The Pyu

The Pyu or Tircul people of Burma were first mentioned in a mid-fourth-century AD Chinese text in a list of the tribes on the frontier of Southwestern China. The author described them as the Piao. Other early Chinese records that survived in later editions describe the Piao as civilized, ‘‘where prince and minister, father and son, elder and younger, have each their order of precedence.’’ The Chinese called them the Pyu, but the Mon people knew of them as the Tircul. The Pyu civilization was developed in the dry zone of central Burma between about 200 BC and

AD 900. It is best known on the basis of three large walled cities, Beikthano, Sri Ksetra, and Halin. All were located in tributary valleys of the Irrawaddy River, where it was possible to harness the local rivers or streams for irrigation purposes. There is compelling evidence at Beikthano for a pre-Buddhist mortuary tradition involving large brick and timber halls containing the cremated remains of high-status individuals. By the fourth or fifth centuries AD, however, Buddhism had taken root and many large public buildings, including stupas and monasteries, were constructed. Meanwhile, the cremated dead were interred in large ceramic mortuary jars set in brick structures outside the city walls. The Pyu spoke a Sino-Tibetan language, and employed Indian scripts in their inscriptions. They were proficient bronze casters, one set of figurines from Sri Ksetra showing dancers and musicians richly appareled and ornamented. Skilled artisans also made silver Buddha images of great beauty. They also took part in a widespread trading network that incorporated India. The civilization was ultimately to be succeeded by the state of Pagan. There is a major destruction layer at Halin. However, many of the Pyu arts, crafts, and ideas were incorporated into the Pagan civilization. It is recorded that King Anawratha of Pagan removed votive tablets and offerings from Sri Ksetra and placed them in his Shwesandaw temple at Pagan.