Ancient Vedic Burmese Coins8th century silver coin from Arakan of Niti Chandra, with Shaiva symbols and a Brahmi legend. Reproduced from the British MuseumArticle Source The earliest human settlements in ancient Myanmar were along thecoastline, in the fertile plain along the Irrawady River, and probably in the remote mountain ranges. As per local chronicles the first historic kingdom was established by Hindu immigrants, led by Prince Abhiraja of the Sakya warrior clan that ruled Kapilvastu. He founded the city of Sankissa (modern Tagaung), and also conquered the Arakan region. The Mon people living in the coastal districts have a tradition that Hindus from southern India, specifically from the lower courses of the Krishna and Godavari Rivers, crossed the sea in ancient times and settled on the Irrawady delta. Their culture and language migled with those of the Mon. According to the traditionalhistory of Arakan, the firstking of the province came fromBenares on the Holy Ganga in India. The discovery of stones inscribed with the ancient Indian Brahmi alphabet,used in the records of the Maurya Empire (326-185 BCE), prove that these traditional accounts have a basis infact. Archaeological remains prove that the Sanskrit and Pali languages ofIndia's Vedic Civilization were cultivated in Myanmar, and thatits people had adopted the Brahmanical and Buddhist religions then prevailing in India. Moreover the rulers of different kingdoms in Myanmar all had Sanskrit names.
Historic Kingdoms At the time of the Buddha, a Kshatriya clan form North India ruled upper Myanmar for 16 generations. Later this kingdom was lost and the clan founded a newstate in lower Myanmar, with Sri-Kshetra (modern Prome) as capital. Here they merged into the original inhabitants, the Pyu people. The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang who visited India in the 7th century CE mentions this kingdom of Sri-Kshetra in his book. ASanskrit inscription on the pedestal of a Buddha image bears the local ruler's name: Jayachandra-varman. Hiuen Tsang mentions another kingdom to the south of Sri-Kshetra called Dvaravati.This was ruled by the Hinduised Mon people. The Mons also inhabited the coastal regions of lower Myanmar,which were known as Ramannadesa.As per epigraphic records a Hindu dynasty called Sri-Dharmarajaniya-Vamsa ruled in Arakan between 600-1000 CE. Coins found in the region have the names of rulers like Dharma Chandra, Niti Chandra and Vira Chandra.The capitalof this kingdomwas Vaisali whose ruins (modern Vethali) are found near Mrohaung. The greatest of all these historic states was the Pyu Kingdom of Sri-Kshetra. It had 9 fortified garrison towns, while the capital Sri-Kshetra was over 40 km in circumference. It wasprotected by a moat and a wall built of glazed bricks, which had 12 gates and towers at the four corners. Withinthe city lived thousands of families, with over a 100 Buddhist monasteries, and an opulent royal court awashwith gold and silver. On the east of the Pyu Kingdom lay the Thai Kingdom of Nan-Chao—its rulers claimed descent from Ashok of the Maurya Empire and its Sanskrit name was Gandhara. In 754 CE the Thai king defeated the Chinese and invaded Sri-Kshetra, receiving the submission of the Pyus. A branch of the Thais, the Shan, settled in upper Mynamar and gave their name to the region.Again in 832CE the Thais invaded, this time entering the capital city, plundering its wealth and taking 3000 prisoners. But the Pyu Kingdom survived this blow. A new capital was established at Arimardanpura (Pagan) in 849 CE, which continued till the 11th century. By this time a new power was making its presence felt in Myanmar. The Myamma People The Myamma (modern Bamar)trace their original home to Tibet and, passing through India, reached the forested regions of Myanmar at a remote period. Their being no substantial local population, the Myamma multiplied rapidly and probably alsorecieved a small infusion of Indian immigrantsinto this mass. The Myamma were tough and warlike, when compared to the Pyus or Mons, and the decline of the Pyu Kingdom was their opportunity. They established their own rule over Pagan—in 1044 CE Aniruddha, the greatest ruler of Myanmar, ascended the throne. He conquered and annexed the Mon Kingdom, in the process embracing the Hinduised Mon culture, adopting the Mon religion (Theravada Buddhism) and scripture, and adopting the Mon script for writing. Aniruddha's conquests covered the whole country, including parts of Arakan. Even the proud Shan princes had to submit to Aniruddha. His son Tribhuvanaditya-dharmaraja (1084 CE) built the famous Ananda temple, inspired by the designs of contemporary Indian temples. He alsosent funds for the repair of Bodh Gaya in Bihar, and married a Chola princess. South Arakan acknowledged his supremacy. His grandson was married to an Indian princess from Pattikhera (Tripura). Internal dissensions and intrigues plagued the ruling family for the next few generations. At this time a new danger was looming on the horizon. In 1254 CEKublai Khan, the Mongol ruler of China, conquered the Thai Kingdom of Gandhara (Nan-Chao) and scattered the Thai people—branches entering the Shan region and others going south into Siam (modern Thailand). In 1271 CE Kublai demanded the submission of Myanmar. The latterretaliated by boldly sending an army into the borderland, which was defeated. Revolts broke out across the country, and the king was murdered,but the knockout blow was delivered by the Mongols. Kublai Khan's grandson marched into Pagan and completely destroyed it. The Mongolsthough did not stay to rule the country, whichentered a phase ofpolitical disintegration and cultural decay for the next three centuries. Modern andancient names The nameBurma, familiar to people from the colonial period, was a corruption of Brahma (Bramma) and was initially believed by philologists to be derived from theVedic God of that name. Given the Indian influence on South-East Asia inthose times this appeared logical. Butfrom inscriptions it becomes apparent that it was the tribal name Myamma, which was Sanskritized to Mramma, and later became Brahmaor Bramma. This is because of the adoption of the Sanskrit and Pali languages by the various peoples of Myanmar in ancient times. This name Bramma was later anglicised to Burma, and continued through the colonial and post-colonial periods till it was changed to Myanmar. This change harks back to the glorious period of Myamma rule and the political unification of the country. And since the Myamma tolerated and openly embraced the cultures of the various peoples of the country, it's fitting to revert to the old name for the country.