• 15
    watchers
  • 35
    plays
  • 56
    collected

Wonders of Burma

Season 1 2016

  • 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z on Smithsonian Channel
  • 42m
  • 1h 24m (2 episodes)
  • United States
  • English
The country of Burma used to be a patchwork quilt of dynasties and kingdoms before the greatest religious reformations changed the entire scope of the area -- the rise of Buddhism. Viewers get to see the myths and monuments that united peasants with kings to create the Burmese culture that exists today. Burma's lands are full of the golden architecture that dots the countryside and cities in the form of temples, pagodas, statues, and stupas.

2 episodes

Series Premiere

2016-09-06T00:00:00Z

1x01 Shrines of Gold

Series Premiere

1x01 Shrines of Gold

  • 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z42m

Throughout Burma, temples, stupas, and statues of gold pop out in the lush, green landscape. This golden architecture has become Burma's calling card, but how and why did that become the standard here? Join us as we travel across Myanmar, the jewel of Asia, and reveal the history and myths surrounding these shrines, each one created as an offering to the Buddha. We will visit such treasures as the golden pagoda of Mt. Kyaiktiyo, which rests perilously atop a huge boulder, the 344-foot Shwedagon Pagoda, and the revered Mahamuni Buddha Temple.

2016-09-06T00:00:00Z

1x02 Myths and Magic

1x02 Myths and Magic

  • 2016-09-06T00:00:00Z42m

Burma and Buddhism are intertwined, thanks to centuries of ancient mythology and thousands of golden monuments of worship. It all began with the Pagan Kingdom about 1,000 years ago, when Anawrahta, a great king, and Shin Arahan, a Buddhist monk, together incited one of the greatest religious reformations in Asian history. Join us as we explore this spiritual revolution and how it triggered a wave of temple-building in honor of the Buddha.

Loading...