Indian Antiquary Vol 58

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 158

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SIE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[ Aroust, 1929
period, tho peaco of Turkestan was disturbed by invasions of the Dru-gu, A.D. 445 ;
the Juan Juan, 447; the Ephthalites, 500-550 ; the Western Turks, A.D. 565-631. (7) Vijayasangrâma was originally subject to the Tukue (Dru-gu) and sent an onvoy
to China in A.D. 632. Apparently with the help of the Chinese, he conquered the
Dru-gu. The Chinese call him Wei-chih-wu-mi. (8) Vijavasimha. During his reign, Hiuen-tsang visited Khotan in 644. He does not
give the king's name, but mentions an Indian pandit from Nalanda, called Dhar.
mapala, as being present in Khotan. The Chinese records call him Fu-tu-sin. (9) Vijaya, without comment. (10) Vijayapala, nothing known of him. (11) Vijayasatra, nothing said about him.
With regard to the title A-mo-chih, E. Chavannes has the following note in his article, "Chinese documents " in Ancient Khotan, p. 523: “Lo titre d'A-mo-thse est cité par le T'ang-chou comme le titre du roi de Sou-le (Kashgar).... En outre, dans le texte des deux brevets d'investiture par lesquels le gouvernement chinois confera en l'an 728, le titre de roi au roi de Khotan et au roi de Kashgar ; le roi de Khotan a le titre d'a-mo-tche de Yü-t'ien, tandis que lo roi de Kashgar est appelé A-mo-tcho de Soule." Thus it appears that the title of Amatya was kept up only with reference to these two little sovereigns.
Now, whilst we thus know quite a number of the original names of the Khotan kings, we have only Chinese fragments of names of the Kashgar kings. We may suppose that they were Sanskrit names, like those of the other names of Turkestan kings.
A little more has come to light with regard to Kucha from the researches of Sylvain Lévi and H. Lüders, 3 who deciphered the following names (sce H. Lüders, Zur Geschichte und Geographie Ostturkestans, Sitzungsberichte der preuss. Ak. d. W. 1922. S. 243 ff.); Vasuyasas, Suvarnapuspa, Suvarnadeva. These were addressed by the title mahúrája, and dependent on thom were probably minor kings, who are styled only rúja, or king. Lüders mentions such a Raja of Bharuka. Bharuka is probably the place Poh-lu-ka, montioned by Hiuen-tsang.
As regards Buddhist life about A.D. 400 in these little states, we have a very full description of it in the life-story of Kumarajiva, the Buddhist teacher, who was born in Kucha : (see J. Nobels translation of it in Sitzungsberichte der preuss. Ak. d. W., 1927, S. 206-233). Kumarajiva was at first a student of the HinayAna, but later on was converted to the Mahayana creed, which he introduced into China. Other reporters on Buddhist life in Turkestan are the Chinese pilgrims Fa-hian, Hiuen-tsang and I-tsing, whose reports were freely used by Stein.
Very remarkable were the Buddhist festivals of Khotan. They were similar to the ratholsavas of the Indians and are described by Fa-hian. On such occasions the Buddhist images of Khotan were moved about on huge cars.
Another rather extraordinary kind of worship is that connected with the holy rate of Turkestan. Hiuen-trang tells a legend current at his time, viz., that the ancestors of these rats had once rescued the king of Turkestan from his enemies, the Hiungnu, and that for this deed they received offerings at a place called Kaptar-Mazar. This is the very place where pigeons are kept nowadays at a Muhammadan shrine and fed by travellers. Sir Aurel Stein found even a painted panel with a representation of the chief of these rats. Now, in the "Notes on the Gospinga-vy Akarana" attached to Ancient Khotan, p. 584, 5, we read the following lines: “In the north, before the Kasyapa Caitya on mount Gośpinga the image Phye-se (ur Phyi-se) would protect the religion and the country. ... king and ministers taking vows of penance must resort to that part of Gośținga, where is the image of Phye-se and the Saigha of the Kasya pa Caitya." Here the name of the image is Tibetan and is of particular interest. For phyr-se or phyi-se means mouse or rat, and it is evident, that the image of this most famous sanctuary also represented the chief of the rata." * See the article Zur Geschichte und Geographie Turkestan's : Sitz. d. Pr. Akad. d. W. 1922, p. 243.
See F. W. Thomas, in Asia Major II, p. 254. F. W. Thomas says that Phye-8e appears to represent Vairocana or Vaisravana. That is right only in so far as one of the attributes of Vairavana is a rat.