The Birman Cat
The Legend which surrounds the origins of The Birman Cat
Courtesy of The Birman Cat Club
Centuries ago the 'Khmer' people of Asia built beautiful temples to pay homage to their gods. The temple of Lao-Tsun housed a beautiful golden goddess with sapphire blue eyes who watched over the transmutation of souls.
Mun-Ha, one of the most beloved of the temple priests, whose beard had been braided with gold by the great god Son-Khio, often knelt in meditation before the golden goddess, Tsun-Kyan-Kse. A beautiful and faithful white temple cat, Sinh, was always at his side gazing at the brilliant goddess as his master prayed.
One night, as the moon rose and Mun-Ha was kneeling before the sacred goddess, raiders attacked the temple and he was killed. At the moment of Mun-Ha's death Sinh placed his feet upon his fallen master and faced the golden goddess. Immediately the hairs of his white body were turned to a golden hue just like the light radiating from the beloved golden goddess, His eyes changed to the same beautiful blue as the eyes of the goddess, and his four white legs became shaded down to a velvety brown. Where his feet rested gently on his dead master, the whiteness remained, thus denoting their purity.
The next morning the temple radiated with the transformation of all the 100 white temple cats, who, like Sinh, reflected the golden hue of sunset.
Sinh, the Golden Cat of Burma, never left the throne after his master's death. After seven days he too died, carrying with him into paradise the soul of Mun-Ha, his beloved master.
Since that time the followers of Buddhism have guarded very carefully and gently, the sacred cats within whose bodies live the souls of their beloved priests.
Whether or not you believe in the legend - only a few people, and they must be worthy in deed and manner, are permitted to possess one of these beautiful creatures. Could you be one of them ?