BIRMAN LEGEND:
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The origins of the Birman cat have long been shrouded in mystery and legend. The following was taken from a passage in the book, "Cat in the Mysteries of Religion and Magic":
The Sacred Cat of Burmah (Birman) is yet more veiled in obscurity than its supposed descendant the Siamese, and we are indebted to Russell Gordon for the only authentic account of this species that has reached our shores. He gained his information during the Burmese War of 1885 whilst serving as an officer in the English Army occupying Burmah. His position enabled him to protect certain Kittahs, or priests, whose lives were in danger; in return they bestowed on him unprecedented priviledges of entry into their secret and sacred places.
From his account we learn that the Indian Brahmins were the bitter enemies of the people of Khmer and their beloved Kittahs. From the commencement of the eighteenth century they had mercilessly pursued and massacred these priests, who, to escape from their persecuting zeal, fled to North Burmah, where the mountains afforded security from pursuit. There, amid chaotic labyrinths and dizzying precipices, the indomitable Kittahs founded the marvelous subterranean temple of Lao-Tsun (the abode of the gods), and practiced the secret rites that were closed to all but the higher castes among their own people.
Gordon describes the temple of Lao-Tsun as: "One of the greatest marvels of the east - situated to the east of Lake Incaougji, between Magaoung and Sembo, in an almost desert region of immense peaks and chaotic labyrinths, it offers a barrier of insurmountable walls. Here there still existed in 1898 the last Kittahs, and as a most extraordinary favour I was permitted to see and observe them and their sacred animals. Following the rebellion and the English occupation, at the base of Bhamo (a base very isolated and distant from Mandalay), we had to protect the Kittahs against a Brahmin invasion, and we saved them from certain massacre and pillage. Their Lama-Kittah received me, and presented me with a plaque representing the Sacred Cat at the feet of a bizarre deity, whose eyes are made of two long sapphires (specimen No. 4108 in my collection at Mildenhall), and after having shown me the sacred cats, in number about a hundred, explained there origin to me."
If you are interested in reading further into the history, myths and legends of the Birman breed, please click at the bottom of this page on "Birman Breed & History".
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Contact Information:
Debonair Birmans
Chilliwack, BC
604.792.9875
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