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Preliminary Essay
73

the Emperor by Chinese Buddhists to visit India for reli- gious objects 1. One of the parties from India is related to have been accompanied by the son of an Indian king, by name Mafijugri, a very zealous Buddhist, who was treated with great favour by the Emperor. The monks were jealous of this, and as he did not understand Chinese they made him believe that the Emperor had ordered his departure. He went off in much indignation to the southern coast to embark in a merchant vessel for India^. These religious visitors to China became very frequent after 975, perhaps a sign that by that time Buddhism was becoming oppressed in India. In 986, however, a monk of I chau (Kamul) returning from India brought a letter from a king who is called Mosinang, written in terms of humblest reverence, which are preserved ^ The route of one of these parties is described as carrying them by Kan chau, Sha chau, I chau (Kamul), Karashahr, Kucha, Khotan, Khulum, Peshawar, and Kashmir. '^ JuHen, pp. 111-114. This Man ju9ri appears in the traditions of the Newars of Nepal as the Buddhist Apostle of their country (see Lassen, iii, 777 seqq. , quoting from B. H. Hodgson). [The Bodhisattwa Mafijufri, Manjughosa-Biss5chtma, called at times Vagi9vara, " Lord of the Voice," came to Nepal from Maha Cina (Great China) ; the disciples who accompanied him were the first colonists ; they also came from Maha Cina ; he gave a king to the country, the Chinese Dharmakara who himself had as his successor another Chinaman Dharmapala. The Newars are the companions of Maiiju9ri who returned to China when his task was finished ; he is more particularly venerated at the Wu t'ai shan {Panda ctrsa parvata) in the Shan si Province. Maiiju9ri appears to have been a Hindu by birth and the Sanskrit sources of Taranatha make him live under the reign of Candra- gupta, King of Orissa, a short time after the reign of Mahapadma, about the epoch of the Macedonian invasion. — S . Levi, Nepal, i, pp. 320, 340. With regard to the relations of China with Nepal it is said that King Qaktisimha sent presents to China and that the Emperor was so pleased with them that he in his turn sent a seal bearing engraved the name of Qaktisimha with the title of Rama, and an official letter, in the year of China (Cinabda)535. Relations were resumed under the Ming ; HungWu sent in 1384 a bonze to Nepal to bring to the king a seal conferring upon him the official investiture ; these relations continued under Yong lo. (Sylvain Levi, Le Nepal, ii, pp . 227, 228.)]