10.8 India – Myanmar Relations

. India – Myanmar Relations Every Burmese Buddhist wish is to come to India at least once in their lifetime and offer prayers in Bodh Gaya. Long before both nations became independent states, diverse indigenous population living in the border areas, mainly Mizos, Nagas, Kukis, Tangkhul and Paite, enjoyed close familial, linguistic, religious and cultural ties. It’s only after the arrival of British were the borders demarcated and the emergence of two different nations. India – Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) relations goes back to years. For the Burmese, Buddhist connections binds both India and Burma together. According to the legend of Shwedagon Pagoda – the heart of the temple is on the buried strands of Lord Buddha’s hair gifted by him to two Burmese merchants. It’s this belief that made King Ashoka to build pagodas in Burma and also for the spread of Buddhism.