Das Innere der Pagode / Ansicht von Rangun, Südküste.

Title

Das Innere der Pagode / Ansicht von Rangun, Südküste.

Description

Upper view shows the interior of the Shwedagon, also Shwedagon-Paya, it is the most important religious building and the religious center of Myanmar in Yangon. It is considered the symbol of the whole country. Below partial view of Yangon.

ca. 1860

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

King Anawrahta founded the first Burmese in the 11th century. The early civilizations in Myanmar included the Tibetan-Burmese-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma. In the 9th century, the Bamar entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and after the establishment of the pagan kingdom in the 1050s, Burmese language, culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly dominated the country. The pagan kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several belligerent states emerged. In the 16th century, which was reunited by the Taungoo dynasty, the country was briefly the largest empire in the history of mainland Southeast Asia. In the 18th century, Burmese rulers, whose land was not of particular interest to European traders, attempted to maintain their traditional influence in the western areas of Assam, Manipur and Arakan. However, the British East India Company, which expanded its interests in the same area to the east, pushed for them. The Konbaung dynasty of the early 19th century ruled over an area that encompassed modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam. The British East India Company took control of Myanmar's administration after three Anglo-Burmese wars in the 19th century, and the country became a British colony. Myanmar became independent as a democratic nation in 1948. After a coup d'état in 1962, it became a military dictatorship under the Burma Socialist Program Party. Throughout most of its independent years, the country has been involved in rampant ethnic conflicts and its myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world's longest-lasting civil wars. During this time, the United Nations and several other organizations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country.