In a temple built on the sides of Mount Lugh, lived in prayer the very holy Kittah Mun-Ha, great Lama holy of holies, the one of which the God, Song Hio himself, has braided his golden beard. Not a minute, not a glance, not a thought of his life was not dedicated to the adoration, contemplation, and holy service of Tsun Kyan-Kse, the Goddess with the sapphire eyes, the one who presided over the transmigration of souls, the one who permits the Kittahs to live again in a holy animal for the duration of its animal existence, before taking again a haloed body with the full and holy perfection of the great priests. Near him was meditating Sinh, his dear oracle, an all-white cat whose eyes were yellow from the reflection of the golden whiskers of his master and from the golden body of the Goddess with the heavenly eyes; Sinh, the cat to advise, whose ears, nose, tail and extremities of his legs were dark like the color of the earth, mark of the stain and impurity of all that touches or can touch the ground.

One night raiders attacked the temple and Mun-Ha was mortally wounded. At the moment of the Mun-Ha`s ath, Sinh placed his feet on his master, and faced the goddess. That is when the miraculous transformation took place. Sinh`s white fur took on a golden glow, reflecting the golden goddess. His eyes became as blue as hers. His face, ears, legs and tail remained the brown of the earth, but his four paws, touching the white hair of his beloved master became pure white - as a symbol of purity. The other priests watched the transformation in awe and were inspired to fend off the attackers.

Seven days later, Sinh died, taking the soul of Mun-Ha to paradise. And when seven days later, the assembled priests consulted before the statue to decide on the succession of Mun-Ha, all the cats of the temple ran up. All were dressed in gold with white gloves and all had eye color changed from yellow to deep sapphire. In complete silence they surrounded the youngest of the Kittahs, thus the reincarnated ancestors were designated by the will of the Goddess. The legend states that each Sacred Cat carries the soul of a priest on its final journey to paradise.

Other Possibilities

There are several variations on the possible origin of Birmans. The oldest (and most widely held) is that Birmans did, indeed, originate in Burma, where they were considered sacred companions to the priests of the temple. Several years ago a geologist friend of ours saw pictures of one of our cats and told us that when he had been in Burma on a field trip, he had seen cats in temples who looked very much like those photos.
One version is that in 1919 a pair of Birmans was sent to two Englishmen living in France, Major Gordon Russell and Mr. August Pavie, as thanks for help in defending the temple in an invasion. Another version is that an American millionaire traveling in the far east, Mr. Vanderbilt, obtained two cats smuggled from the temple by an unfaithful servant of the priests. Mr. Vanderbilt sent those cats to Mme. Thadde Hadisch in France.

However our wonderful cats came into being, it is generally accepted that there was a pair of Birmans sent to France. En route the male, Madalpour, died. The pregnant female, Sita, survived the voyage and produced kittens. One kitten, a female named Poupee was bred to a cat of another breed, perhaps a Siamese, to preserve the breed.
There is yet another version that has our Birmans originating in France. We do know for certain that Birmans were officially recognized in France in 1925. After World War II it is commonly held that there may have been only one breeding pair of Birmans remaining. To ensure that the breed did not become extinct, outcrosses were necessary. Other breeds of cats, almost certainly Persians and possibly other breeds as well, were recruited as outcrosses.
Birmans were exported around Europe, and many can trace their ancestry to England and France. They received championship status in England in 1966 and from CFA in 1967. Although several other organizations around the world recognize red and lynx factor Birmans, CFA currently recognizes only seal, chocolate, blue and lilac in the show ring.