REGARDING THE INSCUfPTION FROM BUDDHA GAYA. 179 



river, and to the city of Agra, at the head of the Jumna river, and having 

 executed your Majesty's service unhesitatingly, devotedly and assiduously, 

 we believed that to bear in mind respectfully our gratitude and obligations 

 to your Majesty, and to fulfil your Majesty's religious duties (literally duty 

 relating to future states of existence), would be a better proceeding. Ac- 

 cordingly, on our return from Agra, finding when we arrived at Patna that 

 the MaJia JBaudhi or excellent Boodlis tree at Biiddha Gay a (the peepul 

 tree or ^cus religiosa, under which Gaudama is supposed to have become 

 perfected into a hoodh) was only three days journey distant, we proceeded 

 thither, and after worshipping and making various offerings in the name of 

 our two sovereigns (king and queen), and prince and princess, consisting 

 of gold and silver padetha trees, gilded and silvered candles, common wax 

 candles, other lights in a tazoung (a portable pyramidical structure), a 

 gilded umbrella and thengan (priest's upper garment), gold and silver 

 pouk pouk (imitations of parched grain), and tagiuon, koukka, and moo- 

 lehwa (flags and streamers of various forms), myooda (pots with a long neck 

 and open mouth), cold water, rice and other food, together with a hundred 

 rupees in cash, we prayed that your Majesty's glory may be great — that 

 your Majesty's age may exceed 100 years, and that every wish of your 

 Majesty may be gratified and every service accomplished. The merit 

 attending all these acts of charity and worship we humbly present to your 

 Majesty.^ 



After making these offerings to Boodh's excellent tree and worship- 

 ping it, your Majesty's slave, Mengyee Maha-tsee-thoo, repeated the whole 

 of the Thamanta i^) and Yatanathout prayers, and, agreeably to their tenor, 



(^) According to the Buddhist religion, a person may divide with others the merit attend- 

 ing good works performed by him — and thus allow others to share in the future reward. But 

 the loyalty of the Burmese vukeels induced them to tender the whole merit and reward to 

 their sovereign. 



(°) These are two long prayers used as a preventive of evil. Thamanta meaning " the 

 surrounding," is the first word of one of them. 



