Pyu city-states

Long ago, the Pyu people lived in big cities.

They moved to these lands from far away. They built large walls around their towns.

The Pyu people were good at farming. They used water to help their rice grow.

They also traded with people from other lands.

They learned new ways to write and talk. They also learned about new beliefs.

Later, new groups of people moved in. The Pyu ways helped these new people.

Many of their old cities are still famous today.

Long ago, the Pyu people lived in many city-states.

These cities were in the land we now call Myanmar. The Pyu people moved there from a place near Qinghai Lake. They built large walled cities to protect themselves.

One big city was named Halin.

Another city was Sri Ksetra. It was very large and very important.

The Pyu were great at farming. They built canals to move water to their rice fields. They also traded goods with people from China and India. This trade brought new ideas to the Pyu. They learned about Buddhism and new ways to write.

Later, raids from the Nanzhao Kingdom made the Pyu cities weak. Over time, the Bamar people moved into the area. The Pyu people slowly joined the new Bamar group. Even so, the Pyu left many things behind. Their writing and calendars helped shape the culture of Myanmar. Today, some of their old cities are famous World Heritage Sites.

The Pyu city-states were a group of important settlements in present-day Upper Myanmar.

These cities existed for a very long time, from about the 2nd century BCE to the mid-11th century. They are famous because they helped connect the Bronze Age to the classical states of the region. The Pyu people were the earliest inhabitants of Burma to leave written records. They lived in a realm that was longer than it was wide. This area stretched from Sri Ksetra in the south up to Halin in the north.

Their culture helped shape the history of the land for many years.

Life in these city-states relied on clever ways to manage water.

The Pyu built many cities in fertile areas like the Mu River Valley and the Kyaukse plains. They used irrigation systems to move water to their rice fields. This skill in water control allowed them to grow plenty of food. Some cities had large walls to protect the people living inside. Many of these cities also had water tanks built near or inside the walls. These cities were part of a big trade path between China and India.

Through this trade, they learned about Buddhism and new ways of building.

History shows that the Pyu people moved to this region from the north. They likely traveled from near Qinghai Lake toward the Irrawaddy River Valley.

They began settling in these river valleys around the 2nd century BCE. One of the oldest sites is Beikthano, which dates back to 200 BCE. Another important city was Halin, which was founded in the 1st century AD. Halin was the largest city until the 7th or 8th century. After that, Sri Ksetra became the most influential and largest Pyu center.

It was twice as large as Halin.

Archaeologists have found many amazing things from the Pyu era.

They have discovered 12 walled cities in total. Five of these were very large, including Maingmaw and Binnaka. Maingmaw was a huge circular city on the Kyaukse plains. The Pyu also created their own way of writing using a script. This script may have helped lead to the Burmese writing used today. They even had a calendar based on Buddhist ideas.

This calendar later became the Burmese calendar. Many of these sites are now protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The Pyu civilization began to change in the 9th century.

Raids from the Nanzhao Kingdom from the north made the city-states weak. By the year 832, Nanzhao warriors took 3,000 Pyu prisoners from Halin. This did not make the Pyu disappear immediately. Instead, the Bamar people began to move into the area. The Pyu people were gradually absorbed into the growing Pagan Kingdom. By the 13th century, most Pyu people had become part of the Burman ethnicity.

Even though they changed, their legends and history stayed with the Bamar people.

The Pyu city-states were a group of organized urban settlements located in present-day Upper Myanmar.

They existed for nearly a millennium, from roughly the 2nd century BCE until the mid-11th century CE. These states are significant because they represent the earliest inhabitants of Burma with surviving written records. Their civilization bridged the gap between the Bronze Age and the classical states period. This era eventually led to the rise of the Pagan Kingdom in the late 9th century. The Pyu realm was a long, narrow territory stretching from Sri Ksetra in the south to Halin in the north.

Pyu urbanism was defined by sophisticated water management and defensive architecture. Many cities featured large walled spaces to protect the inhabitants. These walls often incorporated water tanks, either sealed within the structure or placed just outside. The Pyu were experts at irrigation, which allowed them to control water in different local environments. They built these systems to support large-scale rice farming in fertile regions. This agricultural success was vital for sustaining their growing populations in the river valleys.

The Pyu realm was organized into several distinct types of settlements. Archaeologists have identified 12 walled cities, including five major urban centers. These major cities were Beikthano, Maingmaw, Binnaka, Halin, and Sri Ksetra. Smaller, non-fortified towns and settlements were also spread throughout the region. The city-states were primarily located in three irrigated zones: the Mu River Valley, the Kyaukse plains, and the Minbu region. This geography allowed them to thrive near the confluence of the Irrawaddy and Chindwin Rivers.

History suggests the Pyu people migrated from the north to settle in these valleys. They likely moved from the area around Qinghai Lake toward the Irrawaddy River.

They began entering the region around the 2nd century BCE using the Taping and Shweli Rivers. Over time, they established a powerful presence that participated in overland trade routes. These routes connected the major civilizations of China and India. This position allowed them to import new ideas, such as Buddhism and various political concepts from India.

Different cities served different roles at different times in history. Halin, founded in the 1st century AD, was the most important city for several centuries. However, it was eventually superseded by Sri Ksetra during the 7th or 8th century. Sri Ksetra was located near modern Pyay and was twice as large as Halin. It became the most influential Pyu center in the realm.

Other sites, like Beikthano, show even older roots, with remains dating back to 200 BCE.

The decline of the Pyu city-states was driven by external conflict and gradual migration. In the 9th century, the Nanzhao Kingdom from the north began repeated raids on the region. These invasions significantly weakened the Pyu states. For example, in 832 CE, Nanzhao warriors overran the Pyu country and took 3,000 prisoners from Halin.

Following these raids, the Bamar people began moving into the territory. While the Pyu did not disappear instantly, they were gradually absorbed into the expanding Pagan Kingdom. By the 13th century, the Pyu had largely assumed the Burman ethnicity.

Despite their political decline, the Pyu left a permanent mark on Southeast Asian culture. They were the first in the region to adapt Brahmic scripts to record their tonal language. This led to the invention of unique tonal markers. Their Pyu script may have been the ancestor of the modern Burmese script.

Additionally, the Pyu calendar, which was based on Buddhist principles, later became the foundation for the Burmese calendar. Their religious and architectural traditions continued to influence the region for centuries to come.