Page 47 - A History of Siam

A HISTORT OF SUM 45

King Kanishka, like King Asoka, sent forth mission-
who the new creed in
aries, preached Mahayana foreign
lands. In many of the ancient cities of Indo-China, for
instance at Nak'on Prat'om called
(also P'rapat'om)
in Siam, and Thaton in Burma, images of Buddha,
with and thumb a circle to emblemise
describing finger
the "wheel of the law," have been dug up. These
are Mahayana images, and the fact of their dis-
in Siam and Burma shows that the
covery Mahayana
form of Buddhism was at one time followed in these
countries.
The date of the earliest Buddhist archi-
approximate
tectural remains in Siam is not known. Prince Damrong
and other authorities believe that the
competent original
stupa over which the existing large pagoda of Nak'on
Prat'om was built dates from the time of Asoka.
King
Others it much later.
place
After the death of King Kanishka of Gandhara,
Buddhism in India before the
gradually decayed
influence of Brahmanism, and even in those parts
in which held its own it became debased by the
introduction of all kinds of Brahmanic ceremonies
and
superstitions.
In the A.D. a Chinese monk, Hioun
year 629 Tsang,
who travelled to India for the of
purpose investigating
the Buddhist has left it on record that he met
religion,
with a certain monarch named the ruler of
Ciladitya,
Kanyakubja (now known as Kanauj) who was a devout
of Buddhism. The held a
supporter King general
Council, at which both Brahman and Buddhist teachers
were He also sent out missionaries to
present. foreign
countries. We may conclude that King Ciladitya's
missionaries had some in since
following Siam, images
peculiar to that period have been discovered at Nak'on