Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c23: XVIII.—The Burmese Common Era

Book of Indian Eras, with Tables for Calculating Indian Dates c23

Language: English

XVIII.—The Burmese Common Era

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THE common era of Burma which is now in use is the luni-solar calendar, which was introduced from India in A.D. 638. The length of the year is exactly the same as that of the Surya Siddhânta, namely, 365·875648 days. The solar year is reckoned in the same way as that of the Hindus, and accordingly it now begins on the 12th and 13th of April, which is the calculated date of the sun's entrance into Aries according to Hindu reckoning. The luni-solar year has 12 lunar months of 29 and 30 days alternately, with an intercalary month at seven fixed periods in each cycle of 19 years. The years in which these intercalary months are inserted are the

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2nd, 5th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 15th, 18th.

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But the extra month is always inserted in the same part of the year after the month of Wahso, and is consequently named the second Wahso. The names of the 12 months are the following:—

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The year begins with the new moon immediately preceding the commencement of the solar year, and ends with the 30th day of Taboung.

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The initial point of the era is Saturday the 21st March A.D. 638 of the Julian reckoning, or 24th March A.D. 638 of the Gregorian reckoning. In computing any date the calculation is much simpler than that of the usual rules for the Hindu luni-solar year, as the reckoning is referred to the beginning of the era, and not to the beginning of a yuga or mahâ-yuga several thousands of years back. The process is otherwise the same as that for any day of the Hindu luni-solar year, with the exception that the fixed position of the intercalary month saves some trouble.

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To ascertain whether any particular year will be intercalary or not, it is only necessary to divide the number by 19, and if the remainder be either 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 15, 18, then an intercalary month will be added in that year; but if it be any other number, the year will be an ordinary one.

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In India the only examples of Burmese dates that have hitherto been met with are in the few Burmese inscriptions found at the Mahâ-bodhi temple at Buddha Gaya. Three of these, which refer to the Great Temple itself, are of so much importance that I gladly take this opportunity of giving my readings of their dates. The longest inscription is on a stone slab which was found by the Burmese embassy fixed in one of the inner walls of the Mahant's residence. Three translations of it have been published,—1st, by Ratna Pala, a Singhalese Pali scholar; 2nd, by Colonel Burney; and 3rd, by Mr. Hla Oung, a Burmese scholar. The inscription professes to record the history of the original building and the successive repairs of the temple. Two dates are given in figures, accompanied, in each case, by the day of the week as well as the day of the month. The following is a brief abstract of this valuable record:—

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1—Asoka built the first temple. 2—Temple rebuilt by Naik Mahanta. 3—Temple restored by Raja Sado-Meng. 4—Raja Sempyu-Sakhen-tara-Mengi deputed his guru Sri Dhamma Râja Guna to superintend the restoration of the temple work not completed. 5—Varadasi Naik Thera petitioned the Raja to undertake the work, which was then entrusted to "the younger Pyu-Sakheng" and his minister Ratha.

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This last work was begun in the Sakka Raj year 441, on Friday the 10th of Pyadola, and finished in 448, on Sunday the 8th of Tachung Mangla (or Tasoung-Mong).

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Here I have given my own reading of the dates as 441 and 448, for the following reasons:

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A copper gilt canopy, which was found by Mr. Beglar carefully buried eight feet under the ground level to the west of the Great Temple, bears two inscriptions in Burmese and mediæval Indian characters.

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The Burmese inscription is much injured, but I can still read the name of *Sri Dhamma* in it. The Indian inscription, which is nearly perfect, opens as follows:—

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*Sam* 391, *Sri Dharma Raja Guru*.

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Here the date which is very clearly inscribed can only be referred to the Burmese common era of A.D. 638, which fixes the period of Dharma Raja Guru’s visit to 391 + 638 = A.D. 1029. Now the account of the later mission of “the younger Pyu-Sakheng” shows that it must have followed not long after Dharma Raja Guru’s Mission. I therefore read the two dates as 441 and 448, in preference to the very much later dates of 667 and 668, which had been generally adopted previously. I have tested all the possible readings of these dates as 641, 647, 661, 667, 648, and 668, by the week days mentioned in the inscription. Not one of them stands this test, whereas the two dates of 441 and 448 which I have adopted do actually agree with the week days recorded in the inscription. The evidence in favour of my readings is, therefore, doubly strong. The later history of the temple will therefore be as follows: