82 On the History of the Burma Race. [No. 2, 



Pali divine revelations as repeated in the three great councils, were 

 carried to Ceylon by the lord Ma-hin-da. Going there where the 

 commentaries exist in the Singalese language, learn it and translate 

 them into Magada.' Saying this, he sent him, as is written in the 

 book Tsu-la-weng." 



The history then gives in detail several versions of the story of the 

 sacred books being procured in Ceylon by Bud-da-gau-tha, and 

 brought to the Indo-Chinese nations. The great teacher is represent- 

 ed as the religious benefactor or missionary to the Burmese, Talaings, 

 Arakanese, Shans, Siamese and Cochin Chinese. But he was led to 

 Tha-htun by a miraculous direction at the last moment. The history 

 proceeds thus : " Lo! the lord Bud-da-gau-tha, after having obtained 

 permission from king Maha-na-ma, by presenting him with a white ele- 

 phant, brought away the book Wi-thti-di-mag, the three great divisions 

 of the Bidagat, and the commentaries. But when he was on his way 

 to Dzam-bu-di-pa, a Thagya came and warned him, saying, There is 

 no place in Mits-tsi-ma-de-tha where religion can be established ; the 

 places where it is to be firmly established are situated on the south- 

 east side of Mits-tsi-ma-de-tha ; they are nine hundred yuzanas in cir- 

 cumference ; they lie on the outskirts, and are known as Tha-re- 

 khet-ta-ra, The-ri-pits-tsa-ra, Ra-ma-ngya and other countries. Reli- 

 gion shall be established in them for full five thousand years. The 

 books should be conveyed thither. The great teacher accordingly 

 came to Tha-htun in the country of Ramangya, then called Thu-dam- 

 ma-wa-ti, and also Thu-wan-na-bhum-mi." 



The historian states that this event occurred in the year 946 of 

 religion, or A. D. 403. " Thus," he concludes, " in order to set forth 

 distinctly the account of the arrival in the Burma country of the 

 scriptures, the root and foundation of religion, which had been omit- 

 ted, in the great and the middle Radza-weng, I have extracted the 

 narrative thereof from the religious books." 



King Kyung-du-rit died after a reign of twenty-five years. No 

 particular event is recorded until the reign of Thaik-taing. He 

 changed the site of the city from Thi-ri-pits-tsa-ya to Tha-ma-hti and 

 called it Tam-pa-wa-ti. The change of the position of the capital 

 city to the distance only of a few miles, is still a common practice 

 with Burmese kings. It is prompted sometimes by superstitious 



