A Burmese wonderland; a tale of travel in Lower and ... - Khamkoo

124 A BURMESE WONDERLAND.
Fuji, and like Fuji it stands out a lone mountain all
by itself.
And though Popa does not occupy a popular
place in the art of its country as Fuji does, it is nevertheless
revered and loved by the people, and is the
subject of endless legends and fairy stories.
The Burmese are unaware that Popa is a volcano.
There are no hot springs in its vicinity, and the mountain
has certainly not erupted in the memory of man, or
at any rate not since the Burmese have occupied Burma.
But there is a legend relating to three of the Nats now
residing on the mountain which, I would suggest, may
possibly refer to a prehistoric disturbance. The scene
is first laid in Tagaung,^ which simply means that the
thing occurred before the dawn of authentic history.
Tagaung, of which the ruins still exist, is the first
known capital of Burma. Nothing is certain about it,
though many legends relate to it. It is possible that
Tagaung was the capital of very early Shan invaders,
and, if so, perhaps the volcanic disturbance, which I
think is referred to in the legend of Maung Tint De,
occurred before the Burmese came down from China,
and so could only be known to them by hearsay.
Maung Tint De was a handsome young blacksmith
who lived, perhaps fifteen hmidred years ago, near the
palace of Sein Taya Gyi, King of Tagaung.- He was
so strong that he could wield a hammer weighing 25 viss
'
Map Square C.J.
* Tint De's Myo To, or city wall, is still pointed out in the
jungle about 10 miles from Tagaung.