Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c30.89

c30.89

**Chola Country.** The Chola country was the country of Tīrthikas with the Buddhist monasteries in ruins, but Buddhism was more flourishing in the Dravida country with "more than 100 monasteries, with above 10,000 Brethren, all of the Sthavira school" with its capital Kāñchipura (but Negapatam according to Fergusson) famous as the birth-place of Dharmapāla. The capital had "a large monastery which was a rendezvous for the most eminent men of the country" (p. 226). From the *Life* we learn that at the time of Htuen Tsang's visit the capital was visited by 300 Bhikshus of Ceylon who had left the island in consequence of famine and revolution there. On the pilgrim telling them of his intended visit to Ceylon for instruction, they told him that there were no Brethren there superior to them. Then the pilgrim discussed some Yoga texts with them and found that their explanations could not excel those given to him by Śīlabhadra of Nālandā (p. 227).