Anawrahta is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, kings of Burmese history for he has founded first "charter polity" of what will later become modern Burma.

Not only has he greatly expanded the Pagan Kingdom but he has also implemented a series of political and administrative reforms that will enable his empire to dominate the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery for another two hundred and fifty years.

Anawrahta's legacy goes far beyond the borders of modern Burma.

The success and longevity of Pagan's dominance over the Irrawaddy valley lays the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Burman ethnicity in Upper Burma.

His embrace of Theravada Buddhism and his success in stopping the advance of the Khmer Empire, a Hindu kingdom, has provided the Buddhist school, which had been in retreat elsewhere in South and Southeast Asia, a much needed reprieve and a safe shelter.

He has helped restart Theravada Buddhism in Ceylon, the Buddhist school's original home.

The success of the Pagan dynasty makes possible Theravada Buddhism's later growth in Lan Na, Siam, Lan Xang, and Cambodia, also due in a large part to Ceylon's interactions with those lands, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries.

Anawrahta dies in March 1078 in the outskirts of Pagan.

The chronicles hint that his enemies ambushed and killed him and then disposed of the body in such a way that it was never found.

The chronicles state that a nat (spirit) appeared in the guise of wild buffalo and gored him to death, and then demons took away his body.