The Parrot and the Hidden Treasure

According to tradition, King Kanishka of Gandhāra had subdued all the neighbouring provinces and made people in distant countries obey him. His army governed a vast territory, even east of the T’sung-ling mountains, in the Pamir range.Kanishka Rāja of Gandhāra in old days having subdued all the neighbouring provinces and brought into obedience people of distant countries, he governed by his army a wide territory, even to the east of the T'sung-ling mountains. Then the tribes who occupy the territory to the west of the river, fearing the power of his arms, sent him hostages, people held as a guarantee of their obedience.sent hostages to him. After receiving the hostages, Kanishka treated them with exceptional care. He ordered separate residences for them in cold and hot weather;Kanishka-rāja having received the hostages, treated them with singular attention, and ordered for them separate establishments for the cold and hot weather; during the cold they resided in India and its different parts, in the summer they came back to Kapiśa, in the autumn and spring they remained in the kingdom of Gandhāra; and so he founded Buddhist monasteries for the hostages, to suit the three seasons.he founded saṅghāramas for the hostages according to the three seasons. This monastery at KapiśaThis convent (of which we are now speaking) is the one they occupied during the summer, and it was built for that purpose. That is why there are pictures of the hostages on its walls. Their features, clothing and ornaments resemble those of the people of China.Hence the pictures of these hostages on the walls; their features, and clothing, and ornaments are like the people of Eastern Hia (China). Afterwards, when they were permitted to return to their own country, they were remembered in their old home. Despite the mountains and rivers between them, offerings continued to be made in their honour. To this day, the monks gather here every rainy season, when they stay in one place for their retreat. At the end of the retreat they hold an assembly and pray for the hostages’ happiness—a pious custom that still continues.they were remembered in their old abode, and notwithstanding the intervening mountains and rivers, they were without cessation reverenced with offerings, so that down to the present time the congregation of priests on each rainy season (frequent this spot); and on the breaking up of the fast they convene an assembly and pray for the happiness of the hostages,--a pious custom still existing.

In this monastery’s hall of Buddha, south of the eastern door, stands a statue of the Great Spirit King, the place’s protector. Beneath his right foot, a hollow has been dug in the earth to hide treasures.To the south of the eastern door of the hall of Buddha belonging to this saṅghārāma there is a figure of the Great Spirit King; beneath his right foot they have hollowed the earth for concealing treasures therein. This is where the hostages stored their treasure. That is why this inscription is there:This is the treasury place of the hostages, therefore we find this inscription, "When the monastery falls into decay, let people take some of the treasure and repair it.When the saṅghārāma decays let men take (of the treasure) and repair it." Not long ago there was a minor king from the borderlands, greedy for riches, wicked and cruela petty (frontier) king of a covetous mind and of a wicked and cruel disposition; hearing of the quantity of jewels and precious materials hidden in this monasteryprecious substances concealed in this convent, he drove away the monksthe priests and began digging for them. The King of the Spirits had on his head the figure of a parrot, which now began to flap its wings and to utter screams. The earth shook and quaked, the king and his army were thrown flat on the ground. After a while, the king rose, admitted his wrongdoing and went back.thrown down prostrate on the ground; after a while, arising from the earth, he confessed his fault and returned.