The Cambridge History of India, Vol. IV: The Mughul Period v4.c23.s4.24

v4.c23.s4.24

The Burmese owed their civilisation to the Talaings: it was an older and apparently a gentler civilisation. Alaungpaya destroyed their manuscripts and we know too little to say with confidence why they went under. Probably it was because they received no reinforcements by immigration, unlike the Burmese who, lying to the north, were open to a constant trickle of immigration; moreover, Alaungpaya had Shan, Kachin and Kadu levies, whereas the Talaings had only their own little corner of Burma to draw on for men.