112 The Pegu Pagoda. [No. 2, 



Mengraihla. Ditto. 



Kawlieya. Razadhicrit. 743 1381 



Baingta. Ditto. 



Wenghpyaing. Queen Beenya daw San 850 1488 



Shang tsaw-boo. 



Gwon-zaleng. Dliammatsedee. 864 1502 



Zainganaing. Thoo-sheng-taga Riwot pie 901 1539* 



The dates in the above table are those given in the " Thamaing" 

 of the Shwe Hmawdaw, but it is clear that in this particular, i. e. as 

 regards dates, the chronicle is altogether wrong. The year 1116 of 

 the religious era, in which year Pegu is said to have been founded, 

 corresponds with the year 493 of king Thamoondarie's Era (573 A. D.) 

 but the chronicle gives the year 514 of the present secular era as the 

 date of this occurrence A. D. 1152. This makes a difference of 579 

 years in the date of Thamala's reign. 



The Shwe-Hrnawdaw, like many other pagodas, is said to have been 

 built in order to enshrine two of Gaudama's hairs. The legend 

 relates that in the sixth year after G-audama had obtained omniscience 



* There are five different eras known in Burmese Chronology. They are as 

 follows : — 



1st. — The Kawza era which, after lasting 8650 years, was abolished by Bhodaw 

 Eentsana, grandfather of Gaudama, in B. C. 691. 



2nd. — -Bhodaw Eentsana's era, which lasted 148 years only, until Gaudama's 

 death, B. C. 543. 



3rd. — King Ayatathat's or the Religious era. This lasted 624 years, until 

 A. D.. 82. 



4th — King Thamoondarie's era. In 82 A. D. Thamoondarie, king of Prome, 

 superseded the Religions era, as far as secular purposes were concerned, by his 

 own era which he established from the 622nd year of the Religious era, A. D. 

 80. This era lasted 562 years, until 643 A. D. 



5th. — Pagantsaw Rahan's or Pooppatsaw Rahan's era. In 642 A. D. this 

 king of Pegu abolished the Prome era aud established his own, making it 

 commence from the year 560 of the former era. This era has now reached its 

 1228th year. 



Another era, but little used, known as Gnyoung Mangtara's era, which lasted 

 798 years, was synchronous with a portion of the present era. 



According to Burmese computation, therefore, the following number of years 

 have elapsed since the death of Gaudama : — 



Ayatathat's Era, years 622 



Thoomoondarie's Era, 560 



Pooppatsaw Rahan's Era, 1227 



Total 2,409 



Which fixes the date of that occurrence, viz. the death of Gaudama, in 543 

 B.C. 



