Anawrahta Minsaw (8 March 1015 – 23 March 1078) is the founder of the Pagan Empire.

Considered the father of the Burmese nation, Anawrahta turns a small principality in the dry zone of Upper Burma into the first Burmese Empire that forms the basis of modern-day Burma (Myanmar).

Historically verifiable Burmese history begins with his accession to the Pagan throne in 1044.

Anawrahta unifies the entire Irrawaddy valley for the first time in history, and places peripheral regions such as the Shan States and Arakan (Northern Rakhine) under Pagan's suzerainty.

He successfully stops the advance of the Khmer Empire into the Tenasserim coastline and into the Upper Menam valley, making Pagan one of two main kingdoms in mainland Southeast Asia.

A strict disciplinarian, Anawrahta implements a series of key social, religious and economic reforms that are to have a lasting impact in Burmese history.

His social and religious reforms later develop into the modern-day Burmese culture.

By building a series of weirs, he turns parched, arid regions around Pagan into the main rice granaries of Upper Burma, giving Upper Burma an enduring economic base from which to dominate the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery in the following centuries.

He bequeathes a strong administrative system that all later Pagan kings follow until the dynasty's falls in 1287.

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

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

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

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

The success of the Pagan dynasty makes possible Buddhism's later growth in Lan Na (northern Thailand), Siam (central Thailand), Lan Xang (Laos), and the Khmer Empire (Cambodia) in the 13th and 14th centuries.

Anawrahta is one of the most famous kings in Burmese history.

His ‘life stories’ (legends) are a staple of Burmese folklore and retold in popular literature and theater.