SINCE prior to the classification into the World Heritage Cultural Site by the UNESCO, Sri Kestra (Thayekhittara, pronounced in Myanmar) situated at 5 miles far away from south-east of Pyay in Bago Region had already been famous as an ancient city of Pyu, in home and abroad. After the period of being acknowledged as the World Heritage Cultural Site Sri Ksetra, which had been an urban area in Pyu Era some 2000 years ago, became more well-known.
The name of Sri Ksetra brings about the meaning—the area endowed with the virtues of auspiciousness and glamour. The city had been built in a round shape, albeit not exactly as a circle. It had an area of 5.5 square miles in width and 8 miles 5 furlong in circumference. Out of three ancient cities of Pyu Era Sri Ksetra is the largest one. According to the index of the map, it is located at a degree of North Latitude 18 degrees 75 minutes & at a degree of East Longitude 95 degrees and 25 minutes.
Sri Ksetra, Beikthano & Hanlin which had been the first-ever acknowledged ancient cities as the world heritage sites for Myanmar stretched out north to south. Sri Ksetra located at the Far South is 30 kilometers far from Beikthano and 400 kilometers from Hanlin.
Ancient Sri Ksetra
According to the Chronicles on Myanmar History, Sri Ksetra was learnt to have been built in BC 443 (i.e, 101 years after the Demise of Lord Buddha), and to have been ruled successively by the dynasty of Duttabaung King & ruined in the reign of “Thupyinyar Nagaraseinda” King. In fact, the history of Sri Ksetra had been mixed with oral histories generally accepted by the generation.
Sri Ksetra had been the most famous one of Pyu ancient cities which flourished between AD 1 Century and AD 9 Century in Myanmar. Historian Dr. Than Tun wrote in the article about Gyikwaytra, the Ancient Sri Ksetra City that it was built in later part of BC 200.
Dr. Than Tun wrote that Duttabaung, a vocabulary of ဒွတ္တဘောင်, has not been a personal name, but just a honorable term meant for the King of great virtue, and Pyu races that ceased to exist in AD 14 Century seemed to have professed Brahmanism earlier, later converting into Mahayana Buddhism.
Among the religious edifices built in Sri Ksetra there can be round pagodas and temples seen. These cultural artifacts became the proto types of architectural features of the edifices built during the period of Bagan Era, after Pyu Era. Pyu Kings used to build the then pagodas in the forms of tapering slowly to the bottom and stretching out slowly to the top (OR) in the octagonal types. Thus, in the Paper on Evidences of Cultural Heritage which went extinct in the intervening period between Pyu & Bagan Eras, the writer, “Minbu Aung Kyaing” stated that there had been 12 Pyu pagodas such as “Ngakywe Nadaung, Bu Phaya and Layhsudan” in Bagan.
Excavations in Sri Ksetra
Dr. E Forchammaer who was the first-ever appointed in-charge of the archaeological department in Myanmar made the ground survey of Sri Ksetra. In 1907 French General Leon de Beylie & Mr. Taw Sein Ko, high ranking executive officer of stone inscription in the country made excavations in Sri Ksetra. Following that period, Mr. Taw Sein Ko, U Lu Pe Win, Monsignor Du Roi Sel and other high ranking executive officers on stone inscriptions occasionally excavated in Sri Ksetra till the period before the World War II broke out, finding out evidences in Pyu Era from digging up 65 hillocks so far.
Sri Ksetra had been surrounded by 8 miles 5 furlongs long walls, and some of which were ruined by natural disasters and some people. Some parts of the remaining walls have been found to be 15 feet high and 17 feet wide. In the south & west the city had had double walls whereas the south-east part of the city had been tri-walled so that Pyu citizens could defend the city from the danger of external destructive forces.
As the Yangon-Pyay Railroad had been built through the ancient city of Sri Ksetra from the south-east direction to the north-west direction, the old city had been divided into two. The northern part of the track is low-lying area while the southern part is high compared to the location of the former.
The site of the old palace of 1700 ft in length and 1126 ft in width is situated at the south of the ancient city of Sri Ksetra. According to the chronicles of Myanmar History it had been recorded that Sri Ksetra had 323 gates and 33 small doors. Yet, there were only 9 entrance gates found under the currently made ground surveys, namely Muhtaw & Twinbye gates at the north of the ancient city, Shwe & Moteshay gates at the west, Rahanda, Baluma & Thayawady Gates at the south and Nat & Naga Twant gates at the north.
3 Pagodas built in Triangular Position
Outside the city wall of Sri Ksetra 3 pagodas built since Pyu Era were located in a triangular position, viz. Bawbawgyi Ceti at the south of the old city, Phayagyi Ceti at the north-west and Phayamar Ceti at the north. However, other huge round pagodas like those Cetis had not been found inside the wall of Sri Ksetra city.
Bawbawgyi Ceti stands up as a cylindrical shape while Phayagyi & Phayamar Cetis stand up in mountain shape, tapering slowly to the top. According to oral histories Bawbawgyi, Phayagyi & Phayamar Cetis were included in the 9 pagodas built by Duttabaung King, during the flourishing period of Sri Ksetra.
Remains of religious edifices of Pyu Era which can be found in Sri Ksetra generally can be categorized into two kinds—a type of round pagoda called “Htupa” and Cave Shrine. In Myanmar Dictionary Htupa is defined as Htupa Ceti and Pahtou. Gu Hpaya is defined as a temple with a hollow vaulted base. Htupa (alias) round pagoda is a solid Ceti without a cave. Gu Phaya is a round pagoda below which Gandagudi meant for the special chamber for the use of the Buddha has been built. As there is a cave under the Ceti, it is called Cave Shrine.
Phayagyi Ceti with 139 ft in length & 307 ft in circumference, which was a religious artifact of the middle part of Pyu Era built between AD 400 & AD 700 is situated beside Pyay-Aunglan Road. Previously it was called “Ayesay Ceti” or Maha Ceti. Out of the four terraces of the Pagoda, 3 terraces have 16 angles each & the remaining terrace is the round type of terrace. Nearby the Phayagyi Ceti there had been 4 stone burial urns and an earthen burial urn excavated circa 1920. The stone burial urns were engraved with the names of “Hari Gikrama King, Thiha Gikrama King & Thuriya Gikrama King,” respectively.
Bawbawgyi Ceti situated nearby the city wall at the southwest of the ancient city Sri Ksetra is the most ancient one of the 3 round pagodas of Sri Ksetra Era. It had been vertically built like a tube on the 5th terrace of 240 ft in width. The Bawbawgyi Ceti of 153 ft in height had been built with a cave originally but the cave had been permanently un-hollowed later. The mini-pagoda made of quartz which was excavated in the ancient city of Sri Ksetra in 1909-1910 is the type of Bawbawgyi Ceti. And, in the book on the Ancient Myanmar Cities it has been expressed that Bawbawgyi-like Ceti images had been found in some cups of clay excavated in Sri Ksetra ancient city.
Bawbawgyi Ceti has been regarded to have been built in AD 600 & 700, by scholars. It is also said to resemble the type of Dammike Ceti in northern India. Its cylindrical type has been compared to the pagodas— Sanchi & Amarawady Cetis in semicircular shapes in India, built between AD 100 & 200.
Phayamar Ceti is situated beside Pyay-Paukkhaung Road, north-east of Sri Ksetra nearby the village “Koneyoe Twinpyay.” It has the cylindrical shape at the bottom with its upper part climbing up like a mountain gradually. Phayamar Ceti has 4 terraces in all, three of which have 16 angles each and the remaining terrace has a round shape. As it is 138 ft in height and its circumference is 316 feet, it can be of the same size as Phayagyi Ceti.
Phayamar Ceti, formerly called “Tharaima” built between AD 400 & 700 is assumed to have been built by Duttabaung King. In January, 1967 there was excavated nearby Phayamar Ceti—ancient artifacts of Pyu Era, an 11 inch-sized bell & 5 world-famous statues of dancers in Pyu Era.
Stone Burial Urns
Out of the excavations made by the Archaeological Department stone burial urns with inscriptions were found only in Sri Ksetra. Those were discovered nearby the Cetis—four at the Phayagyi Ceti and the other one at the place near Phayahtaung. Some of the letters inscribed on the stone burial urns could be deciphered. The four stone burial urns found near Phayagyi Ceti have been assumed to be those of the kings—Hari Gikrama King, Thiha Gikrama King & Thuriya Gikrama King, and the other one to be that of a royal next of kin or a queen.
On March 18 1993, another cylindrical stone burial urn with debris of the Buddha image inside it was excavated near the Phayahtaung Ceti, in the city wall of Sri Ksetra. Letters inscribed on stone urns found near Phayagyi Ceti and Phayahtaung Ceti had been proved to be same Pyu characters. According to the names inscribed on the 4 stone urns of Phayagyi Ceti Sri Ksetra can be assumed to have been ruled by Gikrama Dynasty. On each of the stone urns found at Phayagyi Ceti only a name has been inscribed respectively whereas on the Phayahtaung Stone Urn names of the kings were written in 5 lines.
On account of the kings’ names and dates of their demises, which had been inscribed on the stone urns discovered in Sri Ksetra, they have been regarded as the stone burial urns. However, Major Ba Shin, the historian wrote that at the time they had been found, no remains of bones and ashes had been inside, apart from some lumps of earth. Those lumps of earth may be the ashes of the deceased. At the same time some people did not accept the idea that those stone urns had been the burial urns.
Similarly it may be regarded that the urns had been used for a particular purpose, absolutely not as burial urns, as there had been found debris of the Buddha Image inside. Accordingly, researches should be made whether the-deceased-kings’- names-inscribed stone urns with religious or holy objects put inside might have been donated to the pagodas by the bereaved ones.
Phayahtaung Stone Urn had been exhibited at the National Museum in Yangon with one of Phayagyi Stone Urns shown at Nay Pyi Taw Museum and the three others at Sri Ksetra Museum at Sri Ksetra respectively.
Sri Ksetra had developed as an urban city in Pyu Era, leaving most of the artifacts of Pyu cultural heritage and evidences of Pyu cultures which had been extinct, hence a great help for researchers. With a view to maintaining the longevity of Sri Ksetra, researches on Pyu History have to be carried out further and further. (Translated by Kin Maung Oo) References: Duttabaung —Dr. Than Tun Sri Ksetra, ancient city—U Sein Maung Oo Lectures on diploma courses of Myanmar History & Culture —Dr. Kyaw Win
