Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3Eliot, Charles
Religion
Hinduism and Buddhism, An Historical Sketch, Vol. 3
Eliot, Charles
Asia -- Religion; Buddhism; Hinduism
The earliest Cambojan inscriptions date from the beginning of the
seventh century and are written in an alphabet closely resembling that
of the inscriptions in the temple of Pâpanâtha at Paṭṭadkal in
the Bîjapur district[260]. They are composed in Sanskrit verse of a
somewhat exuberant style, which revels in the commonplaces of Indian
poetry. The deities most frequently mentioned are Śiva by himself
and Śiva united with Vishṇu in the form Hari-Hara. The names of
the kings end in Varman and this termination is also specially
frequent in names of the Pallava dynasty[261]. The magnificent
monuments still extant attest a taste for architecture on a large
scale similar to that found among the Dravidians. These and many other
indications justify the conclusion that the Indian civilization and
religion which became predominant in Camboja were imported from the
Deccan.
The Chinese accounts distinctly mention two invasions, one under
Ch'iao-ch'ên-ju (Kaundinya) about 400 A.D. and one considerably
anterior to 265 under Hun-T'ien. It might be supposed that this name
also represents Kauṇḍinya and that there is a confusion of
dates. But the available evidence is certainly in favour of the
establishment of Hindu civilization in Fu-nan long before 400 A.D. and
there is nothing improbable in the story of the two invasions and even
of two Kauṇḍinyas. Maspéro suggests that the first invasion came
from Java and formed part of the same movement which founded the
kingdom of Champa. It is remarkable that an inscription in Sanskrit
found on the east coast of Borneo and apparently dating from the fifth
century mentions Kuṇḍagga as the grandfather of the reigning
king, and the Liang annals say that the king of Poli (probably in
Borneo but according to some in Sumatra) was called Ch'iao-ch'ên-ju.
It seems likely that the Indian family of Kauṇḍinya was
established somewhere in the South Seas (perhaps in Java) at an early
period and thence invaded various countries at various times. But
Fu-nan is a vague geographical term and it may be that Hun-T'ien
founded a Hindu dynasty in Champa.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account