Anawrahta founds the Pagan Empire

1044

The Burmese king unified the Irrawaddy valley from his capital at Pagan and embraced Theravada Buddhism brought by Mon monks. Over the next two centuries his successors would raise thousands of brick temples and stupas across the plain, creating one of the great sacred landscapes of Asia. At its peak, the temple-studded plain of Pagan stretched for miles along the river, rivaling Angkor in grandeur.