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Bagan

Type Object Region Myanmar Time c. 1044–1287

Bagan was the capital of Myanmar's Pagan dynasty, located in the middle Irrawaddy, and became the center of Buddhist civilization in Southeast Asia a…

Timeline

  1. c. 1044–1230Bagan · Mandalay RegionAfter Anawrahta unified Burma, he established Bagan as his capital; successive kings built pagodas and temples on a large scale, and the city became the core for the spread of Theravada Buddhism and the development of Burmese script and art, with pagodas standing in great numbers.
  2. 1231–1240Bagan · Mandalay RegionIn the 1230s, Bagan remained Burma's political and religious center, and the court maintained its rule over the Irrawaddy basin, but the kingdom's finances and military strength already showed signs of fatigue, and local powers grew increasingly centrifugal, laying hidden dangers for the later Mongol invasion.
  3. 1240–1287Bagan · Mandalay RegionIn the mid-to-late 13th century, the Pagan dynasty was plagued by internal strife; after Kublai Khan sent troops to invade in 1287, the capital was severely damaged and Bagan lost its status as capital, but the thousands of surviving pagodas remain a symbol of Burmese Buddhist civilization to this day.

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