Indian Missionaries in the Land of Gold (An Old And Rare Book)

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

The present monograph contains an account of the Indian mission- aries, both Brahmaņa and Buddhist, who crossed the frontiers of India to propagate their religions in various countries, particularly Suvarņa- bhūmi (the Land of Gold), now known as South-East Asia.

It is an undoubted fact of history that Brahmaņism and Buddhism found their way into South-East Asia from India. Since then ages have elapsed and the almost insurmountable physical barriers which separa- ted India and those countries, and the want of intercourse and sympathy between these strange peoples and the Indians tended, in the course of time, to obliterate the traces of the onward march of these religions from this country. Nevertheless, the connecting link, missing to all appearance, existed and does exist even now in the form of innumerable monuments, monasteries, temples, sculptures and painting as well as hundreds of epigraphic records found all over South-East Asia which speak eloquently of the erstwhile glorious role of those religions moulding the culture in those countries. Moreover, the travels of Fa-hian, Hiuen- Tsang, I-tsing and others in India in the 5th-7th centuries A. D. also throw some light on the topic. But, all told, the fact remains that the labours of the Indian missionaries in the propagation of these religions in South-East Asia, have been hitherto buried in oblivion and it has been my earnest endeavour to unearth them.

The present monograph is simply an outline and it is hoped that the information brought to light will induce the researchers to pursue their researches and increase our knowledge in this field.

As is well known, the prospect of acquiring wealth tempted the Indian traders and merchants to explore unknown territories beyond their frontiers. The lands and islands beyond the sea and the hills on the east were reputed to possess fabulous quantities of gold and precious minerals and were called by them Suvarnabhumi or Suvarna- dvīpa ("The Land of Gold"). The spices of the east were as great an attraction then as they proved to be fifteen centuries later.

The migrations of the Indians on a large scale to the countries beyond the sea and colonization of this region are echoed in many legends and stories, current in India as well as in the Indianised states. Though these legends cannot be regarded as history, nevertheless they throw interesting light on the objects and motives of the early Indianised states or the new settlers, the routes followed by them and the perils and hardships encountered by them both in land and sea-routes