Burma . njoinedand the ideals it held up became theoccasions for Burma to unfold her owninmost nature. The abounding treasuryof Buddhist legend furnished the subjects to exercise her poetic fancy. In thefifth century, , long after Buddhism had declined at its source in India, andwhen it only prevailed in Ceylon, its real progress began among the people whowere to give it an enduring home. Buddhism is popularly credited with fivehundred millions of adherents. But the seven millions of Burma and perhapsa twentieth of that number inCeylon, together with the halfmillion Jains of India, are the
Burma . njoinedand the ideals it held up became theoccasions for Burma to unfold her owninmost nature. The abounding treasuryof Buddhist legend furnished the subjects to exercise her poetic fancy. In thefifth century, , long after Buddhism had declined at its source in India, andwhen it only prevailed in Ceylon, its real progress began among the people whowere to give it an enduring home. Buddhism is popularly credited with fivehundred millions of adherents. But the seven millions of Burma and perhapsa twentieth of that number inCeylon, together with the halfmillion Jains of India, are thepractical Buddhists of the the rest the profession hassunk to an empty name, as inChina and Japan, or it is lax, asin Siam, or it is utterly trans-formed, as in Tibet. The phrase Fiirther Indiagives point to a wide miscon-ception. The surprise of somany persons on finding thatthe Burmans have no caste—totake the commonest instance—betrays the notion that Burma e. ruins of city gate, INTRODUCTORY is part of India. The phrase Indo-China isalso misleading unless in respect of geo-graphy. In respect of climate, flora andfauna, Further India is not inapplicable. Aprobable Indo-Aryan admixture exists in thenorth-east (Arakan). But Burma Properand Pegu are as distinct from India as Tibetitself. The original Burman tribes are con-jectured to have pushed their way southfrom the mountains of Tibet. They dividedinto three principal branches, Arakan {Ra-kding, Yakding) on the west, Paung on theeast, and Burma {Bamd), which attained tothe chief position, in the middle, on thenorthern Irawadi {E-ya wadi). Nothing isknown of the early history of these it is certain that in looo Burmawas a large and powerful kingdom, with itsseat at Pagdn. About that time the firsthistorical conquest of the lower Irawadi waseffected. From the fact that the country was not permanently subdued it maybe inferred that the power of the Mun or Peguan race (later called Talaing
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