Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c32.s6.24

c32.s6.24

But the most distinguished of Kashmir scholars to work abroad was Guṇavarman who was of the royal family. At an early age he became known as the master of Tripiṭaka and became a monk at 20. At 30, on failure of royal issue, he was elected to kingship by the Ministers, but he declined the honour, left Kashmir, and proceeded to Ceylon and thence to Sho-po = Java, where Fa-Hien a little earlier had found Hinduism flourishing. It was left to Guṇavarman to spread Buddhism in Java. Reports of his work reached the Chinese emperor through Chinese monks from Java, who in A.D. 424 sent for him through a mission of monks. Before they arrived, Guṇavarman had sailed in the ship of an 'Indian' named *Nandi* (*Nan-Ti*) and, pushed by a favourable wind, was landed at Canton. The Chinese emperor at once ordered the local authorities to supply the Indian Pandit with provisions and send him to the capital. He arrived at Nanking in A.D. 431 and was received personally by the emperor who lodged him in a temple called Jetavana Vihāra and became his disciple. His work was less literary and lay more in the sphere of organization. He is known as the founder of the Saṁgha for Buddhist nuns. He died in China at 67.