continental south asia and the islands 75from the Southern Indian State brought gifts (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei
p.5027).
In the 1st month (Feb./Mar.) of 720, envoys arrived from the
Central Indian State. In the 5th month (June/July), a mission from
the king of the Southern Indian State presented a leopard fur and a
five-coloured parrot who could talk. He proposed to attack the Arabs
with war elephants, infantry, and cavalry. If he hoped for coopera-
tion from the Chinese, he did not receive any. Emperor Hsüan-tsung
merely conferred on his army the name of Army Which Cherishes
Virtue. The envoys requested belts and robes. They were given brocade
robes, gilded leather belts, and wallets for fish tallies (Chiu T’ang shu
8:9b; 198:13a; Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5027; Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 338:50b).
Chiu T’ang shu 198:13a makes the unlikely claim that the Indian king
had requested a name for his army. It is more probable that Hsüan-
tsung conferred it unilaterally, thereby felt that he had incorporated
the Indian army into the Chinese military organization, and thus had
done his part against the Arabs.
In the 9th month of the same year 720, the king of Southern India
supposedly requested “Attachment to Civilization” as the name for a
temple he had built. Emperor Hsüan-tsung granted it (Chiu T’ang shu
198:13a). This is a parallel case to the one in “rivijaya of 1003. The
Indian king had no need to request a name from the Chinese emperor.
More probably, this was a temple built by a Chinese community in
his state which asked for a name and perhaps a contribution via an
Indian mission.
In the 11th month (Dec./Jan., 721) of the same Chinese year 720,
a mission sent by the king of the Southern Indian State arrived at the
T’ang court. Emperor Hsüan-tsung responded with a mission of his
own in the same month to recognize the king (T’ang hui-yao 100:9b;
Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5027).
In the 6th month (July) of 729, a Buddhist priest from Northern
India presented chih-hanand other drugs^172 (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5028).
In the 11th month (Dec./Jan.731) of the Chinese year 730, envoys
from Central India brought gifts. In the 4th month (May/June) of 737, a
Buddhist priest from the Eastern Indian State presented foreign drugs,
Pali sutras, and a text on astrology (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei pp.5028, 5029). In
the 3rd month (Mar./Apr.) of 741, a son of the king of Central India
(^172) Cf. ibid., p.184. Schafer refers to the chih-han drug as citragandha.