Faxian or Fa-Hien
Fa-Hien, a great Chinese Buddhist monk was born on 337 A.D. in China. Many of us know that he was a traveler, but, he was not only a traveler but also writer. Many Chinese pilgrims came to India as it was a holy land for the Buddhists, Fa-Hien was the earliest of them. In about 399 A.D. Fa-Hien started his journey to India by land from Changan, China. He reached India by crossing the Gobi desert, and then the Pamir plateau.
Fa-Hien reached India about 400 A.D. During this time the Gupta emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya was ruling over north India. Fa-Hien visited to many places related to Gautam Buddha. He visited many places, such as; Patliputra, Lumbini, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Mathura, Kannauj, Kapilavastu and many other places.
At Pataliputra (Patna) he spent three years, and studied Sanskrit there. He stayed for two years at Tamralipta (now Tamluk in West Bengal). Fa-Hien spent nearly fifteen years (399-414 A.D.) in India. He was impressed by the peaceful atmosphere of India, and the fact that there seemed to be very little serious crime. He wrote that people could travel all over the country safely, without fear of being robbed.
Fa-Hien wrote a lot of things about the life style of the people of Gupta age. We able to know many things from his book "Fo-Kwo-Ki". Before returning to his motherland he also visited Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Java on a merchant ship in 414 A.D. He passed away on 422 A.D. when he was nearly 85 years old.
Fa-Hien reached India about 400 A.D. During this time the Gupta emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya was ruling over north India. Fa-Hien visited to many places related to Gautam Buddha. He visited many places, such as; Patliputra, Lumbini, Sarnath, Kushinagar, Mathura, Kannauj, Kapilavastu and many other places.
At Pataliputra (Patna) he spent three years, and studied Sanskrit there. He stayed for two years at Tamralipta (now Tamluk in West Bengal). Fa-Hien spent nearly fifteen years (399-414 A.D.) in India. He was impressed by the peaceful atmosphere of India, and the fact that there seemed to be very little serious crime. He wrote that people could travel all over the country safely, without fear of being robbed.
Fa-Hien wrote a lot of things about the life style of the people of Gupta age. We able to know many things from his book "Fo-Kwo-Ki". Before returning to his motherland he also visited Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Java on a merchant ship in 414 A.D. He passed away on 422 A.D. when he was nearly 85 years old.
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