Question

Which Southeast Asian dynasty sought permission to build a monastery at Nalanda?
A) Kambuj
B) Sri Vijaya
C) Sailendra
D) Funan

Answer 1

Hint: Nalanda Monastery is the first western monastery located in the south of France. It was established in 1981 and served as one of the largest monasteries and provided a good environment for the monastics. It was founded to preserve Mahayana tradition.

Complete answer:
According to the question, we need to find out the name of the dynasty that sought permission for building the Nalanda monastery.

Now let us analyze the given options:
(A) Kambuj- This is an incorrect answer. The Kamboja Pala dynasty is a ruler of many areas of Bengal. Dharmapala is the last ruler of the dynasty. The king was defeated by the Chola dynasty. There are many pillar inscriptions built by the dynasty named Dinajpur Pillar inscription, Irda Copper Plate, and Bangar Grant of Mahipala. Hence, it is not correct.

(B) Sri Vijaya- This is an incorrect answer. It is a religious centre or can say that it is a part of the Buddhist empire. It is associated with Mahayana Buddhism. The centre is converting soon into a stopping point for the pilgrims from China who come to India. The kings of the Sri Vijaya had built many monasteries in Napattam.

(C) Sailendra- This is the correct answer. It is an Indonesian dynasty. It is marked with the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism and it has a great culture. They are the active promoters of Buddhism so they built a stupa of Borobudur. Currently, it is registered as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The King of this dynasty had also sought permission for the Nalanda Monastery.

(D) Funan- This is an incorrect answer. It is the main kingdom in the South East Asia of Hinduized. It was important due to its great economy. They become popular because of maritime trade and agriculture. The biggest achievement of their kingdom is that they have developed a very strong navy and army who controlled all the trade from the Gulf of Thailand.

So, after examining all the options we can conclude that Sailendra Dynasty is the empire that sought permission for the Nalanda Monastery. Hence, option (C) Sailendra is the correct answer.

Note: The Potala Palace located in Tibet is the World’s largest Monastery whereas Tawang Monastery is the largest monastery in India situated in the Tawang district of the Arunachal Pradesh, India, and stated as the second-largest monastery across the World.