104 On tie History of the Burma Race. [No. 2, 



of the peoples in Gangetic India. The whole term then would 

 mean City of the noble Kshatriya. This city founded, according 

 to Burmese history, in the fifth century before Christ, continued 

 the seat of government of the Burmese monarchy for 537 years. 

 During this period we are not informed as to events in the upper 

 Irrawaddy, where it is probable the tribes coming from the eastward 

 continued to maintain themselves. The monarchy at Tha-re-khet-ta- 

 ra is represented as being transmitted in the same family with only 

 one break. This defect also is supposed to have been remedied in 

 after times by the appearance of a true descendant of the ancient royal 

 race. The dynasty established near Prome is represented, consistently 

 with Buddhist tenets, as being finally brought to an end, by the 

 mysterious but inevitable influence of an act of impiety. The sin 

 which produced this result, was the act of devoting a portion of the 

 gold of a holy image to secular objects ; and though the king was not 

 personally involved therein, yet he and his country were thereby 

 doomed to destruction. A legend relates how dark rumours of coming 

 wars and tumults, prevailed among the people ; and from the general 

 dread and distrust which existed, a trifling occurrence was the imme- 

 diate occasion of a civil war. The several tribes which still existed 

 separately, though subject to one king, fought with each other. A 

 portion of the Pyii tribe retired to the north, and finally settled at the 

 place called new Pu-gan, on the east bank of the Irrawaddy river. 

 This is about one hundred and seventy miles north of Prome. Here 

 a new dynasty was established, which is held to be the true royal race 

 of Burma ; while Prome appears at this time to have been subdued 

 and occupied for some time, by the Taking people coming from the 

 south. But on this point the Burmese narrative is not clear. It 

 does not appear what extent of territory belonged to the monarchy of 

 Tha-re-khet-ta-ra. It is, however, probable that it did not extend on 

 the south farther than a ridge of hills called A-kauk-taung, about forty 

 miles below Prome. On the north, it may have reached to Mye-de, fifty 

 miles distant ; while east and west it did not extend beyond the hills 

 which bound the valley of the Irrawaddy. During the time this kingdom 

 lasted, it is probable that the tribes coming from the northeast, who 

 had overthrown the Buddhist kingdom established in the upper Irra- 

 waddy, gradually mingled with the earlier inhabitants. After the 



