XVI. 692-720 A.D. EMBASSIES FROM SOUTH INDIA TO CHINA
In the third month of the third year t’ien-cheou (692), the king of the kingdom of Eastern India Mo-lo-pa-mo, the king of the kingdom of Western India Che-lo-ito (Śīlāditya), the king of the kingdom of the South India Tche-leou-k’i-pa-lo (Cālukya Vallabha), the king of the kingdom of Northern India Na-na, the king of the kingdom of Central India Ti-mo-si-na and the king of the kingdom Kieou-tse (Koutcha) Yen-yao-pa all came to render homage and make presents. (pp. 24-25).
(The kingdom of South India, among others sent an embassy with tribute and the products of the country). In the reign of the Emperor Jooi-tsong, in the 9th month of the first year (710) the kingdom of South India and the T’ou-po, (Tibetans), and in the 10th month the kingdoms of Sie-yu (Zabulistan) and of Ki-pin (Kapiśa) all sent ambassadors bringing in tribute and products of their countries. The Kagan “who respects the transformation,” the Tou-k’i-che (Turgach) Cheou-tchong, ordered an ambassador to go and render homage (p. 28).
I. In the eighth year of K’ai-yuen (720), the king of the kingdom of South India, Che-li Na-lo-seng-kia (Śrī Narasimha), proposed to employ his war elephants and his cavalry to chastise the Ta-che (Arabs) as well as the T’ou-po (Tibetans)[^1] and others. Moreover he asked that a name be given to his army; the emperor praised it greatly and named his army; “the army which cherished virtue.”
II. In the 8th year K’ai-yuen (720), the 8th month, the day ting-tch’eou, a decree was addressed to tchong-chow-men-hia to inform him that the king of South India having sent from afar (an ambassador) to render homage and pay tribute, and this ambassador being due to return, he must look after him with the greatest care till his departure and act in such a way that his desires might be fulfilled. This ambassador was therefore given a robe of flowered silk, a golden girdle, a purse with an emblem in the form of a fish and the seven objects; then he was sent away.
III. In the 11th month, an ambassador was sent to confer by brevet the title of king of the kingdom of South India on the king of the kingdom of South India, Che-li-Na-lo-seng-k’ia pao-to-pa-mo (Śrī Narasimha Pōtavarman).
The texts marked I and II under year 720 are found again in Kieou T’ang Chou which adds the following: “the 9th month, the King of South India Che-li-Na-lo-seng-k’ia-to-pa (Śrī Narasimha Pōtavarman) constructed a temple on account of the empire (i.e. of China); he addressed to the emperor a request asking from him an inscription giving a name to this temple; by decree, it was decided that the name should be ‘which causes return to virtue’ (Koei-hoa) and it was presented to him (i.e. the emperor sent Narasimha a tablet with the inscription Koei-hoa se, so that it might be placed on the front of the temple erected in India by Narasimha for the benefit of China).” This Narasimha, king of Kāñcī, is known to us from the Mahāvamsa and from the inscriptions of India; and relying on these last pieces of evidence, inscriptions, Sylvain-Lévi has proposed to carry back the reign of this prince to about 700 A.D. (J.A .1900 May-June); we see that his conclusion is borne out by the Chinese texts which speak at such length of Śrī Narasimha Pōtavarman in 720. (Chavannes, p. 44 n)
The data given in these extracts from Ts’o fou yuan Kouei, a great Chinese cyclopaedia compiled about 1013 A. D., are confirmed by the following extract from Ma Twan-lin:
“In the third of the years keen-fung (A. D. 667), the Five Indias (or five kingdoms of India) sent ambassadors to the court of the emperor. In the years kae-yuen (A.D. 713 to 742), an ambassador from Central India proceeded three times as far as the extremity of southern India, and came only once to offer birds of five colours that could talk. He applied for aid against the Ta-she (or Arabs) and the Too-fan (or Tibetans), offering to take the command of the auxiliary troops. The Emperor Heuen-tsung (who reigned from A. D. 713 to 756) conferred upon him the rank of general-in-chief. The Indian ambassadors said to him: ‘the Fan (or Tibetan) barbarians are captivated only by clothes and equipments. Emperor! I must have a long, silk embroidered robe, a leathern belt decorated with gold, and a bag in the shape of a fish.’ All these articles were ordered by the emperor.”
—Chavannes: Notes additionnelles sur les Tou-kiue (Turcs) Occidentaux. Toung Pao II 5: pp. 1-110; and JASB vi., p. 71 for Ma-Twan-lin.
XVII. C. 750 A.D.—KANSHIN ON BRAHMIN TEMPLES AND MERCHANTS IN CANTON
The Chinese priest Kien-tchen, (742-54), Kanshin in Japanese, made a voyage from China to Japan, and this was described by his contemporary and disciple Aomi-no Mabito Genkai. In this description we read: “There were also three monasteries of Po-lo-men (Brahmans) where Brahmans were residing. The tanks in these monasteries contained blue lotuses, particularly beautiful, of which the flowers, leaves and roots were perfumed.
“On the river (of Kouang-tong) (Canton) there were merchantmen belonging to the Po-lo-men (Brahmans of India), the Po-sseu (Persians), the K‘ouen-louen (Malays), and others besides, of which it is difficult to determine the number. They were all laden with incense, herbs, jewels and other precious products. The merchandise was piled up in heaps. These ships were 60 to 70 feet deep.
“The barbarians, white, red and so on, coming from the Land of the Lion (Simhala, Ceylon), the Land of the Ta-che (Tadjik, Arabia), or the Land of the Kou-t’ang were in the habit of coming or stopping there. An enormous variety of races was encountered there.”
—Tr. from Takakusu in BEFEO xxviii. pp. 466-67. (cf. Ferrand, Relations des voyages: ii. 640. See also Ferrand: JA. 11:13, (1919), p. 246).