The Sacred Cat of Burma.... The name it self hints at an old legend about the origin of this beautiful breed. The dim origin of the Birman is enhanced by a romantic legend about its early days in the far East:

Long, long ago in Burma, a temple was built on the slopes of Mount Lugh. The temple was named Lao-Tsun.
The priests at the temple were called kithas, and the holiest of all the lamas was called Mun-Ha. The temple was devoted to the god Song-Hio and Tsun Kyan-Kse, the godess with sapphire blue eyes. The kithas spent their life in meditation, and upon reaching eternal extacy, their spirit was transferred to one of the sacred cats, who were living in the temple. Mun-Ha´s golden beard was said to have been braided by none other than the god Song-Hio him self. One specific cat by the name of Sinh, served as an oracle for Mun-Ha. Sinh was all white with yellow eyes - the yellow eyes reflecting Mun-Ha´s golden beard and the golden body of the godess.

One night, when the evil Phoums came from Siam and attacked the temple, the old man passed away. Sinh sat in mourning beside his master and watched the devastated kithas. In a leap, he was on the golden throne of the templet, and then miracle happened: Sinh´s body, which used to be white, turned into the same golden color as the beard of Mun-Ha; the eyes who used to be yellow, turned sapphire blue like those of the godess Tsun Kyan-Kse. Legs, face, ears and tail turned brown like the color of the dirt, but his paws, which were touching Mun-Ha´s skull, turned pure white as far up his legs as the sacred clothing of Mun-Ha was covering them. Sinh´s eyes were filled with serenity and light, and this encouraged the priests, who hurried and closed the bronze doors of the temple and hereby prevented the temple from being destroyed. Seven days later Sinh died as well, and all the cats at the temple changed color and became like Sinh - golden with pure white feet...

In real life, the origin of the Birman is somewhat foggy. The first Birmans are known to show up in Nice, France in 1925, supposedly having come from the far East where an American millionaire by the name of Vanderbildt had been given these cats by an unfaithful temple servant. None of this can be confirmed, though, just as it cannot be proven that there really were Birmans in the temples in the East. The Birmans we know today, all trace back to one single pair, Xenia og Orloff de Kabaa, who were the only registered Birmans known to be left in France after WWII. The breed was brought back on foot by crossing in for instance colorpointed Persians, and today you can find the Birman all over the World.