ABSTRACT
D.R. SarDesai presents the standard version of a celebrated epoch in Burmese history. At the end of the first millennium:
The Mons, cousins of the Khmer, held sway over maritime trade and enjoyed a cultural preeminence in Lower Myanmar, while the Burmans dominated the rest of the country... (until) in the eleventh century, fascinated by Theravada Buddhism, which the Mons had followed for centuries, thanks to their contacts with Ceylon, King Anawratha invaded ... Lower Myanmar and forcibly brought Buddhist scriptures as well as Mon scholars and artisans to Upper Myanmar. His unification of the country and adoption of Theravada Buddhism were to have long-term consequences for mainland Southeast Asia.98
