city state · Mainland Southeast Asia

Beikthano

200 BCE – 400 CE (approx.) · capital Beikthano

One of the oldest Pyu cities in Myanmar, whose name means 'Vishnu city' and whose excavated monastery and burials show early contact with India.

Origins

Beikthano grew up in the Magway region of central Myanmar from around the 2nd century BCE, making it among the earliest walled cities of the Pyu. Radiocarbon dates from excavations in the 1950s and 1960s place its main occupation between about 200 BCE and 400 CE.

Rule and society

The city was enclosed by a large, roughly rectangular brick wall, with irrigation works feeding rice fields around it. Excavators found a palace site, a monastery and stupa resembling those of Nagarjunakonda in south India, and many burial urns holding cremated remains, suggesting early Buddhist practice alongside local customs.

Decline and legacy

Beikthano was abandoned or declined around the 4th or 5th century, possibly after a fire, as Sri Ksetra rose as the leading Pyu centre. Local legend links its end to a princess named Panhtwa. It is now one of the three Pyu ancient cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Connections (1)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Beikthano. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beikthano
MLA
“Beikthano.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beikthano. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Beikthano.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beikthano.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Beikthano’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/beikthano (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻