2'/6 ON THE RELIGION AND 



These Rnhans live together m convents or colleges, 

 by them named Kiaung, which are by much the beft 

 habitations in the empire. They are, as far as I could 

 judge, very decent in their lives, remarkably kind and 

 hofpitable to ftrangers, the beft informed men in the 

 country, and very highly refpefted by the inhabitants. 

 Every college has a head named Zara, of which the 

 literal meaning is reader; but the name may be trani- 

 lated abbot; though by the Portuguefe miifionaries 

 thefe fuperiors of convents have been more commonly 

 llyled bifliops. As every great perfonage builds a 

 ■Kiaung, and procures the Rahan, whois his fpiritual 

 guide, to refide in it as fuperiour; fo there comes to 

 be a kind of diftinftion in rank between the different 

 Zaras : thofe who prefide over convents built by the 

 powerful and rich, having more fpacious colleges, and 

 more Rcihans,) under their authority in confequence of 

 better accommodation, and greater means of fub- 

 liftence,are no doubt more refpetted than thofe who are 

 at the head o^ Kiaung s built by perfons of lefs diftinc- 

 tion. In a particular manner is refpefted the Zara- 

 Do, or royal abbot, who may be likened to the king's 

 confeffor. His apartments are very fuperb, his at- 

 tendants very numerous : next to the king he is the 

 perfon to whom the greateft external homage is paid : 

 and he is permitted to deep under a Pyathap,* a dignity 

 not enjoyed by even the king's eldelt fon, who already 

 poffeffes one half of the imperial power. But although 

 thefe heads of colleges have thus different degrees of 

 dignity, according to the rank of the perfon whofe 

 fpiritual teachers they are ; yet I underftood, that 

 every Zara managed the affairs of his own college 

 ■without any appeal to the fuperiour of the governor's 

 convent, or even to the Zarado. What power the 

 Zaras have over the Rahans, who live in their own 

 convents, I do not know; but it is probably con- 

 fidcrablc, as they receive from their inferiours great 

 marks of fubmiffion ii(nd refpeft. 



The 



* A kind of gilded fplre in fcvcral ftagcs, and ending in an obelifk. 



