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x erected the almshouses for the poor, and the resting-places for pilgrims; and there can be no doubt that he favoured the Buddhist faith, and presided at their assemblies, and honoured their holy men. But in the descriptions of the two great convocations, at which Hiouen Thsang was present, we can see that the king was by no means the thorough Buddhist which we might have expected. In the first, twenty tributary princes take a part, and each brings with him the most distinguished Buddhist and Brahman doctors in his realm, and both parties are welcomed with the same hospitality; and though we only read of the homage paid to a golden statue of Buddha, we can hardly believe that, with all these Brahman guests invited, there was no other ceremony. But in the second convocation, which is described in Hiouen Thsang's life by his disciples, we have a fuller account. This was held at Prayága, at the confluence of the Jumna and Ganges; eighteen kings were present, and five hundred thousand monks and laymen. The first day they installed the statue of Buddha, the second day the statue of the Sun, and the third day that of Maheśwara, so that the king's official patronage was shared by the Brahmans even more than by the Buddhists. Similarly at the distributions of alms, we read that on the fourth day the king distributed his bounty to twenty thousand Buddhist ascetics; but we read immediately afterwards, that similar distributions were made to the Brahmans and other heretics, and these lasted respectively twenty and ten days; and last of all, the nirgranthas, or nuked mendicants (who were especially disliked by the Buddhists, cf.