Page:History of India Vol 2.djvu/362

318 THE REIGN OF HARSHA to which the pilgrim gives the name of 0-tien-po- chi-lo, was a province of the kingdom of Sind. The Kings of Ujjain in Central India and of Pundra- vardhana in Bengal, both of which kingdoms were more or less subject to Harsha's control, belonged to the Brahman caste. The Ujjain country supported a dense population, which in- cluded few Buddhists. Most of the monasteries were in ruins, and only three or four, occupied by some three hundred monks, were in use. The early decay of Buddhism in this re- gion, which was sancti- fied by the traditions of Asoka, and included the magnificent buildings at Sanchi, is a very curi- ous fact. Bhaskara - varman, or Kumara Raja, the King of Kamarupa, or Assam, who played such a prominent part in Harsha's ceremo- nials, was also by caste a Brahman, and without faith in Buddha, although well disposed toward learned men of all religions. He was so far subject to the sovereign of Northern India that he could not afford to disobey Harsha's commands. Kalinga, the conquest of which had cost Asoka such SURYA, THE SUN.