Lost Footsteps
Lost Footsteps
The Pyu script

The Pyu script

မြန်မာဘာသာဖြင့် ဖတ်ရန်

Myanmar's three 1st millennium cities - Hanlin, Beikthano, and Sri Ksetra - were named a UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2014. The remains of these walled-and-moated cities have been partially excavated and include Buddhist stupas, palaces, cemeteries, early manufacturing sites, and agricultural irrigation features (some of which are still in use today).

This photo shows an example of the Pyu script, which is a variant of the Pallava script of South India. According to UNESCO these three ancient cities offer "Outstanding Universal Value" as they "provide the earliest testimony of the introduction of Buddhism into Southeast Asia almost two thousand years ago [...] The Pyu showed a striking capacity to assimilate Indic influences and swiftly move into a significant degree of re-invention. They created a special form of urbanization, the city of extended urban format, which subsequently influenced urbanization in most of mainland Southeast Asia."

The 'Pyu Ancient Cities' are Myanmar's first site inscribed to the World Heritage List.

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