[ i^3 J 



VIII. 



On the Religion <I72^ Ltteratuhe of the 

 BURMAS. 



BY FRANCIS BUCHANAN, 5l. D. 



IN the celebrated island of Ceiflon^ in the extensive 

 empire of the 7i^^;v?^7/ monarchs, and in the king- 

 tloms of Slam and Cambodia, the prevaiHng religion 

 1-5 that of BouDDHA, or Godama; and followers of 

 the same doctrine are probably dispersed all over the 

 populous and wide dominions of China, Cochinch'ma, 

 Japan, and Tonkin. However absurcl the tenets of 

 this religion may be, yet, as influencing the conduct 

 of so large a proportion of mankind, it becomes an 

 object of great importance in the history of the hu- 

 man race. To those in particular who study the 

 history and antiquities of ///^/i/z^^/«;/, a knowledge 

 of the doctrine of GoDA ma will, I doubt not, be 

 highly curious; as I think that Mr. Chambers, 

 the most judicious of our Indian antiquaries, has 

 given very good reason for believing, that the wor- 

 ship of BouDDHA once extended all over India, and 

 was not rooted out by the Braltmens in the Decan 

 so late as the ninth, or even as the twelfth century 

 of the Clirijiian a;ra*. 



Nor will this opinion, of the late introduction of 

 the superstition now prevailing in Hindustan, be 

 contradicted by the almost singular remain of Hindu 

 history; the only one which has escaped the de- 

 structive research of the cunning Brahmen: I mean 

 the history of Cashmere presented to the Sultan 

 AcKBER on his first entrance into that kingdom. 

 We are told f that the Sultan caused the book to be 

 translated, and of the translation Abul Fazil has 

 given an abridgement. This informs us, that when 



L 2 Cashmere 



• Ji'iatick Researches, I, iGc^ — iS6. + ^een Akhery, II, lyg. 



