the rest of their
civilization came from China rather than India. Chinese culture and
writing spread to the Cambojan frontier and after the decay of Champa,
Camboja marks the permanent limit within which an Indian alphabet and
a form of Buddhism not derived through China have maintained
themselves.

A large number of the Chams were converted to Mohammedanism but the
time and circumstances of the event are unknown. When Friar Gabriel
visited the country at the end of the sixteenth century a form of
Hinduism seems to have been still prevalent.[367] It would be of
interest to know how the change of religion was effected, for history
repeats itself and it is likely that the Moslims arrived in Champa by
the route followed centuries before by the Hindu invaders.

There are still about 130,000 Chams in the south of Annam and Camboja.
In the latter country they are all Mohammedans. In Annam some traces
of Hinduism remain, such as mantras in broken Sanskrit and hereditary
priests called Basaih. Both religions have become unusually corrupt
but are interesting as showing how beliefs which are radically
distinct become distorted and combined in Eastern Asia.[368]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 329: Also spelt Campa and Tchampa. It seems safer to use Ch
for C in names which though of Indian origin are used outside India.
The final _a_ though strictly speaking long is usually written without
an accent. The following are the principal works which I have
consulted about Champa.

(a) G. Maspero, _Le Royaume de Champa_. Published in _T'oung Pao_,
1910-1912. Cited as Maspero.

(b) A. Bergaigne, "Inscriptions Sanskrites de Champa" in _Notices et
Extraits des Manuscrits de la Bibliotheque Nationale_, tome XXVII.
1^re partie. 2^e fascicule, 1893, pp. 181-292. Cited as
_Corpus_, II.

(c) H. Parmentier, _Inventaire descriptif des Monuments Cams de
l'Annam_. 1899.

(d) L. Finot, "La Religion des Chams," _B.E.F.E.O_, 1901, and _Notes
d'Epigraphie_. "Les Inscriptions de Mi-son," _ib_. 1904. Numerous
other papers by this author, Durand, Parmentier and others in the same
periodical can be consulted with advantage.

(e) _Id., Notes d'Epigraphie Indo-Chinoise_, 1916.]

[Footnote 330: _Corpus_, II. p. 11, and Finot, _Notes d'Epig._ pp. 227
ff.]

[Footnote 331: See authorities quoted by Maspero, _T'oung Pao_, 1910,
p. 329.]

[Footnote 332: Finot in _B.E.F.E.O._ 1904, pp. 918 and 922.]

[Footnote 333: _Corpus_, II. _Stele de Po Nagar_, pp. 2