BURMESE

ARCHITECTURE

M YA N M M A R
 BURMA- name given in honor of Burmans.

 1989- Burma MYANMAR

Rangoon YANGON

 MYANMAR- Western gateway of mainland

 PYU PERIOD
(2nd century BC- AD 1050)

Mon and Pyu- first Indo-Chinese adherents of Theravada Buddhism

Theravada- the "Doctrine of the Elders"

-school of Buddhism that draws its

scriptural inspiration from the Pali
Early Pyu Period (2nd century B.C. to
A.D. 1050)
BEIKTHANO- one of the
first Pyu centers,
contains urbanesque
foundations which
include a monastery
and stupa-like
structures.
Srikshetra: Later Pyu Period

BAWBAWGYI- cylindrical
stupa w/ 4
archways often
with a hti
(umbrella) on
top.
Formation of temples:

Bebe Paya Temple Lemyetha Paya Temple

 BAGAN (Pagan) PERIOD
 9th -11th century- King Anawrahta
founded the Pagan Kingdom at the
Bagan.

 12th century
The Pyu-style stupas were
transformed into monuments.
Colonial Era

 Burma was part of

the British Empire
by the end of the
1880s

 Yangon, became a
multi-ethnic capital
GEOLOGY AND
GEOGRAPHY

BURMA
Burma slopes
downward in elevation
from the North to
South and is naturally
divided into “Upper
Burma” and “Loer
Burma”
The Terrain is made up
of Central Lowlands
ringed by steep, rugged
highlands.
MOUNT HKAKABO
RAZI

Located in the
Kachin State, at an
5,881 m (19, 295 ft),
and is the
HIGHEST point in
Burma.
T H R E E M O U N TA I N S
EXISTED WITHIN
BURMA

1. Rakhine Yoma

2. Bago Yoma

3. Shan Plateau
 THREE MAIN RIVER SYSTEMS

IRRAWADDY SALWEEN SITTANG

The majority of Burma’s population lives in the Irrawady

Valley which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and
Bago Yoma
B U R M A I S R I C H I N C E R TA I N M I N E R A L S , I N C L U D I N G
M E TA L O R E S , P E T R O L E U M A N D N AT U R A L G A S .
L A R G E S C A L E E X P L O I TAT I O N O F B U R M A ’ S M I N E R A L
D E P O S I T S B E G A N I N T H E M I D 1 9 7 0 ’ S . A LT H O U G H
P R O D U C T I O N G E N E R A L LY H A S B E E N I N C R E A S I N G
S I N C E T H E L A T E 2 0 T H C E N T U R Y, M I N I N G A C C O U N T S
F O R O N LY A T I N Y F R A C T I O N O F T H E C O U N T RY ’ S G D P
A N D A C O M PA R A B L E P O R T I O N O F T H E W O R K F O R C E
CLIMATE
BURMA
CLIMATE
• located in the monsoon region of Asia
• the cold air masses of central Asia bring snow to the northern mountains for 2 months
but the mountains wall prevent the cold air from moving farther south so Myanmar lies
primarily under the influence of the monsoon winds
• elevation and distance from the sea affect temperature as well
• although Myanmar is generally tropical country, temperatures are not uniformly high
throughout the year
• Has 3 seasons:
-the cool, relatively dry northeast monsoon
-the hot, dry intermonsoonal season
-rainy, southwest monsoon
RELIGION
RELIGION

• Buddhism
RELIGION

• Islam
RELIGION

• Christianity
RELIGION

• Hinduism
ARCHTECTURAL
CHARACTERS
B U R M A / M YA N M M A R
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTERS

• massive brick cylindrical construction

• the basic temple form was squared in plan
• narrow vaulted corridors
• centrally-niches on each side
• walls are decorated with frescos or sculptured bas-reliefs
• true architecture was much used in burma
The sheer number of them – leading Myanmar to be called ‘the land of a million
pagodas’ – leave visitors in no doubt as to the deep religious tradition and devotion of
Myanmar’s people.
EARLY PYU PERIOD (2ND CENTURY B.C. TO A.D.
1050) ARCHITECTURE
• Beikthano is the oldest urban site so
far discovered in Myanmar and the
oldest of the three ancient centers of
Pyu civilization (the other two being
Srikestra and Halin).
• Buildings made of large, kiln-fired
bricks were unearthed, among them
are two halls with wooden pillars,
• a large rectangular monastery
building containing multiple cells;
and the foundations of several
circular, stupa-like structures, a few
of them situated on square bases
SRIKSHETRA: LATER PYU PERIOD (2ND
CENTURY B.C. TO A.D.
1050) ARCHITECTURE

Bawbawgyi
– the tallest of the stupas is 153 feet
high and consists of a massive
cylindrical column that rests on a
base of five concentric terraces.
– The upper portions of the main
cylinder have fallen away over time
and the truncated form has been fitted
with a tower that resembles the
Burmese crown or hti (hti: umbrella).
SHWEZAYAN

• The stupa has a circular base

and its overall structure
resembles that of a bell.
• Found within the compound of
the Swezayan stupa are several
inscribed stones, five in the
Mon language of the 11th
century.
KALYANI SIMA

• a hall built especially for the

ordination of monks
• sandstone boundary pillars that
surround the Kalyani Sima, the
stories known as the Ten Great
Jatakas may be seen.
 PAGAN ARCHITECTURE (A.D.
1044 TO 1287)
• Temples and stupas, even though adjacent to one another, were generally designed to
stand alone as single buildings without planned relationships between one another.
• A boundarywall, thought be a protection against fire, surrounded the largest and most
important buildings.
• All Pagan structures were made of brick plastered with stucco except for three buildings
that were made of stone or were faced with stone.
• A remarkable technique used at Pagan for the construction of vaults and arches was the
pointed arch created with voussoirs.
SHWEDAGON
PAGODA(YANGON)

• There, a huge stupa, almost a

hundred meters in height,
towers above its surroundings.
• The stupa is adorned with 8,688
solid gold slabs
THE ANANDA TEMPLE

• "in the shape of a perfect Greek

cross," with four large niches.
• Each niche houses a Buddha,
with Gautama Buddha facing
west.
• The statue of him, covered
ingold, towers above visitors as
he expresses his "Be not afraid"
hand gesture
BAGAN

• Is an ancient city located in the

Mandalay Region of Myanmar .
• From the 9th to 13th centuries,
the city was the capital of the
Kingdom of Pagan, the first
kingdom to unify the regions
that would later constitute
modern Myanmar.
 THERE ARE ESSENTIALLY THREE
KINDS OF BUDDHIST STRUCTURES:

1. stupas, bell-shaped structures that contain a holy relic or

scripture;
2. temples, place of worship somewhat similar to a church; and
3. monasteries, which contain living quarters and meditation
cells for monks.
OTHER EX AMPLE

BURMA
The Htukkanthein temple is a bunker
like Buddhist temple on a small hill
located near the Shite-Thaung temple
North of Mrauk U town. The structure
has a dark interior and a long spiralling
corridor leading to the inner chamber.
 MODERN
ARCHITECTURE
BURMA
TRIPITAKA LIBRARY, ALSO KNOWN AS
THE CONCRETE FLOWER OF MYANMAR
MAUSELEUM
INYA LAKE HOTEL