num_pages: 176
description: Along the Bay of Begal, in the north-west corner of Burma, lie the splendid capital cities of ancient Arakan: Dhanyawadi, Vesali, the cities of the Lemro valley and Mrauk-U (Myohaung). Mentioned in Ptolemy's "Geography" in the second century AD, Arakan was from earliest times a cosmopolitan state with a vigorous and complex culture. Indian Brahmins conducted the royal ceremonial, Buddhist monks spread their teaching, traders came by land and sea, and artists and architects used Indian and South-East Asian models for inspiration. Through Buddhism, Arakan came into contact with other remote countries, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tibet and China. To the east were many early empires of South-East Asia: Mon, Khmer, Burman and Siamese, and to the west Hindu empires were replaced by the Islamic courts of Bengal and Delhi. This is a comprehensive study of the history and civilization of Arakan. It aims to serve as an introduction to its almost unknown schools of sculpture and architecture. Through introduction to the history, art, architecture and culture of Arakan, an ancient state located along Burma's north-west coast, this book explains and illustrates how South-East Asia from the beginning of the first millennium AD absorbed and interpreted the influences of many cultures.
language: English
title: Burma's Lost Kingdoms: Splendours of Arakan
titlecomplete: Burma's Lost Kingdoms: Splendours of Arakan
ratings_count: 9
publisher: Orchid Press