Dharmasvamin

Dharmasvamin (Chag Lo-tsa-ba Chos-rje-dpal, 1197–1264) was a Tibetan monk and pilgrim who travelled to India between 1234 and 1236. His biography by Upasaka Chos-dar provides an eyewitness account of the times.[1]

Dharmasvamin
Personal
Born1197
Died1264
ReligionBuddhism

India visit

The objective of Dharmasvamin's tour of India was to visit Bodh Gaya and to study the Buddhist texts with the Indian scholars. However, by the time he reached India, the Buddhist sites in eastern India had declined.[2]

According to Dharmasvamin's biography, when he visited Uddandapura, it was the residence of a Turushka (Turkic) military commander. The Vikramashila had been completely destroyed by the Turushka army. At Nalanda, there were 80 small viharas, which had been abandoned after being damaged by the Turushkas, and only two of the viharas were functional.[3] Less than hundred monks resided there, and a local king named Buddhasena financially supported the Nalanda's 90-year abbot Rahula Shribhadra.[2]

Rahula Shribhadra accepted Dharmasvamin as a student, and the two men translated Sanskrit Buddhist texts into Tibetan. Dharmasvamin had mastered Sanskrit while in Tibet, using knowledge from his uncle and the 9th century dictionary Mahāvyutpatti: his command over Sanskrit was so strong, that he was mistaken to be an Indian when he visited Bodh Gaya.[2]

Dharmasvamin also visited the court of the Karnat dynasty of Mithila which was ruled by Ramasimhadeva. He described Ramasimhadeva as treating him with courtesy and even offering him the role of palace priest despite being Buddhist.[4]

References
  1. Chos-dar, Upasaka. Biography of Dharmasvamin (Chag Lo Tsaba Chos-rje-dpal), a Tibetan Monk Pilgrim. Translated by George Roerich. Introduction by A.S. Altekar. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  2. Steven Kossak; Jane Casey Singer, eds. (1998). Sacred Visions: Early Paintings from Central Tibet. Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 14. ISBN 978-0-87099-862-1.
  3. André Wink (2002). Al-Hind: The Slavic Kings and the Islamic conquest, 11th-13th centuries. BRILL. pp. 147–148. ISBN 0-391-04174-6.
  4. Choudhary, Radhakrishna (1970). History of Muslim rule in Tirhut, 1206-1765, A.D. Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office. p. 19.
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