184. The Buddhist Merlin

In this episode of Empire, William Dalrymple and Afua Hirsch discuss Vajrabodhi, a South Indian Buddhist tantric magician and cousin of Mahendra Pallava. They explore Vajrabodhi's journey from Nalanda University to becoming a powerful figure known for his magic spells, including creating rain with magical dragons and destroying armies. Sent as an ambassador to China to forge an alliance against the Tibetans and the armies of Islam, Vajrabodhi's travels take him to Sri Lanka, where he seeks Buddhist texts and encounters mythical beasts, and Sumatra, where he meets his apprentice, Amoghavajra. Arriving in China, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra become influential monks, transferring Indian knowledge and using magic to defeat invading armies. The episode further connects Vajrabodhi's teachings to the construction of Borobudur in Java, highlighting the influence of Indian ideas in Southeast Asia and setting the stage for the next episode on the Khmer Empire.