The Birman legend is an elaborate one which can be better appreciated if you understand the ancient land of Burma with its many beautiful temples and thousands of idols that are central to the deeply religious culture of the Burmese people. Their belief is reincarnation of the soul and their love and deep respect for the priests, provides a rich setting for a legend that predates the birth of both Buddha and Christ.
Before the birth of Buddha the Khmer people of Asia built beautiful temples of worship to pay homage to their Gods. The temple of Lao-Tsun housed the Goddess Tsun-Kyan-Kse who watched over the transmigration of souls from Earth to Nirvana. She had brilliant sapphire blue eyes set in her golden body.
Also in the temple of Lao-Tsun lived one hundred white cats who guarded both the temple and Tsun-Kyan-Kse and it was believed that the souls of former priests lived on in the guise of these cats.One of the most beloved of the priests named Mun-Ha (whose beard had been braided with gold by the great God Son-Hio) often knelt in meditation before Tsun-Kyan-Kse.
His faithful white temple cat, Sinh, was always at his side sharing his meditations, and as the holy priest prayed the sacred cat would gaze at the brilliant Goddess.
One night, as the moon rose, and Mun-Ha knelt at the alter of the Goddess, a band of raiders attacked the temple killing the old priest. As Mun Ha died Sinh, still gazing at the Goddess, jumped onto his master and the miracle of transmutation occurred. His coat became golden like the Goddess and his eyes turned a deep sapphire blue while his extremities (nose, ears, tail and legs) shaded a rich dark brown, to represent the earth, but where the cats feet still touched his dead master they remained white, denoting purity. Sinh stayed at the throne of Tsun-Kyan-Kse for seven more days when he also died, carrying the soul of his beloved master with him into Paradise.
The miracle of transmutation was received by all the temple cats, who changed colour just like Sinh. They all became known as the Sacred Cats of Burma and were guarded very carefully: the few who were chosen for this special task had to be worthy in deed and manner.
History of The Birman Cat
For many more centuries the Burmese people lived in harmony until the advent of Brahmanism. According to the Brahmans the Buddhist priests, or kittahs, were practicing a false religion: so the Brahmans raided the temples killing many venerable kittahs. Some of the kittahs escaped by crossing the mountains between Burma and Tibet, taking with them their sacred cats. There they built a marvellous new temple of Lao-Tsun near a lake and surrounded by immense mountain peaks.
During the conflict two Frenchmen, Auguste Pavie and Major Russell-Gordon, were in Burma and assisted the kittahs by protecting them against Brahman aggression. They also helped the kittahs to escape with their cats and so were told the legend. In 1919 a pair of cats was sent to the two men in France as a gesture of gratitude. Sadly the male died during the ocean trip but the female, who was found to be pregnant, survived and the breed eventually became recognised in France by 1929. The French breeders had to work hard to stabilise the breed, since by the end of the second World War only one pair of breeding cats was left in their country. Since then the breed has slowly grown and Sacred Cats of Burma, or Birmans, are now found worldwide. The French invented the name “Birman” which is derived from their word for Burma. (Incidentally, the short coated “Burmese” cat, whose ancestry also originates in Burma, is a totally unrelated breed).
Birmans make charming companions with a temperament to match their beautiful appearance, being intelligent, faithful, friendly, loving and playful. The semi long hair coat is easy to care for as it rarely mats. Birmans adapt well to life inside the home and enjoy walks on a harness with their owners. They speak with a small voice and walk with a majestic, tiger-like gait.
