Kavyanushasana Part 2

Author(s): Hemchandracharya, Rasiklal C Parikh, Ramchandra B Athvale
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 96

Introduction
LXXV
the caves in the Talaja hill near Bhavnagar, which is not very far from Valabhi and the main door of whose principal assembly-hall looks over the old site of Valabhi. That Valabhi was a great seat of learning is again proved by 'I-tsing a junior contemporary' of Yuan Chang. According to him "Nalanda in South Behar and Valabhi were two places in India which deserved comparision with the most famous centres of learning in China and were frequented by crowds of eager students who commonly devoted or 3 years on attendance at lectures on Buddhist philosophy. This statement explains the assertion of Hiuen Tsang (Yuan Chang) that Mo-la P'o or Western Mälawa, and Magadha were the two countries of India in which learning was prized, because Valabhi and Mo-la p'o were then politically one, both territories apparently being under the government of Dhruvabhata, the son-in-law of King Harsha, paramount sovereign of Northern India. (Early His. of India Smith p. 314.)
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Valabhi appears to have been a great centre of learning not only Buddhistic but Vedic and Jain also. We find in the 32nd taranga of the Kathasaritsagara (composed between 1063 - 1081 A. D.) that one Vishnudatta native of Antarvedi goes to Valabhi for learning. Again if there is anything which the grants attest quite definitely it is the royal patronage of Vedic learning throughout the whole kingdom. We saw that the learned Brahmanas of Anandapura
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+ K. S. S. p. 141. (N. S. E.)
स विष्णुदत्तो वयसा पूर्णषोडशवत्सरः । गन्तुं प्रववृते विद्याप्राप्तये वलभी पुरीम् ॥