A point of interest in this inscription is the statement that Kirtipandita introduced Buddhist books from abroad, including the Sastra Madhyavibhaga and the commentary on the Tattvasangraha.  The first of these is probably the Madhyantavibhaga sastra[307] by Vasubandhu and the authorship is worth attention as supporting Taranatha’s statement that the disciples of Vasubandhu introduced Buddhism into Indo-China.

In the time of Jayavarman VII (c. 1185 A.D.), although Hindu mythology is not discarded and though the king’s chaplain (presumably a Sivaite) receives every honour, yet Mahayanist Buddhism seems to be frankly professed as the royal religion.  It is noteworthy that about the same time it becomes more prominent in Java and Champa.  Probably the flourishing condition of the faith in Ceylon and Burma increased the prestige of all forms of Buddhism throughout south-eastern Asia.  A long inscription of Jayavarman in 145 stanzas has been preserved in the temple of Ta Prohm near Angkor.  It opens with an invocation to the Buddha, in which are mentioned the three bodies, Lokesvara,[308] and the Mother of the Jinas, by whom Prajna-paramita must be meant.  Siva is not invoked but allusion is made to many Brahmanic deities and Bhikkhus and Brahmans are mentioned together.  The inscription contains a curious list of the materials supplied daily for the temple services and of the personnel.  Ample provision is made for both, but it is not clear how far a purely Buddhist ritual is contemplated and it seems probable that an extensive Brahmanic cultus existed side by side with the Buddhist ceremonial.  We learn that there were clothes for the deities and forty-five mosquito nets of Chinese material to protect their statues.  The Uposatha days seem to be alluded to[309] and the spring festival is described, when “Bhagavat and Bhagavati” are to be escorted in solemn procession with parasols, music, banners and dancing girls.  The whole staff, including Burmese and Chams (probably slaves), is put down at the enormous figure of 79,365, which perhaps includes all the neighbouring inhabitants who could be called on to render any service to the temple.  The more sacerdotal part of the establishment consisted of 18 principal priests (adhikarinah), 2740 priests and 2232 assistants, including 615 dancing girls.  But even these figures seem very large.[310]

The inscription comes to a gratifying conclusion by announcing that there are 102 hospitals in the kingdom.[311] These institutions, which are alluded to in other inscriptions, were probably not all founded by Jayavarman VII and he seems to treat them as being, like temples, a natural part of a well-ordered state.  But he evidently expended much care and money on them and in the present inscription he makes over the fruit of these good deeds to his mother.  The most detailed description of these hospitals occurs in another of his inscriptions found at Say-fong in Laos.  It is, like the one just cited, definitely Buddhist and