Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c10.32

c10.32

This view is also negatived by a stray episode preserved in the Chinese Chronicles about Fu-nan. The king of this country, Jaya-varman, sent some merchants to Canton, in China, for purposes of trade. On their return journey the Indian monk Nāgasena joined them and arrived at Fu-nan on his way to India. In A.D. 484, Jaya-varman sent Nāgasena as an envoy to China on a political mission. This Buddhist monk, while describing the manners and customs of Fu-nan, referred to the dominant cult of Maheśvara. In 503 A.D. Jaya-varman again sent an embassy to the imperial court with present including an image of Buddha. This indicates that while Buddhism and Śaivism were both prevalent in Fun-nan, the latter had larger number of adherents.