Pyu

The Pyu were speakers of Tibeto-Burman languages who established city-kingdoms in Myanmar between the 1st century BCE and the 9th century CE. Their capital city, Shri Kshetra, was located at the northern edge of the Irrawaddy River delta. A significant trade route between China and India passed through northern Myanmar, and the Pyu offered an alternative route via Shri Kshetra, connecting to maritime trade with India and Southeast Asia.1

Chinese records described the Pyu government as humane and their life as elegant, with no known prisons and minimal punishment for criminals. They lived in well-built houses and used fine materials for their belongings. The Pyu were followers of Buddhism, likely of the Sarvastivada school, and their architects may have developed the vaulted temple. They educated their children in monasteries and convents. By the 9th century, the Pyu shifted their capital northward, and by the 11th century, they had disappeared from historical records as a distinct people. The Burmans later learned from the Pyu and incorporated their influences into their own kingdom.1234