All language subtitles for Wonders of Burma Series 1 2of2 Myths and Magic 1080p HDTV x264 AAC MVGroup org

Narrator:
TO THE REST OF THE WORLD,

BURMA IS KNOWN MORE
FOR POLITICAL REPRESSION

THAN RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION,

BUT SET FOOT IN THIS COUNTRY
AND STAND IN AWE

AT THE SCOPE AND DEPTH
OF BUDDHIST CULTURE.

Donald Stadtner: BURMA’S ONE
OF THE FEW PLACES IN ASIA

WHERE TRADITIONAL ASIA
IS JUST STARING YOU IN THE FACE.

Narrator: FROM SMALL-TOWN
PAGODAS TO GRAND MONUMENTS,

THIS COUNTRY IS AWASH
IN ANCIENT SHRINES,

AND THEY CRYSTALLIZE
THE ONE ELEMENT

THAT SEEMS TO HOLD BURMA
TOGETHER--BUDDHISM.

HOW DID THIS DEVOTION SHAPE
A PATCHWORK OF ANCIENT KINGDOMS

INTO A SINGLE NATION?

TRAVEL THROUGHOUT THIS GORGEOUS
COUNTRY, AND BACK IN TIME,

AS WE TRACE THE MYTHOLOGY

THAT BUILT BURMA
INTO A BUDDHIST WONDERLAND.

[SINGING]

[SINGING]

♪

♪

♪

THE COLORS ARE INTENSE.

THE AIR IS SWEET AND THICK,

AND THE MOOD IS ANCIENT.

THE NATION OF BURMA,
NOW KNOWN AS MYANMAR,

IS SHROUDED
IN MYTHOLOGICAL MYSTERY.

Stadtner: THE MYTHS TODAY
ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT,

AND THAT’S WHAT GIVES
THESE SACRED SITES THEIR OOMPH.

WITHOUT MYTHS,
THESE PLACES HAVE NO SANCTITY.

Narrator: THESE MYTHS
ARE CENTURIES IN THE MAKING

AND AS FLEETING AS A BREEZE.

IT’S HARD TO PINPOINT
WHERE THEY CAME FROM

OR WHERE THEY’RE GOING.

BUT ALONG THE WAY,

THEY HAVE INSPIRED
REMARKABLE RELICS OF FAITH

BY THE THOUSANDS.

TEMPLES AND PAGODAS
DOT THE COUNTRYSIDE

AS IF THEY ONCE RAINED
FROM THE SKY

OR GREW OUT OF THE ROCK.

Stadtner: BURMA’S ONE
OF THE FEW PLACES IN ASIA

WHERE TRADITIONAL ASIA
IS JUST STARING YOU IN THE FACE,

AND IT’S ONE OF THE LEAST
DEVELOPED PARTS OF ASIA,

AND SO THAT’S ENSURED

THAT MORE TRADITIONAL ELEMENTS
HAVE SURVIVED.

Narrator: THIS IS THE MAN
WHO HAS INSPIRED

ALL THIS ARCHITECTURE
FOR 2,000 YEARS AND COUNTING--

THE BUDDHA.

♪

THERE ARE MANY FESTIVALS
DURING THE YEAR

THAT KEEP
THE ANCIENT RITES OF BUDDHISM

INTERTWINED WITH MODERN BURMA.

THIS IS THE SHINBYU FESTIVAL,
A COMING OF AGE CEREMONY.

♪

BOYS ARRIVE
IN TRADITIONAL DRESS,

ON HORSES ADORNED
WITH DECORATIONS.

♪

BUT SOON, ALL THE ORNAMENTATION
AND CELEBRATION

GIVES WAY
TO QUIET, SPARSE SIMPLICITY.

ON THIS DAY, THE BOYS
HAVE THEIR HEADS SHAVEN.

FOR A BRIEF PERIOD,
THEY WILL LIVE AS MONKS,

LEARNING THE QUIET RITUALS

THAT HAVE BEEN SHAPED
BY THE CENTURIES.

Stadtner: IT IS MODELED
ON THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA,

WHERE THE BUDDHA
LEAVES HIS PARENTS, HIS WIFE,

HIS FAMILY, HIS PALACE,

FOR THE FOREST AND
FOR THE LIFE OF A RENUNCIANT.

Narrator: ALMOST 90 PERCENT
OF BURMESE PEOPLE

ARE BUDDHIST FOLLOWERS,

AND ALL MEN ARE EXPECTED
TO EXPERIENCE MONASTIC LIFE

AT ONE POINT IN THEIR LIVES.

BUT THESE BOYS ARE NOT BECOMING
FULL-FLEDGED MONKS QUITE YET.

THAT’S A CHOICE
FOR LATER IN LIFE.

FOR NOW, IT’S JUST A TASTE
OF THE ANCIENT WAYS,

A TRADITION FROM THE LONG THREAD
OF BUDDHIST HISTORY

THAT PREDATES BURMA AS A NATION,

BUT EVENTUALLY HELPED
STITCH IT TOGETHER.

FOR CENTURIES,
THIS LAND WAS A PATCHWORK

OF ETHNIC GROUPS
AND SMALL KINGDOMS.

HISTORIANS CAN ONLY SKETCH

THE BASIC OUTLINES
OF GEOGRAPHY AND TIME,

DRAWN FROM ANCIENT INSCRIPTIONS
AND ARTIFACTS,

BUT MOST DETAILS ARE UNKNOWN.

IN THAT FACTUAL VACUUM,
MANY MYTHS HAVE EVOLVED,

STORIES THAT MANY BURMESE
RECOUNT AS REAL.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE THE HISTORY,
YOU BUILD THE MYTHOLOGY,

AND NO COUNTRY HAS SPUN
ITS OWN SPIRITUAL STORY

QUITE LIKE BURMA.

Stadtner: AND SO MANY
OF THESE MYTHS THAT GREW UP

WERE EFFORTS
TO EXPLAIN MONUMENTS

WHERE THE ORIGINAL HISTORY
WAS LARGELY LOST.

Narrator: ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT SOURCES OF MYTHOLOGY

IS THE GLASS PALACE CHRONICLE.

WRITTEN AROUND 1829,
IT WAS AN EFFORT TO COMPILE

CENTURIES OF BURMESE HISTORY
INTO ONE DOCUMENT.

IT WAS WRITTEN ON PALM LEAVES,
A PAINSTAKINGLY SLOW PROCESS.

COPIES WERE MADE BY HAND.

BY 1923, SOME OF IT

WAS TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH
AND PRINTED.

THE HISTORY IT PORTRAYS

IS CONSIDERED FLAWED
BY TIME AND MOTIVES,

BUT IT REMAINS
REMARKABLE IN SCOPE.

THE GENERAL OUTLINES
OF THE KINGDOMS AND DYNASTIES

MAY BE HISTORICAL FACT,

BUT THE FANTASTICAL STORIES
OF MYTHOLOGY

ARE CLEARLY WORKS OF FAITH.

THE BURMESE CONSIDER IT AS CLOSE
TO TRUTH AS THEY’LL EVER GET

AND EMBRACE IT AS A SOURCE

OF BUDDHIST LORE
AND NATIONAL IDENTITY.

Stadtner: I CALL IT THE FUNNEL

THROUGH WHICH BURMESE TODAY
HAVE INTERPRETED THEIR HISTORY,

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE.

♪

Narrator: ACCORDING
TO THE GLASS PALACE CHRONICLE,

THIS IDENTITY
STARTED TAKING SHAPE

AT THE TURN
OF THE LAST MILLENNIUM.

THE YEAR--1044.

KING ANAWRAHTA HAD JUST ASSUMED
THE THRONE OF PAGAN,

ONE SMALL CITY-STATE AMONG MANY.

IN JUST A FEW CENTURIES,

IT WOULD BECOME
THE PAGAN KINGDOM,

AN EXPANSE THAT LAID
THE FOUNDATION FOR MODERN BURMA.

KING ANAWRAHTA WAS REGARDED
AS AN AMBITIOUS POLITICIAN

AND A SKILLED SOLDIER.

HE EXPANDED THE PAGAN KINGDOM

WITH THE HELP OF HIS SON,
KYANSITTHA.

THEIR ARMIES CONQUERED OTHERS

TO EXPAND TERRITORY
AND SPREAD IDEOLOGY.

♪

ONE STORY DESCRIBES THE MOMENT

OF THE KING’S CONVERSION
TO BUDDHISM

AND THE SEED OF RELIGIOUS
CONFORMITY FOR AN ENTIRE NATION.

ABOUT 10 YEARS INTO HIS RULE,
A HUNTER ARRIVED

WITH A STRANGE BUDDHIST MONK
HE’D MET IN THE FOREST.

NO ONE RECOGNIZED THIS OUTSIDER,

AND THE KING WAS INTRIGUED
BY HIS PECULIAR WAYS,

SO HE DECIDED TO TEST HIM.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

THE MONK BEGAN TO WALK,
OBLIVIOUS TO HIS SURROUNDINGS.

HE HEADED STRAIGHT
FOR THE KING’S THRONE

AND SAT HIMSELF DOWN.

IT WAS AN UNIMAGINABLE ACT.

Narrator: THE MONK’S NAME
WAS SHIN ARAHAN,

AND HE HAD JUST SPOKEN
THE BASIC TENETS

OF A BRANCH OF BUDDHISM
CALLED THERAVADA.

Stadtner: MYTHOLOGY AROSE

TO EXPLAIN HOW THIS KINGDOM
BECAME BUDDHIST,

AND IT WASN’T SIMPLY BUDDHIST.

IT WAS A VERY PARTICULAR TYPE
OF BUDDHISM,

ONE THAT WE CALL TODAY
THERAVADA BUDDHISM.

Narrator:
ACCORDING TO MYTHOLOGY,

THERAVADA BUDDHISM WAS PRECEDED
BY THE ARI FAITH,

A SURPRISING FLAVOR OF RELIGION.

DEEP INSIDE A TEMPLE

ARE STORIES THAT SHOW
THE STATE OF SPIRITUALITY

BEFORE THE BUDDHIST REVIVAL.

PAINTINGS DEPICT LITTLE MORE
THAN A CODE OF CORRUPTION.

NAKED MONKS WITH HAIR AND
MUSTACHES CAROUSING WITH WOMEN.

TALES OF IGNORING
BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS

AND MISLEADING HIS FOLLOWERS.

THE GLASS PALACE CHRONICLE
SPINS A SORDID TALE,

DESCRIBING WHAT APPEARS TO BE
THE MONKS’ SELF-WRITTEN RULES

FAVORING DEBAUCHERY
OVER DEVOTION.

NO MATTER HOW HEINOUS A CRIME
AN ARI MONK COMMITTED,

EVEN KILLING THEIR OWN PARENTS,

ALL WOULD BE FORGIVEN IF THEY
SIMPLY RECITED SCRIPTURE.

AND MONKS APPEARED
TO WIELD POWER

TO SATISFY THEIR OWN DESIRES.

BEFORE ANY WEDDING,

THE BRIDE WOULD BE HANDED OVER
TO THE MONKS

FOR A CEREMONY CALLED
THE FLOWER OF VIRGINITY.

BUT ACCORDING TO THE MYTHS,

BUDDHISM WAS ABOUT TO FLOURISH
AND PURIFY THE KINGDOM.

Stadtner: IN BUDDHISM,
THERE’S A STRONG HISTORY

OF REVIVALS AND PURIFICATIONS
ON THE PART OF KINGS.

NOT REVOLUTION,
BUT PURIFICATION.

Narrator: SO WHEN KING ANAWRAHTA
HEARD THE PURITY OF THE WORDS

FROM THE STRANGE MONK SITTING
ON HIS THRONE, HE WAS SOLD.

THERAVADA BUDDHISM
WAS THE NEW WAY,

AND THE KING WOULD SPREAD IT
PEACEFULLY OR NOT.

KING ANAWRAHTA MADE SHIN ARAHAN
THE STATE PRIEST,

AND TOGETHER THEY DREW UP PLANS
FOR RELIGIOUS REFORM.

FIRST, THEY NEEDED
THE SCRIPTURES

OF THIS NEW BRANCH OF BUDDHISM.

IT’S CALLED THE PALI CANON,

BUT IT WAS NOT WITHIN
THE PAGAN KINGDOM’S TERRITORY.

DESPITE WESTERN PERCEPTIONS
OF BUDDHISM,

IT HAS NOT ALWAYS
BEEN A DOCILE FAITH.

Stadtner: BUDDHISM HAS BEEN
GIVEN A PASS IN THE WEST,

AND IT’S A MYSTERY
TO SPECIALISTS

BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN
COUNTLESS WARS

COMMITTED IN ITS NAME.

Narrator: THE PALI CANON
WAS RESTING IN THATON,

ANOTHER SMALL KINGDOM
IN WHAT IS NOW SOUTHERN BURMA.

IN 1057, ANAWRAHTA LED HIS ARMY
TO TRY TO TAKE IT OVER.

AFTER THREE MONTHS OF FIGHTING,

THATON FELL
TO THE PAGAN KINGDOM.

ITS TERRITORY WAS EXPANDING.

THE KING TOOK
THE SPOILS OF WAR--

THE PALI CANON SCRIPTURES,
JEWELS, AND 30,000 PEOPLE--

AND MARCHED THEM
BACK TO PAGAN CITY.

THEY WERE
SCHOLARS, ARTISANS, MONKS--

PEOPLE THAT WOULD HELP SOLIDIFY

AND SPREAD PAGAN’S
NEW STATE RELIGION.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIZE
OF ALL WAS THE PALI CANON.

THEY ARE
THE FIRST KNOWN SCRIPTURES

OF THERAVADA BUDDHISM, INCLUDING
RECORDS OF BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS.

BY THE TIME KING ANAWRAHTA
GOT HIS HANDS ON THEM,

THEY WERE
ALREADY 1,000 YEARS OLD,

DATING BACK
TO THE TIME OF CHRIST.

TODAY, THE DELICATE PROCESS
OF COPYING THE SCRIPTURES

CAN BE REPLICATED.

THE LEAVES WERE SOAKED IN RICE
WATER AND DRIED IN THE SUN,

GIVING THEM
A PAPER-LIKE QUALITY.

THEN COPIES WERE HANDWRITTEN,
ONE BY ONE,

ALLOWING THE KING TO DISTRIBUTE
THEM THROUGHOUT HIS TERRITORY.

Stadtner: AND IT WAS THIS
INTRODUCTION OF THE SCRIPTURES

THAT LED TO THIS FOUNTAINHEAD
OF THERAVADA BUDDHISM,

BUT IT’S MYTH.

Narrator: COPIES OF THE
PALI CANON WERE THE AMMUNITION

THE KING NEEDED TO SPREAD
THIS FAITH, IF NEEDED, BY FORCE.

BUT WORDS ALONE
WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH

FOR A RELIGIOUS TRANSFORMATION.

♪

ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

JUST TWO YEARS AFTER GETTING
HOLD OF THE PALI CANON,

ANAWRAHTA WAS GIVEN A REPLICA
OF THE BUDDHA’S SACRED TOOTH.

HE THEN SET IT
UPON A WHITE ELEPHANT

ON THE BANKS
OF THE IRRAWADDY RIVER.

♪

WHERE THE ELEPHANT
CHOSE TO KNEEL,

THE TOOTH WOULD BE ENSHRINED
IN A NEW PAGODA.

[TRUMPETS]

♪

ANAWRAHTA ORDERED THE
CONSTRUCTION OF A MASSIVE PAGODA

AT THE VERY SPOT WHERE
THE WHITE ELEPHANT KNEELED.

♪

♪

IT BECAME THE SHWEZIGON PAGODA.

RISING 160 FEET INTO THE AIR,

SHWEZIGON BECAME THE LARGEST
PAGODA IN THE PAGAN KINGDOM.

♪

THE EXTERIOR
IS A GOLDEN MASTERPIECE,

HIDING THE INTERIOR
RELIC CHAMBER,

WHICH IS COMPLETELY ENTOMBED.

WITH THREE LEVELS,

THE TERRACE HAS STONE PLAQUES
DEPICTING THE LIFE OF BUDDHA.

IN BUILDING THE SHWEZIGON,
KING ANAWRAHTA CREATED A SHRINE

TO HELP CEMENT THIS NEW BRANCH
OF BUDDHISM INTO PAGAN CULTURE.

Bob Hudson:
HE WAS SAYING TO THE PEOPLE,

"HERE IS A BUILDING
THAT REPRESENTS

"THE NEW BUDDHISM
THAT WE’VE JUST ADOPTED.

"HERE IS A BUILDING THAT
REPRESENTS THE UNITED NATION

"THAT, AS A ROYAL LEADER,

"I WANT TO BRING
UNDER MY CONTROL,

"AND HERE IS THE SYMBOL

"OF THE GREAT REVOLUTION
THAT’S HAPPENED IN BUDDHISM,

AND WE’RE TELLING THE WORLD
ABOUT IT."

Narrator:
BUT IT WAS ALSO CONSIDERED

A PERSONAL ACT OF MERIT,
AN OFFERING TO BUDDHA,

THAT THE KING HOPED WOULD BE
RECIPROCATED IN HIS NEXT LIFE.

Hudson: EVERY KING OF PAGAN
BUILT A WORK OF MERIT,

A BUILDING THAT WOULD
BENEFIT HIM SPIRITUALLY

IN HIS FUTURE LIVES.

SO, WHEN KING ANAWRAHTA
BUILT THE SHWEZIGON,

FIRST OF ALL,
HE WAS DOING IT FOR HIMSELF.

THIS WAS HIS PATH TO NIRVANA.

Narrator: THE GLASS PALACE
CHRONICLE RECOUNTS LEGENDS

OF HOW KINGS LIKE ANAWRAHTA

SPREAD THE INFLUENCE
OF THERAVADA BUDDHISM

THROUGH THE CONSTRUCTION
OF SUCH SHRINES.

SHWEZIGON WAS JUST THE FIRST.

BUT BUILDING TEMPLES

AND DISTRIBUTING COPIES
OF THE SCRIPTURES

WAS ONLY PART OF THE EFFORT.

TO EFFECTIVELY
SPREAD AND ENFORCE

THIS NEW BRANCH OF BUDDHISM,

THE KING NEEDED STRUCTURE
AND STABILITY AMONG THE MONKS

TO BUILD
A MORE ORGANIZED RELIGION.

♪

FROM NOW ON,
MONKS UNDERWENT TRAINING

TO LEARN THE MONASTIC WAYS
OF THE NEW FAITH.

SHIN ARAHAN,
THE MONK WHO CONVERTED THE KING

AND WAS NOW STATE PRIEST,

HELPED SOLIDIFY AND STANDARDIZE
THESE NEW BUDDHIST PRACTICES

IN THE GROWING KINGDOM.

HE HELPED ESTABLISH
A BUDDHIST COUNCIL,

A CENTRALIZED STATE NETWORK

THAT CONNECTED MONKS
OF DIFFERENT RANKS.

AS THE COUNCIL
BECAME MORE POWERFUL,

CHANGES BEGAN TO SPREAD.

LEGENDS DESCRIBE A KINGDOM

THAT BEGAN LOOKING
MORE LIKE A COUNTRY,

WITH TEMPLES ACTING
AS GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE.

[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

LOCAL BUDDHIST TEMPLES
DOUBLED AS SCHOOLS.

MONKS TAUGHT VILLAGERS
TO READ AND WRITE

THROUGH
BUDDHIST SCRIPTURE LESSONS.

Hudson: VERY OFTEN,
THE MONKS WERE THE EDUCATORS.

THEY WOULD TEACH PEOPLE
NOT JUST RELIGION,

BUT READING AND WRITING
AND, PERHAPS,

ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICES SO THEY
COULD GO ON AND HELP THE KING.

Narrator:
SOME CREDIT THIS PRACTICE

FOR PUTTING BURMA ON A PATH
TO WIDESPREAD LITERACY

LONG BEFORE OTHER CULTURES.

BY THE 1800s,
ONE VISITOR REMARKED

THAT THE BURMESE APPEARED
TO HAVE A HIGHER LITERACY RATE

THAN THE BRITISH.

IT ALL STEMS
FROM CENTURIES EARLIER,

WHEN THE LOCAL TEMPLE
WAS THE COMMUNITY HUB.

IT ALLOWED ONE KING
TO SPREAD HIS POWER,

WEAVING RELIGION AND POLITICS
TO HIS ADVANTAGE.

Hudson: ANAWRAHTA REALLY MADE
BUDDHISM HIS POLITICAL PARTNER,

AND SO IT WAS
A GREAT COMBINATION

AND AN INSEPARABLE COMBINATION,

AND TO THE PEOPLE, THE RULE
WAS IF YOU LOVE BUDDHISM,

THEN YOU MUST ALSO
LOVE THE KING.

Narrator: WHILE BUDDHIST REFORMS
SWEPT THROUGH THE PAGAN KINGDOM,

ARMIES WERE ON THE MARCH
TO CONQUER NEIGHBORS

AND EXPAND TERRITORY.

THE EMPIRE WAS GROWING,

AND THE NEW RELIGIOUS FERVOR
BEHIND IT SPREAD IN ITS WAKE.

EVIDENCE OF THIS ERA
HAS SINCE BEEN UNEARTHED.

THIS PLAQUE COMMEMORATES
ANAWRAHTA’S DEDICATION TO BUDDHA

AND MAY HAVE BEEN USED AS
A MARKER OF EXPANDING TERRITORY.

SIMILAR PLAQUES,
ALL FEATURING IMAGES OF BUDDHA,

HAVE BEEN FOUND
ALL OVER MODERN BURMA.

THEY REVEAL THE SIZE AND SCOPE
OF THE PAGAN KINGDOM.

Stadtner:
AND SO WITH THE INSCRIPTIONS

AND WITH THESE TABLETS,

WE CAN ASSUME
THAT THE KINGDOM OF PAGAN,

BY THE LATE 11th CENTURY,

HAD EXTENDED INTO WHAT WE KNOW
AS LOWER BURMA AND UPPER BURMA.

Narrator: THESE ARTIFACTS
HELP SKETCH A BASIC HISTORY,

BUT THE BURMESE HAVE ADDED

THE MYTHICAL AND IRRESISTIBLE
ELEMENTS OF HUMAN DRAMA

TO THE KINGDOM’S STORY.

Stadtner: I THINK
THERE WAS SUCH AN IMPETUS

TO GIVE EACH OF THESE KINGS
A COLORFUL BIOGRAPHY

THAT HAD LITTLE TO DO
WITH WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THEM.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO LEGEND,

KING ANAWRAHTA’S SON,
PRINCE KYANSITTHA,

LED A BATTLE TO REPEL INVADERS.

GRATEFUL FOR THE PROTECTION
OF THE KING’S ARMY,

THE LOCAL VICEROY
SENT THE KING A GIFT,

HIS BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER, KHIN U.

IT WAS THE PRINCE’S DUTY

TO ESCORT THE YOUNG WOMAN
BACK TO THE KING,

BUT INSTEAD,
HE FELL IN LOVE WITH HER.

♪

THIS ANCIENT MYTH REVEALS
A TIMELESS UNIVERSAL TRUTH--

FEW CAN RESIST
A GOOD LOVE STORY,

BUT THE STORY
IS NOT THAT SIMPLE.

THE KING WAS IRATE
THAT HIS SON HAD FALLEN IN LOVE

WITH THE WOMAN
MEANT TO BE HIS QUEEN.

Narrator: THE KING WAS
DISHONORED BY HIS OWN SON.

PRINCE KYANSITTHA WAS SENT INTO
EXILE, LEAVING KHIN U A QUEEN,

BUT NOT WITH THE MAN SHE LOVED.

HOWEVER, THE MYTHICAL TALE
DOES NOT END THERE.

RELIGION HELPED PROPEL
THE PAGAN DYNASTY

TO TRANSFORM CITIES
AND COUNTRYSIDE

WITH ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS.

IN THE 13th CENTURY,
A VISITING MONK FROM SRI LANKA

DESCRIBED THE CITY OF PAGAN
WITH ENCHANTMENT.

Man: THIS CAPTIVATING CITY

IS AS BEAUTIFUL
AS THE LAND OF BUDDHA ITSELF.

THE HIGH BALCONIES OF THE ROYAL
PALACE SHINE LIKE CROWNS

AND EVEN GIVE OFF
BEAMS OF GOLDEN LIGHT.

THERE ARE ENDLESS PAGODAS,

EACH OF WHICH IS ENCIRCLED
IN BRIGHT WHITE LIGHT,

LIKE THE MILK OF THE GODS.

Narrator: TODAY,
THE RELICS OF THE PAGAN KINGDOM

STILL DOMINATE THE LANDSCAPE
AND INSPIRE WONDER.

THE EXPANSION AND DOMINATION
OF THE DYNASTY

LASTED ABOUT 200 YEARS.

THE KINGS
WHO CAME AFTER ANAWRAHTA

CONTINUED TO BUILD
MAGNIFICENT PAGODAS.

WHETHER TO PROJECT POWER
OR TRULY MAKE AN OFFERING,

PAGODA-BUILDING BECAME
THE GRANDEST WAY TO HONOR BUDDHA

AS THE CENTURIES ROLLED ON.

♪

THE FIELDS OF PAGAN BECAME
A SWEEPING PANORAMA OF DEVOTION.

Stadtner: PAGAN MUST BE ONE

OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT
BUDDHIST SITES THAT WE HAVE.

THERE’S NOTHING THAT EVEN
REMOTELY COMES CLOSE.

Narrator: ROYALTY, NOBILITY,

ANY FAMILY WITH ENOUGH RESOURCES
BUILT A PAGODA.

IT WAS A WAY TO BUILD MERIT,
SHOW DEVOTION, AND IMPLY WEALTH.

REGULAR FARMERS AND FAMILIES

DIDN’T HAVE THE MONEY
TO BUILD THEIR OWN PAGODAS,

BUT THEY DIDN’T
HAVE TO TRAVEL FAR TO FIND ONE.

OVER TIME, THE LANDSCAPE FILLED

WITH PAGODAS, STUPAS,
AND MONASTERIES OF EVERY SIZE.

DURING THE PAGAN DYNASTY, THERE
WERE TWO MAIN TYPES OF PAGODAS.

ONE HAD A PRECIOUS RELIC
ENSHRINED INSIDE,

SURROUNDED BY SOLID WALLS,
AND TOPPED WITH A DOME.

IT WAS SEALED
SO THAT NO ONE COULD ENTER.

ANOTHER TYPE ALLOWED PEOPLE
TO ENTER INTO A CAVE-LIKE ROOM

THAT HAD A BUDDHA STATUE
IN THE CENTER.

OTHER BUDDHA STATUES OFTEN
SURROUNDED THE CENTRAL FIGURE.

♪

THE DARK CORRIDORS
OF THE INTERIOR

WERE CAPPED BY AN ORNATE SERIES
OF ROOFTOP TIERS,

USUALLY CULMINATING
IN A PINPOINT PEAK.

♪

STARTING WITH THE PAGAN KINGDOM

AND CONTINUING
FOR ANOTHER 1,000 YEARS,

AN ESTIMATED 4 MILLION PAGODAS
WERE BUILT ACROSS BURMA.

DESPITE THE RAVAGES OF TIME,
THOUSANDS REMAIN STANDING,

THEIR AGE SOMETIMES KNOWN,
SOMETIMES NOT.

NO COUNTRY HAS SUCH A WIDESPREAD
ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY

OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.

Stadtner: AT ANY TIME OF DAY,

BUT ESPECIALLY
IN THE LATE AFTERNOON

WHEN THE SUN IS SETTING
AND THE RIVER’S FLOWING BY,

IT’S MAGICAL.

IT JUST GOES ON AND ON
AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE.

♪

Narrator: PAGODAS BUILT
IN THE PAGAN PERIOD

WEREN’T JUST RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS.

THEY WERE ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS.

DHAMMAYANGYI IS
THE LARGEST REMAINING TEMPLE

FROM THE PAGAN DYNASTY.

IT DATES TO THE 12th CENTURY.

Stadtner: THE DHAMMAYANGYI
TODAY, IT’S MAMMOTH.

IT’S THE LARGEST STANDING TEMPLE
AT PAGAN.

Narrator: DURING THIS ERA,
STONE WAS SCARCE,

SO IT WAS MOSTLY MADE OF BRICKS,

OVER SIX MILLION OF THEM,
ACCORDING TO MODERN ESTIMATES.

THOUGH IT’S ABOUT 800 YEARS OLD,

IT REMAINS
IN REMARKABLE CONDITION

AND STILL FULL OF MYSTERY.

Stadtner: AT SOME COURSE OF ITS
HISTORY, FOR UNKNOWN REASONS,

AN INNER CORRIDOR, A HUGE SPACE,
WAS FILLED WITH BRICKS,

AND WE DON’T KNOW WHY.

Narrator: ONLY THE OUTER
CORRIDORS ARE ACCESSIBLE,

BUT WHAT REMAINS IN VIEW
OFFERS A GLIMPSE BACK IN TIME,

TEASING THE IMAGINATION.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE 800 YEARS AGO,

ON THE SITE OF SUCH
A MASSIVE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT?

COUNTLESS BRICKLAYERS
WOULD HAVE BEEN BUSY

CREATING THE BASIC FRAMEWORK.

THEN OTHERS COVERED THE BRICK
WITH A LAYER OF STUCCO

TO PROTECT IT FROM EROSION.

Stadtner: IT’S AMAZING
HOW DURABLE THAT STUCCO CAN BE.

IT’S OVER, YOU KNOW,
HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

AND IT’S AS IF IT’S NEW.

Narrator: FOR THE FINER DETAILS,

SCULPTORS SHAPED THE DESIGNS
AND CARVED THE STATUES,

EACH FACE OF BUDDHA BEING
AN ACT OF ARTISTRY AND WORSHIP.

♪

Stadtner: AND THE INTERIORS
OF THE STRUCTURES

WERE NOT ONLY STUCCOED,

BUT PAINTED, PAINTED WITH
VIBRANT-COLORED ILLUSTRATIONS,

USUALLY FROM BUDDHIST MYTHOLOGY.

Narrator: THERE WERE
WOODCARVERS, METAL WORKERS,

AND COUNTLESS LABORERS
WHO HAD TO TRANSPORT

ALL THIS HEAVY MATERIAL
TO THE SITE.

AND THAT’S JUST FOR ONE PAGODA,

OUT OF AN ESTIMATED 4,500 BUILT
IN PAGAN ALONE.

WHAT DO WE KNOW
ABOUT ALL THESE ARTISANS?

INSIDE THE PAGAN MUSEUM,

THERE ARE CLUES TO THE WORKFORCE
OF PAGAN’S CONSTRUCTION BOOM.

THESE ARE SLABS OF STONE, BUT
ALSO WINDOWS INTO ANOTHER WORLD.

THIS STONE WAS ERECTED
IN THE PAGAN ERA,

BY A WIDOW WHO BUILT A PAGODA
IN MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND.

♪

THE INSCRIPTION
CONTAINS MANY NUMBERS.

THEY TURN OUT TO BE PAYMENT

FOR THE VARIOUS ARTISANS
WHO BUILT THE PAGODA.

TICALS WERE
THE CURRENCY OF THE DAY.

THERE WERE JUST ENOUGH CLUES

TO IMAGINE AN ANCIENT WORLD
OF CONSTRUCTION AND COMMERCE.

THE AREA AROUND
ANY PAGODA CONSTRUCTION ZONE

MUST HAVE BEEN
BUZZING WITH ACTIVITY.

IF WAGES WERE TRULY
SET IN STONE,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
AN ORGANIZED OPERATION.

Stadtner:
AND SO IT WOULD HAVE BEEN

A VERY EXCITING TIME INDEED.

PAGAN IS REALLY THE STORY OF
BRICK AND THE STORY OF ARCHES.

Narrator: BRICKS WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE FOUNDATION OF THE PROCESS,

MILLIONS OF BRICKS,
HANDMADE AND TRANSPORTED.

THE SHEER TONNAGE NEEDED
FOR A SINGLE PAGODA

IS DIFFICULT TO FATHOM.

THEN CONSIDER
THE AMOUNT OF PAGODAS BUILT

DURING THIS DYNASTY.

ACCORDING
TO ONE MODERN ANALYSIS,

THERE WAS A 300-YEAR-LONG
CONSTRUCTION BOOM OF PAGODAS,

STARTING IN THE 11th CENTURY,

PICKING UP PACE
IN THE 12th CENTURY,

AND EXPLODING
IN THE 13th CENTURY.

IN ANOTHER SIGN
OF THE KINGDOM’S GROWTH,

MORE LAND WAS BEING
TURNED INTO FARMS.

ACREAGE DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE
MAY HAVE TRIPLED

DURING
THE PAGAN KINGDOM’S REIGN.

THOUGH EXACT NUMBERS
ARE IMPOSSIBLE,

SOME ESTIMATE THE KINGDOM’S
POPULATION AT 1.5 MILLION,

COMPARABLE TO LONDON
DURING THE SAME PERIOD.

IN MODERN ECONOMIES,
GROWTH IS TIED TO JOBS.

THIS MAY HAVE BEEN THE CASE
IN PAGAN.

WITH PAGODAS BEING BUILT
AT AN INCREDIBLE RATE,

LABORERS MAY HAVE COME
FROM OUTSIDE THE KINGDOM,

LURED BY THE PROMISE
OF SET WAGES.

THIS IDEA CHALLENGES THE NOTION

THAT THE WONDERS
OF ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE

WERE ALWAYS BUILT
WITH SLAVE LABOR.

Hudson: WE OFTEN THINK THAT
BUILDINGS IN THE ANCIENT WORLD

WERE MOSTLY MADE BY SLAVES,

BUT THIS WAS NOT THE CASE
AT PAGAN.

WE CAN SEE
FROM THOSE INSCRIPTIONS

THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE MORE LIKE
MODERN BUILDING CONTRACTORS.

IT WAS A MATTER OF
"HEY, LET’S GO TO PAGAN.

"THE KING’S PAYING GOOD MONEY

"TO PAINTERS AND DECORATORS
AND BUILDERS.

AWAY WE GO!"

AND SO THE POPULATION GREW,
AND THE ECONOMY BOOMED.

Narrator: THE REST
OF SOCIETY’S INFRASTRUCTURE

MAY HAVE BENEFITTED
FROM ALL THIS CONSTRUCTION.

SUPPLIERS OF ALL KINDS

WOULD HAVE FOUND CUSTOMERS
IN A BOOMING ECONOMY.

Stadtner: DURING THE 11th,
12th, AND 13th CENTURY,

WHEN THIS BOON OF CONSTRUCTION
TOOK PLACE,

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE MOST EXCITING PLACE.

Narrator: PAGAN BECAME ONE
OF THE WEALTHIEST KINGDOMS

IN HISTORY.

AT ITS PEAK, IT MAY HAVE ENJOYED
A BLIP OF PROSPERITY AND PEACE,

SANDWICHED BETWEEN
MORE TURBULENT TIMES.

WITH AGRICULTURE ON THE RISE
AND NATURAL RESOURCES APLENTY,

MARKETS MUST HAVE TEEMED
WITH FRESH FOOD.

THERE COULD HAVE BEEN
EVERYDAY WARES

ALONG WITH JEWELRY AND CRAFTS
SOLD BY VENDORS.

THE RULING CLASS
FAVORED SILK CLOTH.

NOBLE FAMILIES
NEEDED TO LOOK THE PART.

WOMEN OFTEN WORE
ELABORATE GOLD JEWELRY.

BUT THE MOST NOTICEABLE LEGACY
OF THE PAGAN KINGDOM

IS THE BEGINNING
OF A SHARED CULTURE

THROUGHOUT MUCH
OF WHAT IS NOW BURMA.

AND THAT CULTURE
WAS BUILT UPON BUDDHISM.

TEMPLES, MONASTERIES,
AND PAGODAS

WERE THE CENTER OF IT ALL.

COMMERCE AND COMMUNITY.

EDUCATION AND DEVOTION.

RITUAL AND RENEWAL.

IT ALL CONTINUES TODAY,

SUSTAINED BY THE EVOLVING MYTHS
THAT SPAN AN ENTIRE MILLENNIUM.

♪

IN THE YEAR 1077,
KING ANAWRAHTA DIED.

[THUNDER]

THE GLASS PALACE CHRONICLE

DESCRIBES ANAWRAHTA’S DEATH
AS FOLLOWS...

Man: THE KING WHO HAD GARNERED

ALL THE POWER AND GLORY
IMAGINABLE

AND WHO TRANSFORMED BUDDHISM
IN THE SPACE OF 33 YEARS

HAS DEPARTED AT THE AGE OF 75.

[SHOUTING]

Narrator:
UPON ANAWRAHTA’S DEATH,

HIS OLDEST SON, SAWLU,
BECAME THE KING,

BUT HIS REIGN WAS SHORT.

HE COULD NOT ACHIEVE PEACE
IN THE KINGDOM,

AND AMID THE TURMOIL,

HE WAS KILLED
DURING A REBELLION.

THAT LEFT THE SECOND SON,
THE EXILED KYANSITTHA,

IN LINE FOR THE THRONE.

HE BECAME THE THIRD KING
OF THE PAGAN DYNASTY,

AND HIS QUEEN WAS WAITING.

IT HAD BEEN 14 YEARS

SINCE KYANSITTHA
WAS BANISHED INTO EXILE

FOR FALLING IN LOVE
WITH HIS FATHER’S YOUNG QUEEN.

NOW THEY WERE REUNITED,
AT LEAST ACCORDING TO FOLKLORE.

THE NEW KING OVERSAW
AN IMPORTANT PERIOD

OF EXPANSION AND ACHIEVEMENT
IN THE PAGAN DYNASTY.

HE WOULD CONTINUE
HIS FATHER’S LEGACY,

ENLARGING THE KINGDOM AND
ENTRENCHING THERAVADA BUDDHISM

DEEPER INTO PAGAN CULTURE.

HE BUILT ON THE SUCCESS
OF HIS FATHER,

WHICH INCLUDED
BUILDING MORE PLACES OF WORSHIP.

Stadtner: THE ROLE OF KINGS
WAS TO PROMOTE BUDDHISM

AND TO SHOW AND REVEAL
THEIR DEVOTION.

Narrator: KYANSITTHA
COMMISSIONED THE CONSTRUCTION

OF THE ANANDA TEMPLE, WHICH
REMAINS MAGNIFICENT TO THIS DAY.

IT STILL STANDS AS A BEAUTIFUL
ARTIFACT OF BUDDHIST DEVOTION,

AND ITS MYTHOLOGY MAY COINCIDE
WITH ITS ACTUAL HISTORY.

Stadtner: WE DETERMINE
ITS APPROXIMATE DATE

IS LATE 11th,
EARLY 12th CENTURY,

THUS CONFORMING
TO THE REIGN OF KYANSITTHA.

Narrator: LEGENDS RECOUNT
HOW KYANSITTHA HEARD

OF A LARGE CAVE TEMPLE
CREATED BY EIGHT INDIAN HOLY MEN

AND DECIDED TO BUILD ANANDA
IN ITS LIKENESS.

THE CORRIDORS ARE LONG
AND NARROW,

PUNCTUATED WITH ARCHED WINDOWS.

THE LITTLE LIGHT
THAT MAKES ITS WAY INSIDE

GIVES THE IMPRESSION
OF A NATURAL CAVE.

THE CORRIDORS ARE LINED
WITH LITTLE ALCOVES,

AT LEAST 1,000 OF THEM.

EACH CONTAINS A CAREFULLY CARVED
STATUE OF BUDDHA.

THE ANANDA TEMPLE IS STILL A
STUNNING SIGHT ON THE LANDSCAPE.

IT DRAWS VISITORS FROM AFAR,
JUST AS IT DID IN ITS HEYDAY.

SOME THINK IT MAY HAVE HELPED
REINVIGORATE BUDDHISM

JUST AS IT WAS FADING
ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION.

ONE OF THE FOUR BUDDHA STATUES
IN THE TEMPLE

IS FAMOUS IN LEGEND
FOR HAVING AN EXPRESSION

THAT APPEARS TO CHANGE,
DEPENDING ON THE VIEWING ANGLE.

IF ONE IS SITTING UP CLOSE,

WHERE THE KING
WOULD HISTORICALLY SIT,

BUDDHA’S EXPRESSION
APPEARS WATCHFUL AND STERN,

BUT FOR THOSE SITTING
FARTHER AWAY FROM THE STATUE,

LIKE LESSER NOBILITY
AND EVEN POOR COMMONERS,

BUDDHA’S EXPRESSION BECOMES
WARMER AND MORE PEACEFUL.

NO ONE KNOWS
IF THIS IS A PURPOSEFUL DESIGN

OR A MODERN CURIOSITY,

BUT IT SURELY PLAYS TO TODAY’S
MORE DEMOCRATIC SENSIBILITIES--

BUDDHA SMILING UPON THE MASSES,

GIVING ALL FOLLOWERS,
THEN AND NOW,

HOPE THAT FAITH CAN PROPEL THEM
INTO A BETTER LIFE.

BETWEEN THE MONUMENTS
AND THE MYTHOLOGY,

BURMA AND BUDDHISM
MAY FOREVER BE INTERTWINED.

Stadtner:
THESE SITES ARE NOT STATIC.

THEY’RE CONSTANTLY GROWING, AND
THESE MYTHS DON’T STAY STILL.

IT’S LIKE A SNOWBALL ROLLING
AND ROLLING

AND GAINING
AND GAINING IN POPULARITY,

BECAUSE THESE MYTHS UNDERPIN
WHY THESE PLACES ARE SO SACRED.

♪

Narrator: TIME FLOWS ON.

THE PAGODAS REACH EVER HIGHER
INTO THE SKY,

LIKE THE ASPIRATIONS
OF THE ROYALTY WHO BUILT THEM.

NOW THEY FUNNEL THE PRAYERS
OF MODERN BURMESE

WHO CONTINUE THE TRADITION
OF MERIT AND DEVOTION.

Stadtner: VISITORS ARE USUALLY
VERY, VERY TOUCHED BY BURMA,

AND PAGAN IS VERY IMPORTANT.

IT’S A MAJOR HISTORICAL
POINT IN TIME AND LOCATION.

Narrator:
AS BURMA BECOMES MORE OPEN,

ITS RICH BUDDHIST HISTORY
SHOULD INSPIRE EVEN MORE WONDER.

♪