The Battle of Ngasaunggyan was fought in 1277 between Kublai Khan's Yuan dynasty, the principal khanate of the Mongol Empire, and their neighbors to the south, the Pagan Empire (in present-day Burma) led by Narathihapate. The battle was initiated by Narathihapate, who invaded the Yunnan, a province of the Yuan dynasty. Mongol defenders soundly defeated the Pagan forces. The battle was later reported back to Europe by Marco Polo, who described the battle vividly in his reports. His description was presumably pieced together by accounts he heard while visiting the court of Kublai Khan.