Legacy of Shin Arahan

The Theravada Buddhism of Shin Arahan might not be as pure as the Burmese cultural memory recalls but his legacy looms large in Burmese history nonetheless. His conversion of Anawrahta is seen as a key turning point. The powerful king's embrace of Theravada Buddhism greatly helped stabilize the Buddhist school, which had been retreat elsewhere in South and Southeast Asia until then. In 1071, Ceylon, the birthplace of Theravada Buddhism, had to ask Pagan, which became Theravada only some 15 years earlier, for the religious texts because their war with the Hindu Cholas had wiped out the entire clergy base. In Southeast Asia, only Pagan was Theravadin. The other mainland power, Khmer Empire, was Hindu. The patronage of Pagan Empire provided the Buddhist school with a safe shelter, and made its spread to Siam, Laos and Cambodia in the 13th and 14th centuries possible.

More at our Shin Arahan Website http://www.shinarahancruises.com/stories/legacyofshinarahan