Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c13.s3.t2.111

v2.c13.s3.t2.111

By the 7^th century, Kashi’s fame surpassed that of its rival Taxila. Xuanzang (spelling different in different entries), the 7^th century Chinese traveller-monk, was awe-struck by the devotion to learning in Varanasi. He found numerous temples and scholar-devotees of both Siva and Buddha. In the adjacent Sarnath, about 1,500 Buddhist monks resided in monasteries. The 23^rd Tirthankar of the Jainas, Parshvanath Muni was of the King of Varanasi, Asvasen. In the 8^th century, the great scholar-philosopher Adi Sanakaracharya established his abode here and wrote his famous commentary on Vedant Sutra. Commentators on Hindu Dharmasastra like Lakshmidhara Bhatta (Krityakalpataru), scholar of poetics Panditraj Jagannath (Rasgangadhara) and many such others belonged to Varanasi. With the influx of pundits from Maharashtra and Karnataka, the study of nyaya (Hindu law), advaita (vedant) and sahitya (literature) greatly flourished here. Alberuni and Prabodhachandrodaya refer to the high reputation of the city. Just a few among the list of great literary scholars linked with Kashi were Ramanand, Kabirdas, Raidas and Tulsidas in the medieval period and Bhartendu Harishchandra, Jaishankar Prasad and Premchand in the modern times.