ernel of important truth namely that Khotan was
founded by two streams of colonization coming from China and from
India,[510] the latter being somehow connected with Asoka. It is
remarkable that the introduction of Buddhism is attributed not to
these original colonists but to a later missionary who, according to
Hsuan Chuang, came from Kashmir.[511]

This traditional connection with India is confirmed by the
discovery of numerous documents written in Kharoshthi characters
and a Prakrit dialect. Their contents indicate that this Prakrit was
the language of common life and they were found in one heap with
Chinese documents dated 269 A.D. The presence of this alphabet and
language is not adequately explained by the activity of Buddhist
missionaries for in Khotan, as in other parts of Asia, the
concomitants of Buddhism are Sanskrit and the Brahmi alphabet.

There was also Iranian influence in Khotan. It shows itself in art and
has left indubitable traces in the language called by some Nordarisch,
but when the speakers of that language reached the oasis or what part
they played there, we do not yet know.

As a consequence of Chang Ch'ien's mission mentioned above, Khotan
sent an Embassy to the Chinese Court in the reign of Wu-ti (140-87
B.C.) and the T'ang Annals state that its kings handed down the
insignia of Imperial investiture from that time onwards. There seems
however to have been a dynastic revolution about 60 A.D. and it is
possible that the Vijaya line of kings, mentioned in various Tibetan
works, then began to reign.[512] Khotan became a powerful state but
submitted to the conquering arms of Pan-Ch'ao and perhaps was
subsequently subdued by Kanishka. As the later Han dynasty declined,
it again became strong but continued to send embassies to the Imperial
Court. There is nothing more to mention until the visit of Fa-Hsien in
400. He describes "the pleasant and prosperous kingdom" with evident
gusto. There were some tens of thousands of monks mostly followers of
the Mahayana and in the country, where the homes of the people were
scattered "like stars" about the oases, each house had a small stupa
before the door. He stopped in a well ordered convent with 3000 monks
and mentions a magnificent establishment called The King's New
Monastery. He also describes a great car festival which shows the
Indian colour of Khotanese religion. Perhaps Fa-Hsien and Hsuan Chuang
unduly emphasize ecclesiastical features, but they a