LITERATURE OF Til£ BURMAS. 175 



cumfercnce some declivity. This earth is en- 

 tirely surrounded by a chain of very lofty moun- 

 tains called ZeickiuTala.* From the surface of 

 the sta these hills extend each way, up and down, 

 S2,OuO juza/m. The diameter of this earth is 

 J , 203, 400 Juzana ; its circumference is three times 

 its diameter; and its thickness 14:0,000 juzana. 

 The half of this depth is dust. The remaining and 

 lov.er half consists of a com.pact rock, which is 

 named Sila Pathaxnj. This immense body of dust 

 and rock is supported by a double thickness of 

 water, and that again by twice its thickness of 

 air; below which the Burmas suppose to be a va- 

 cuum. Besides this earth of ours, it is imagined 

 that there are of the same form 10, 100,000 others, 

 which mutually touch in three points, forming 

 between them a similar number of equilateral 

 spaces, which on account of the sun"s rays not 

 reaching them, are filled with water intensely cold. 

 The depth of these 10,100,000 triangular spaces 

 is ^4^000 jiizana, and each of their sides is 3,000 

 Ju;^ana in length t- 



'* II. In the middle of the most elevated part of 

 ** our earth, the Burma writings place Mienmo, the 

 '* largest uf all mountains;]:, it is elevated above 



'• the 



* The 'Brahme^is, in place of the mountain Zetcila'vala, siippofe 

 tbe world to be iurro.iiidcd by an immense serpent, wliich they nr.me 

 Afianda or Vamghi. PoulirA a. s. Bartholom/Eo Mnsei Borglani 

 Codxcei ma: tllustrat'i Romce 179^. page 2M. « 



i This shews the very crude notions of geometry which must have 

 prevailed in Hmdustafjy when this doctrine was invented. 



t Mievmo is, I believe, a Burma word, signifying the mountain of 

 visior.. It seems to be the same with the Meru taravada of the 

 BrahmttiSy wh'ch are perhaps Snnjcnt or Palt words of the same 

 HKaning. The ingenious etymologist Paulisus (^^1/?^/. Tiorg. pag: 5?S1 

 et ieq. et paaim ulii^itej, in his description of a figure of the -Thibet 

 cosmography, has m.tde wonderful confusion by supposing that tha 

 imaginary Mem or Mienmo is tht; same with the snowy Herna'vurita or 

 H'lmaleh, which actually exists. In fact, the cosmogn^phical table of 

 Thibet will be found a rude attempt to delineate the general eosmogra. 

 phy here delivered^ except fhat it represents Miaims, with tl>: seven 

 furrounding chains of hjlls, and the intervening Sxday ass^juarc; 

 whereas the/ are by the Raham described as being circular. 



