UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Myanmar

There are 10 UNESCO world heritage sites in Myanmar. They are

Han Lin

Hanlin (also known as Halingyi, Halin and Halim) is a village near Shwebo in the Sagaing Division of Myanmar. In the era of the Pyu city-states, it was a city of considerable significance, possibly a local capital replacing Sri Ksetra. Today the modest village is noted for its hot springs and archaeological sites. It was inscribed by UNESCO on its List of World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia in May 2014 for its archaeological heritage traced back more than 1,000 years to between 200 BC and 900 AD.

Beikthano

It is situated in the irrigated Magway Region, near presentday Taungdwingyi. In the era of the Pyu city-states it was a city of considerable significance, possibly a local capital replacing Sri Ksetra. Today the modest village is noted for its hot springs and archaeological sites. It was inscribed by UNESCO on its List of World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia in May 2014 for its archaeological heritage traced back more than 1,000 years to between 200 BC and 900 AD.

Sri Ksetra

It is located along the Irrawaddy Riverat present-day Hmawza, was once a prominent Pyu settlement. The Pyu occupied several sites across Upper Myanmar, with Sri Ksetra recorded as the largest, the city wall enclosing an area of 1,477 hectares, although a recent survey found it enclosed 1,857 hectares within its monumental brick walls, with an extramural area of a similar size, being the largest Southeast Asian city before Angkor times. Issues surrounding the dating of this site has meant the majority of material is dated between the seventh and ninth centuries AD, however recent scholarship suggests Pyu culture at Sri Ksetra was active centuries before this. Sri Ksetra is the site for much of the Pyu artistic legacy. The arrival of Buddhism into the Pyu cities saw the increased artistic production, with very little surviving from the earlier period of occupation. The vast arraying of surviving material indicates a rich visual culture that was endorsed by the Pyu at Sri Ksetra. The Pyu at Sri Ksetra declined in prominence around the ninth century AD. It was inscribed by UNESCO on its List of World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia in May 2014 for its archaeological heritage traced back more than 1,000 years to between 200 BC and 900 AD.

Myazedi Quadrilingual Stone Inscription

It is located in Bagan Historic City which is unique and significance written documents of Myanmar history, religion and culture in 12th century AD. The inscription inscribed in AD 1113. There are described with four languages, such as Pyu, Mon, Myanmar and Pali, on each of the four faces. Myazedi stone inscription is the earliest Myanmar language document with chronological date. The Rajakumar Inscriptions are inscribed on two pillars and it is also very rare inscribed pillar of quardrilingual inscription in regional concerned. It is family identified the authenticity and intact writing document in 12th century AD. That stone inscription was discovered at Myazedi Pagoda near Myingaba village in Ancient Bagan City in 1886-87. This is known as Myazedi inscription by the name of that pagoda, also known as Rajakumar’s Stone Inscription by the name of person who inscribed. It was inscribed in 2015 by UNESCO.

The Golden Letter of King Alaung Min Ta Yar

The Golden Letter is a manuscript written on rolled gold in the Burmese language. In 1756, King Alaungphaya ordered a letter to be written on a sheet of pure gold and decorated with 24 costly rubies consisting of an analysis of the letter, as well as a detailed study of diplomatic relations and wars fought during the king’s reign. The letter was addressed to King George II of Great Britain, who reigned simultaneously over the Electorate of Hanover and the Kingdom of Great Britain at the time. It was transported inside the hollowed-out tusk of an elephant, which has also been preserved. In October 2015, the Golden Letter was added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, as a common heritage of Myanmar, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Golden Letter from Alaungphaya to King George II is displayed at the National Museum in Yangon.

Kuthodaw pagoda

It is also known as the world’s largest book, in Burmese known as the Maha Lawka Marazein Paya where is at the foot of Mandalay Hill, features the entire Buddhist canon, or Tipitaka, inscribed on 729 large stone tablets. It was created to mark the convening of the Fifth Buddhist Synod, which was convened by King Mindon in 1871. The inscriptions were one of 54 additions to the Memory of the World Register that were approved by UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova on June 18. The register now includes 299 documents and document collections from five continents. The Kuthodaw Paya or “Royal merit pagoda” was built by King Mindon Min at the same time the nearby Royal Palace was built. Construction started shortly after the founding of Mandalay in 1857. The King built the Kuthodaw to leave a great work of merit for future generations. It was UNESCO heritage site in 2013.

Bayint naing’s bell

The Bayintnaung bell was cast with 2100 bowls of brass. It was donated by the King Bayintnaung in Myanmar Era 919 (1557 AD). The inscriptions on the bell record the events of his reign in Myanmar, 35 lines in Mon language, five lines in Pali language Pali and 43 lines in Myanmar language. Recorded on the bell, are the name of the donor, their endeavor for the country, their meritorious deeds, prayers, and occupied regions with the dates; the date of throne ascendance and the donated date of this bell. Also the inscriptions include the accurate regal titles for the king and his chief Queen. It was submitted to the UNESCO cultural heritage list in May 2016 and all details about that inscription have been verified and approved, he added. The Bell inscriptions are now located at the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan and were donated by King Bayinnaung in 1557 AD.

Indawgyi lake

Indawgyi Lake Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest freshwater lake in Myanmar, and a substantial portion of the surrounding forested watershed. Established in 1999, ILWS covers 73,600 hectares and ranges in elevation from 169 m at the lake surface to over 1,400 m. The lake drains to the north and includes 12,000 hectares of open water, along with marsh, floating vegetation, and submerged macrophytes. Rice is cultivated adjacent to the lake in some low-elevation areas, while mixed deciduous forest, riverine evergreen forest, and hill pine forest cover the uplands in the watershed. Half of ILWS is forest; one-third is non-rice wetland. Species in ILWS include globally threatened waterbirds and endemic fish and turtle species. UNESCO has designated Indawgyi Lake in Kachin State that is the third largest in Southeast Asia. It became as UNESCO heritage site in 2003.

Bagan Archaeological Area and Monuments

On Saturday, July 6, 2019, Bagan Archaeological Area and Monuments has been officially named as a UNESCO Heritage Site at a meeting of the UN’ cultural body in Baku, Azerbaijantentatively. The site consists of more than 2500 Buddhist monuments (temples, stupas, monasteries, etc); several of these monuments are still highly venerated by the population, and attract numerous pilgrims and devotees from all over throughout and maintenance. The frescoes inside over 300 temples here form a unique corpus of paintings of that period in southeast Asia. Bagan becomes Myanmar’s second addition to the World Heritage List, after the three ancient Pyu cities of Sri Ksetra, Hanlin and Beikthano, which were listed in 2014.

Inle Lake

It is situated in central Shan Plateau. It is a stunning highland lake, 900 meters above sea level, 22km long in length. The lake is renowned for the dwellers with their leg rowing. Leg rowed traditional boats are the main ceremonial attractions of the Inle Lake. The fishermen, using a mesmerizing one-legged paddling technique, you won’t see anywhere else in the world. Moreover, cruising along channels hemmed in by floating gardens is also sublime. It can be said that this life on the shallow, 13.5-mile freshwater lake is utterly alluring. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 2015.