integrated socio-ecological history for residential patterning, agricultural practices and water management at the Classical Burmese (Bama) capital of Bagan, Myanmar (11th to 14th centuries CE). As part of this long-term research program investigations have been initiated in the Tuyin-Thetso uplands, located 11 km southeast of Bagan’s walled and moated epicenter. This mountainous area figures prominently in the chronicles of early Bagan, given that it was one of five places around the city that a royal white elephant carrying a Buddhist tooth-relic kneeled down, prompting King Anawrahta (1044- 1077 CE) to build a pagoda (i.e., temple) there. Numerous 13th century religious monuments were subsequently built on the Tuyin Range. Recent explorations in these uplands have drawn attention to an additional feature of historical significance, a rock-cut tank located along the eastern edge of the Thetso-Taung ridge. Referred to by local villagers as Nat Yekan (Spirit Lake), this reservoir appears to have been integral not only to the initial collection and subsequent redistribution of water across the Bagan plain via a series of interconnected canals and reservoirs, but also, through its associated iconographic imagery, it may have been intended to symbolically purify this water, enhancing its fertility prior to its flowing into the city’s peri-urban zone. Hydrological modelling, excavations, and both iconographic and epigraphic analysis are used to build a multilayered understanding of Nat Yekan’s economic, political, religious, and ideological significance during Bagan’s Classical era. Keywords: Myanmar, Bagan, Water, Ritual, Ideology
Journal of Archaeology and Fine Arts in Southeast Asia, 2019
The IRAW@Bagan project is aimed at developing an integrated socio-ecological history for residential patterning, agricultural practices and water management at the Classical Burmese (Bama) capital of Bagan, Myanmar (11th to 14th centuries CE). As part of this long-term research program investigations have been initiated in the Tuyin-Thetso uplands, located 11 km southeast of Bagan’s walled and moated epicenter. This mountainous area figures prominently in the chronicles of early Bagan, given that it was one of five places around the city that a royal white elephant carrying a Buddhist tooth-relic kneeled down, prompting King Anawrahta (10441077 CE) to build a pagoda (i.e., temple) there. Numerous 13th century religious monuments were subsequently built on the Tuyin Range. Recent explorations in these uplands have drawn attention to an additional feature of historical significance, a rock-cut tank located along the eastern edge of the Thetso-Taung ridge. Referred to by local villagers as Nat Yekan (Spirit Lake), this reservoir appears to have been integral not only to the initial collection and subsequent redistribution of water across the Bagan plain via a series of interconnected canals and reservoirs, but also, through its associated iconographic imagery, it may have been intended to symbolically purify this water, enhancing its fertility prior to its flowing into the city’s peri-urban zone. Hydrological modelling, excavations, and both iconographic and epigraphic analysis are used to build a multilayered understanding of Nat Yekan’s economic, political, religious, and ideological significance during Bagan’s Classical era. https://irawbagan.wordpress.com/
Integrated Socio-Ecological History of Residential Patterning, Agricultural Practices, and Water Management at the “Classical” Burmese (Bama) Capital of Bagan, Myanmar (11th to 14th Century CE): Report on the 2018 IRAW@Bagan Field Season, 2018
Integrated Socio-Ecological History of Residential Patterning, Agricultural Practices, and Water Management at the “Classical” Burmese (Bama) Capital of Bagan, Myanmar (11th to 14th Century CE): Report on the 2018 IRAW@Bagan Field Season. Edited by Gyles Iannone, Pyiet Phyo Kyaw, and Scott Macrae. Trent University Occasional Papers in Anthropology No. 20 ISSN 0825-589X Peterborough Ontario https://irawbagan.wordpress.com/
Water Management in the Urban Cultural Heritage of Myanmar with San Win and Pyiet Phyo Kyaw
This article assesses indigenous perceptions of water through a comparison of the water management strategies at three ancient sites located in different ecological zones of Myanmar. Two of our examples are in the high-rainfall regions of Lower Myanmar: Thagara in the Dawei River valley flanked by mountains on the east and west, and Kyaikkatha on delta lands at the egress of the Sittaung River. We contrast these adaptations with the micro-exploitation of the scarce water resources at Bagan (also spelled Pagan) in the arid zone of Upper Myanmar. In the southern wet regions, despite the different geographical setting of Thagara and Kyaikkatha, the focus was on drainage and control. Multiple ramparts and moats were used to conserve the scarce water in the dry months between December and April and control the heavy floods of the rainy months between May to November. At Bagan, sited directly on the broad Ayeyarwady River, water management of inland streams and seasonal lakes maximised the gentle slope of the plain while also coping with intermittent flash floods in the rainy months. The sites of Thagara, Kyaikkatha, and Bagan demanded specific adaptations but are alike in the absence of extensive transformation of the landscape. This balance of manmade and natural elements provides common ground despite their variable size and urbanised extent, ecological setting, and occupational sequence to highlight the shared significance of water management in their long-term urban success.
THE PYU: AN ANCIENT CIVILISATION OF UPPER MYANMAR
In the early first millennium, a civilisation based around large brick-walled cities began to emerge in Upper Myanmar. Known as the Pyu, this culture gained mastery over irrigation techniques at an early stage in its development. This allowed for increased agricultural production to support its burgeoning urban centres. Coupled with its adoption of the incoming religious currents of Buddhism, and to a lesser extent Hinduism, it rose to become the most prominent culture in the region for almost a thousand years. This essay traces its rise by exploring its art, architecture, and urban landscapes, focusing on the three main Pyu cities, Sri Ksetra, Beikthano, and Halin.