Chinese notices, they to some extent confirm
one another and enable us to form an outline picture, though with many
gaps, of the history of thought and religion in the island. Fa-Hsien
tells us that in 418 A.D. Brahmanism flourished (as is testified by
the inscriptions of Purnavarman) but that the Buddhists were not
worth mentioning. Immediately afterwards, probably in 423,
Gunavarman is said to have converted She-po, if that be Java, to
Buddhism, and as he came from Kashmir he was probably a Sarvastivadin.
Other monks are mentioned as having visited the southern seas.[439]
About 690 I-Ching says that Buddhism of the Mulasarvastivadin school
was flourishing in Sumatra, which he visited, and in the other islands
of the Archipelago. The remarkable series of Buddhist monuments in mid
Java extending from about 779 to 900 A.D. confirms his statement.
But two questions arise. Firstly, is there any explanation of this
sudden efflorescence of Buddhism in the Archipelago, and next, what
was its doctrinal character? If, as Taranatha says, the disciples of
Vasubandhu evangelized the countries of the East, their influence
might well have been productive about the time of I-Ching's visit. But
in any case during the sixth and seventh centuries religious
travellers must have been continually journeying between India and
China, in both directions, and some of them must have landed in the
Archipelago. At the beginning of the sixth century Buddhism was not
yet decadent in India and was all the fashion in China. It is not
therefore surprising if it was planted in the islands lying on the
route. It may be, as indicated above, that some specially powerful
body of Hindus coming from the region of Gujarat and professing
Buddhism founded in Java a new state.

As to the character of this early Javanese Buddhism we have the
testimony of I-Ching that it was of the Mulasarvastivadin school and
Hinayanist. He wrote of what he had seen in Sumatra but of what he
knew only by hearsay in Java and his statement offers some
difficulties. Probably Hinayanism was introduced by Gunavarman but
was superseded by other teachings which were imported from time to
time after they had won for themselves a position in India. For the
temple of Kalasan (A.D. 779) is dedicated to Tara and the inscription
found there speaks of the Mahayana with veneration. The later Buddhism
of Java has literary records which, so far as I know, are unreservedly
Mahayanist but probabl