Ancient Indian Colonization in South-East Asia c8.45

c8.45

This inscription refers to a royal family who traced their claim to the throne through Gaṅgārāja. It refers to several kings *viz.* Manoratha-varman, Rudra-varman, Śambhu-varman, Kandarpa-dharma and Prabhāsa-dharma. Śambhuvarman stopped the payment of customary tribute to China, and though he renewed it in A.D. 595, the Chinese army invaded Champā ten years later. The capital city was pillaged and the Chinese took about 10,000 prisoners and cut off their ears. The victorious Chinese general took the golden tablets of eighteen kings who had ruled over Champā before Śambhu-varman, and 1350 Buddhist works. He also carried away as prisoners some musicians from Fu-nan who carried to the Imperial Court the musical arts of India.