5/5 Amelia K. 4 years ago on Google
Beikthano😇
Ancient
sites
in
Myanmar
are
generally
associated
with
fabulous
traditions
and
folklore
handed
down
from
generation
to
generation
since
ages
past.
Beikthano
is
not
an
exception.
It
is
traditionally
believed
to
have
been
founded
some
2,400
years
ago
by
Princess
Panhtwar
descended
from
a
still
legendary
dynasty
of
Tagaung
in
Upper
Myanmar.
The
fall
of
the
city
is
attributed
to
a
mightier
king,
Duttabaung
of
Sri
Ksetra,
who
sacked
the
city,
subdued
the
princess,
took
her
captive
and
eventually
married
her.
In
the
present
stage
of
historical
research
in
this
country,
the
personalities
characterized
in
the
legend
are
beyond
authentic
identification.
However,
the
existence
of
an
ancient
city
called
Beikthano
(Vishnu
City)
is
testified
by
the
ruins
which
stand
to
this
day
and
indicates
that
the
legend
may
have
sprung
up
from
a
nucleus
of
true
facts.
The
history,
devotion
as
well
as
the
massive
ruin
remain
until
now
making
it
one
of
the
best
places
to
discover
for
adventurers
in Myanmar
tour.
The
ruins
lying
twelve
miles
west
of
Taungdwingyi
in
Magwe
district
are
not
easily
recognized
by
casual
passers-by
but
the
elderly
local
people
remember
that
the
fort
walls
stood
much
higher
than
now
about
half
a
century
ago
before
the
bricks
were
quarried
for
building
roads
and
railway
tracks.
Apart
from
the
interesting
tale
of
the
city,
the
local
people
could
give
no
proper
account
of
the
city
complex
and
the
urn
burials
which
they
often
discover
in
and
around
the
city
walls.
In
fact,
its
character,
its
culture,
and
its
past
life
and
glory
remained
shrouded
under
a
misty
veil
of
myth
and
legend
till
recently
when
archaeological
excavations
were
conducted.
The
excavations,
though
limited
to
twenty-five
selected
sites
during
six
open
seasons,
reveal
that
the
cultural
equipment
of
the
site
is
essentially
Pyu
in
character.
Masonry
structures
with
massive
walls
constructed
of
large-sized
bricks,
uninscribed
silver
coins
bearing
symbols
of
prosperity
and
good-luck,
burial
urns
of
plain
and
exquisite
designs,
beads
of
clay
and
semi-precious
stones,
decorated
domestic
pottery,
iron
nails
and
bosses
are
among
the
finds
which
reveal
convincing
cultural
links
between
Beikthano
and
the
established
Pyu
site
of Sri
Ksetra.
The
significant
absence
of
Buddhist
statuary
and
relics
and
of
Pyu
inscriptions
lend
support
to
fix
Beikthano
culture
at
an
earlier
stage
of
Pyu
chronology.
The
city
wall
is
shaped
more
or
less
like
a
rhombus,
each
side
measuring
about
two
miles.
The
western
side
has
almost
completely
eroded
and
the
other
sides
have
crumbled
down
by
natural
decay
as
well
as
human
depredation.
Internal
projections
of
the
wall,
clearly
visible
on
the
north
and
south
sides,
which
at
first
seemed
to
be
debris
mounds
of
bastions
proved
to
be
gateways
on
excavating
them.
The
peculiarity
of
these
gateways
is
that
the
fort
walls
curve
gradually
inwards
instead
of
making
square
turns
at
the
entrance.
The
arms
or
ramparts
on
either
side
of
the
entrance
passage
extend
to
about
86
feet.
Charred
remains
of
a
wooden
gate
in
each
of
the
passages
flanked
by
the
arms
were
discovered
together
with
rusted
iron
sockets
on
which
the
gates
were
originally
swung.
All
such
gates
were
not
excavated
but
it
is
apparent
that
the
traditional
enumeration
of
twelve
main
gates
through
the
entire
perimeter
of
the
brick
fortification
sounds
true.
Within
the
fort
walls
lies
a
rectangular
brick
enclosure
known
as
the
palace
site.
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