112 On the History of the Burma Race. [No. '1, 



India,, commencing in more modern times, with the great revival 

 of Buddhism under A-nau-ra-hta in the early part of the eleventh 

 century of the Christian era. Marriages were contracted between 

 the royal family of Burma, and the family of some Raja, apparently 

 a Buddhist, in Bengal. The strange tale of the assassination of 

 king Nara-thu by Indians sent from Bengal, has been related. 

 From all these circumstances, and from the conquests attributed 

 to A-nau-ra-hta, it is very probable that after the conquest of 

 Bengal by the Mahomedans in the thirteenth century, the kings 

 of Burma would assume the title of kings of Bengal. It is 

 nowhere expressly stated in the Burmese history, but the course 

 of events renders this very probable. We know that this claim 

 to Bengal was asserted by the king of Burma in long after years. 

 In the journal of the Marquis of Hastings, under the date of 

 September 6th, 1818, is the following passage: — "The king of 

 " Burma favoured us early this year with the obliging requisition 

 " that we should cede to him Moorshedabad and the provinces to the 

 " east of it which, he deigned to say, were all natural dependencies of 

 " his throne." And at the time of the disputes on the frontier of 

 Arakan in 1823-24, which led to the war of the two following years, 

 the governor of Arakan made a similar demand. We may, therefore, 

 reasonably conclude that at the close of the thirteenth century 

 of the Christian era, the kings of Pu-gan called themselves kings 

 of Burma and Ben gala. 



In order that the reader may have a distinct view of the several 

 dynasties of the Burmese monarchy as recorded in the Maha-ra- 

 dza-weng, I have drawn out a table of them from the earliest time. 

 The list of kings who are said to have reigned at Ta-gung and 

 upper Pu-gan, before the establishment of the kingdom of Tha-re- 

 khet-tara, I have not considered it necessary to give in detail. But 

 the name of each king, and the length of his reign, commencing 

 with Ma-ha-tham-ba-wa, in the year 483 B. C, has been carefully 

 copied from the Burmese history. In regard to dates, there are 

 given in the Maha-radza-weng various local eras. To avoid con- 

 fusion, these have been omitted, until the existing era commencing 

 with 639 A. D. is reached. The era of Gaudama's death, commenc- 

 ing with 543 B. C. which is in use in Burma and all the adjoining 



