The temples of Godama are generally of a pyra midal form, and are supposed to contain some relics of the god, as a tooth, a bone, a hair, or a gar ment. The pyramids are often of an immense size : they are constructed of solid brick-work, plastered over, and generally placed on a prodigious elevated terrace. The base of the pyramid is frequently sur rounded by a double row of small ones ; and the summit of the whole is always crowned with umbrel las, made of a combination of iron bars into a kind of fillagree work, and adorned with bells. of these pyramids are from thre to five hundred feet high. In the larger temples, the umbrella; with at least the upper part of the pyramid, and often the whole, •is entirely gilded over. Other temples, of nearly a si: milar structure, but hollow contain images of Godama, to which the adoration'of his disciples is directed ; however; the greater number of the images are placed in a. kind of chapels which sur round the large pyramids, containing the relics of Godama. In these figtires, the god is always repre sented as a young man, of a placid countenance, and generally in the dress of a• Rahaan:. His postures are various. - The :most common is that of sitting .eross.legged'upon a thronei.with his left- hand rest: •ng upon his leg, and holding a book, and- with his right, and over his knee.. The images of Godama are of. various materials,. as clay, copper, silver, and alabaster. Many of them are completely gilded and ornamented with paintings of flowers.. The size also of these images 'varies exceedingly. Some- are not above six inches high, and others are of a most co: losSal stature., DeBachanan mentions, that he saw irrage.lit Ava; consisting of one solid block of --pilte alabaster, and in a sitting posture. He had no opportunity of measuring its dimensions ; but its fin gers appeared to be about the length and thickness of a large man's thigh and leg, from whence some ' idea may be formed of the immensity of the whole.
Besides attending to their private devotions, it is customary among the Birmans to present offerings at the temples. These are very various ; boiled rice, fruits, especially the cocoa nut, flowers natural and artificial, and a variety of curious figures, made of paper, gold leaf, and the cuttings of the cocoa nut kernel, are the most common. It is also very custo mary for the rich to offer elegant white umbrellas with golden ornaments, large slippers, canes, pillows, and all manner of utensils gilded, and of the finest materials. Instead of these costly offerings, the poor content themselves with presenting imitations of them in paper. Thesegifts are placed on altars, or on wooden benches before the god or the temple; and the eatables become a prey to the dogs or the crows. People who have been in danger by water, present models of boats or ships, some of which are formed with considerable neatness. One of the most common ways for a person to express his devotion, is to gild a patch of a temple, in consequence of which many of them have a very motley appearance. The muni ficence of the king in this respect has been very ex tensive. Dr Buchanan was told, that he is annually -at the expense of nearly 86,8051t weight of silver for this purpose. In no case do the Birmans offer bloody .sacrifices.
In the Birman empire, the most liberal toleration ' of religion' prevails. In the same street may be heard the solemn voice of the Muezzin calling the Islamite to early prayers, and the bell of the Portuguese cha pel tinkling a summons to the catholic Christian. Processions meet and pass each other without giving or receiving the smallest offence. The Birmans never trouble themselves about the religious opinions of any .sect, nor • disturb their ritual ceremonies, provided they'do not interfere with the peace of society, or meddle with their own deity Godama. Some few of .the natives have embraced the catholic religion, but it does not appear that any persecution has been excited on this account. The catholics have-three places of worship at Rangoon, but• the congregations are not very large. In no capacity can any one reside in the
'airman empire with less suspicion than as a teacher of religion. Persons sustaining this character, whe ther Christian, MahOmedan, or Pagan, have greater privileges by order of government than those in any other capacity. • In this country the form of government is despotic; • but still.the emperor is accustomed to consult a cOuni cil of ancient nobles. There is no country of the East in which the royal establishment is such minute attention as in the Birman court; it is splendid without being wasteful, and numerous with out confusion. are differentofficers by whom the affairs of government in its various departments are transacted. The Birman government has no he reditary dignities• or employments • for on the death of the possessor, all honours and offices revert to the crown. The order of nobility has different degrees, which are. distinguished by the number of strings which compose the chain which is the badge of the order. No subject is ever honoured with a higher degree than 12 and the king alone wears 21.
The Birman system of jurisprudence is replete with sound morality, and is distinguished above the Hindoo code by its perspicuity and good sense. It provides especially for almost every kind of crime that can be committed, and adds an ample chapter of precedents and decisions to guide the inexperienced in cases of doubt and difficulty. The trial by ordeal, however, is disgraceful to this code ; but it prevails in all coun tries where the Hindoo religion is professed, and 'is as ancient as their records. gn instance of the exercise of this mode of trial is mentioned by Colonel Symes. Two women having litigated a small property in a court of justice, and the judges finding it difficult to decide the question of right, it was agreed to refer the matter to the issue of an ordeal. The parties, attended by the officers of the court, the Rahaans, and a multitude of people, repaired to a pond. After certain prayers and ceremonies, the two women enter ed the pond accompanied by two or three men, one of whom placed them close to each other, and put a board on their heads, which he pressed down till they were both immersed at the same instant. After con tinuing out of sight for about a minute and a half, one of them being nearly suffocated, raised her head, whilst the other continued to sit on her hams at the bottom, but was immediately lifted up by the man ; after which, an officer of the court pronounced judg ment in her favour ;_and of the equity of the decision, none present seemed to entertain the smallest doubt. This practice, however, and that of imprecation,' are now losing ground, and have of late years been dis countenanced by the judicial courts both of India and of Ava. The criminal jurisprudence of the Birmans is lenient in particular cases, but rigorous in others. The first commission of theft does not incur the pea nalty of death unless the amount stolen is above 800 tackals, or about R100 sterling, or is attended with some circumstances of atrocity, as murder or mutila tion. In the former case, the culprit has a round mark imprinted on each cheek by gunpowder and puncturation, and on his breast the word thief; with the article stolen ; for the second offence he is de prived of an arm ; •but the third inevitably produces capital punishment. Decapitation is the mode by which criminals suffer, and in the performance of it the Birman executioners are exceedingly skilful: In the administration of public affairs, the Birman goy does not allow of privacy or concealment: It is worthy of remark, that when the British ambas• sador had obtained from the emperor the. establish ment of certain regulations with regard to our coma merce, and had returned to the port of Rangoon, the viceroy of that district informed him that the order Would be publicly read and regulated° on the follow ing day, adding, that the records were also open to the public inspection, and that whosoever chose might at any time procure a copy, by paying,a trifling fee to the officers of the court.