1886.] Sarat Chandra Das —Suddhist and other legends about Khoten. 197 
its language became mixed. Anciently in Li the art of written lan¬ 
guage was taught by Bhikshu Vairochana an incarnation of Manj 
Ghosha to a shepherd boy by that saint’s command. The character 
and language of Li greatly resembled those of the Aryans but their 
customs and manners mostly resembled those of China. 
Two hundred and fifty-four years after the Nirvaiia of Buddha 
king Salana was born. He became king of Li in the 19th year of his 
age. Salana and minister Yaksha were the earliest king and minister 
of Li-yul (231 B. C.). After Salana his son Yeula* became king, 
and founded the city of Wuthen. Sixty-five years after the foundation 
of the kingdom of Li by Salana Viyaya Sambhava son of Yeula 
was born (166 B. C.). In the fifth year of his reign Buddhism was 
introduced into Li. King Vijaya Sambhava was an incarnation of Mai- 
treya. During his reign Bhiksha Yairachana first taught the art of 
language to a shepherd boy from which beginning Buddhism gradually 
made progress. The king founded the vihara of Charma which was the 
first seat of Buddhism in Li-yul. Again Maitreya having reappeared 
in king Vijaya Virya, he greatly promoted the cause of Buddhism. He 
erected the vihara of Ghumatir. A metrical romance of the chhor- 
ten of Gomasala Gandha being composed, the king imbiled much faith 
in the Buddhist creed and built the vihara of Girishwar on the top of 
Goshirsha. 
After his reign, during two generations no viharas were established* 
Thereafter king Vijayayasa erected the chhortens of Potoya and Masha 
and another vihara of great sanctity. Vyayayasa had three sons. 
The eldest named Hondo,f and the second named Dharmananta went 
to study Buddhism in Aryavarta. The youngest, Vijaya Dharma 
ruled over the kingdom. Being very warlike and valiant he used to 
be always fighting, and on account of his delight in bloodshed, he be- 
* This chronology seems to be approximately correct. This was the age of 
Che-Hwangte, the great Emperor of China, who erected the great wall and was 
contemporaneous with Asoka the mighty monarch of India. Their empires touched 
each other. 
The legend is evidently a fabrication. The descendants of Salana who 
adopted Indian names, manners and customs probably did not like to trace their 
origin from either the Chinese or the Indians. The mother is allowed to be 
Indian and Vaisramana the divine head of the Yakshas is said to have fallen in 
love with her. He does not touch her but only looks at her from his ethereal 
passage, she miraculously conceives and delivers at Wuthen. Salana and his son 
Yi-ula who also bears a non-Aryan name were both Chinese. 
Ye-u-la was the name of the son of Salana. It is probable that Ilavarta the 
country of a very fair people derived its name from the name of this king. 
t This is a Tibetan translation of the names of the princes. 
