Page:History of Indian and Eastern Architecture Vol 2.djvu/425

 CHAP. I. PROME. 359 may explain so much that is now unintelligible in subsequent examples. Thaton was coeval with Anuradhapura in Ceylon, and if examined with care, might do as much for the square form of temple as the island capital may do for the round form. Their greatest interest would, however, arise from the light they might throw on the square temples of Pagan and other Burmese cities, whose origin it has hitherto been impossible to explain. Meanwhile it is a fact worth bearing in mind that we find here square three-storeyed pagodas, which certainly were erected before A.D. 1080, when the city was destroyed, and possibly before the /th century, when it was practically super- seded by the rise of the new city and kingdom of Pegu. PROME. If we might trust the Burmese annals, Prome 1 was founded by a King Duttabaung as his capital as early as the year 101 of Religion, or after the Nirvana of Buddha. 2 In other words, it seems to be assumed that Buddhist missionaries from the second convocation held under Kala^oka, in the previous year, established themselves here, and introduced the new religion into the country. 3 The real political capital of the country at that time seems to have been Tagaung, half-way between Ava and Bhamo, on the Upper Irawadi. 4 Prome, however, seems to have continued the religious capital till A.D. 107, when the two capitals were amalgamated, under the name of Old Pagan on the northern site, to be again transferred to New Pagan, below Ava, about the year 847.5 Upper Pagan seems to have been visited by Captain Hannay in A.D. 1835, and by others subsequently, and the remains are described as extensive, but too much ruined and obscured by jungle to admit of scientific investigation. Many of those at Prome have been photographed by the Government, and other illustrations are given in de Beylie's book, together with the dates to which they are ascribed, those of de Beylie being earlier than others. Three of the pagodas, 1 This is the European name, it is called Pyi or Pri in Burmese. Phayre, he cit. p. 10. 2 Crawfurd's ' Embassy to Ava,' vol. ii. p. 277. The "year of Religion "or ' ' Buddhavarsha " era, like the Sinhalese era, dates from 543 B.C., but this reckon- ing appears to be of comparatively late origin, the earlier dates being reckoned from 482 B.C., so that the date here mentioned would belong to 382 B.C. 'Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society,' 1909, pp. 326ff. and 344f. The present Burmese Sakkaraj era commences in A.D. 639, on the sun's entrance into Aries. 3 The holding of this convocation 100 years after the death of Buddha is doubtful, and missionaries are mentioned only in connection with the Council held by Asoka 218 years after the Nirvana, or in 246 B.C. 4 Yule, 'Mission to Ava,' p. 30. 5 Loc cit. p. 32.