16 



On the history of the Burmali Race. 



[No. l, 



" In the fifth year after the lord Gautama attained to the state of 

 Budha, two brothers named Maha-poon and Tsoo-la-poon asking 

 leave from the Phra, built a monastery called Tsan-da-Tcoo-nan-tha 

 at the village of Say-gaing in the country of Thoo-na-paran- 

 ta* The Phra also prophesied (that) 'hereafter in the Mran-ma 

 country my religion will be long established/ and accompanied by five 

 hundred Kahandas he frequently came through the air before the 

 monastery was finished ; when the monastery was finished he received it 

 in gift, and remained there seven days, and preached. At that time 

 five hundred men and five hundred women in Thoo-na-pa-ran-ta be- 

 came Eahandas. At that place was a hermit named Theet-tsa-ban-da 

 who had attained the state of an Areeya. Ji.t his intercession the 

 Phra left the impression of one foot on the Theet-tsa-pan hill ; and 

 at the intercession of the JSTa-man-da JSfa-ga he left the impression of 

 the other on the bank of the Man stream. Thus two firmly founded 

 pagodas were fixed in the rock as if sealed down, and the Lord said: — 

 ■ Hereafter my religion shall be long established in the countries of 

 Thao-na-pa-ran-ta and Tampa-dena.'f From thence the Phra went 

 and arrived at the Pho-eoo hill J To the south-east was the sea. On 

 the water was the appearance of something floating and just appearing 

 above the surface. A little pwe or bamboo rat lifted up its nose and 

 did homage to the omniscient Phra- The Phra smiled at these two 

 omens, and, in reply to his younger brother who asked for explanation, 

 said, ' Beloved Anan-da, in the year 101, after I shall have entered into 

 the rest of pa-ree-neib-ban, five great omens shall be manifested here. 

 They are, first, A violent earthquake shall shake the whole land, 

 Second, where the Bho-oo peak now rises there shall be a lake. Third, 

 the Tsa-moon-than-my-eit river shall be formed. Fourth, the earth 



# This is on the Man river which runs into the Irrawaddy from the westward 

 near the town of Menboo. 



f Tampa-dena is one of the ancient names for Ceylon. According to the 

 practice of the Budhist nations of Indo-Chinese to transfer to their own countries 

 the name of Budhist lands in the west, this name was given to Pugan and the 

 surrounding country. The name was probably given after the books were 

 brought from them and a reformation made in religion. Pugan was more anciently 

 called A-rimad-da-na. This history, however, intimates that Tampa-dee-pa was 

 the more ancient name. Tlioo-na-pa-ran-ta is mentioned as a country in the 

 Budhist Scriptures. See Hardy's Budhism, p. 259. 



% This is the name of a peak on the west bank of the Irrawaddy near to 

 Prome. Great changes no doubt have occurred in the course of the Irrawaddy 

 river, probably within the historical period, about Prome. The rocks around 

 Prome contain large deposits of marine shells, so that the Burmese had evidence 

 of the sea having once reached there. 





