Burmese Sketches - Khamkoo

BURMESE SKETCHES. 5«
But there is evidence to show that the new Sakkaraj or Era
of 638 A. D. is of Chinese origin. Forbes, in \\\s Languages
of Further India, p. 26, talks of the * singular fact that all
the nations of Ultra- India, although deriving their religion,
civilization and their literature from India, have not adopted
any of the Indian Eras, but have borrowed from China/*
He then goes on to quote from Gamier :
*' Les relations ctablies par les I'hang avec les contrees du
midi avaient propagc sans aucun doute les connaisances
astronomiques et le calendrier Chinois, et c'est la peut-etre V
origine de 1' ere qui est aujourd' hui la seule employee a Siam
(Cambodge), au Laos, et en Birmanie, et qui commence a
1' an 638. Cassini a demontre en effet que le point de depart
de cette ere etait purement astronomique. Le 21 Mars 638
la nouvelle lune coincida avec V entree du soleil dans le
premier signe du zodiaque et produisit une eclipse importante."
As to the travels of the Era from China to Burma, they may
be accounted for thus. The Annamese, who became subject
to China as long ago as the year 221 B.C. under the Emperor
Huangti, passed it on to their neighbours, the Cambodians,
whose empire extended in the early centuries of the Christian
era, prior to their conquest by the Siamese (i 351 -1 374 A. D.),
as far as the shores of the Gulf of Martaban. Traces of their
influence and civilization are still to be found in the painting,
sculpture and architecture of Burma. It is also quite probable
that the Burmese received their new era direct from the
Chinese, one of the acts of suzeraianty of the Chinese government
being to distribute copies of the Chinese calendar among
tributary States.
To convert the present Sakkaraj into years A.D,, it is
simply necessary to add 638 ; thus 1255 +638= 1893. The
year 1893 A.D. = the year 1255 B.E. (Burmese Era).
According to the Burmans, the reckoning is as follows :
1255 years SakkarSj.
560 years Khachhapaiicha.
622 years Dodorasa.
2437 the present year A. B.
Subtract 1893 (years A.D.) from 2437 (years A. B.), and
544 B.C. is arrived at as the commencement of the Era of
Religion.