Fa Xian was a Chinese monk who traveled to India, overland in 399, returning by sea in 413. His accounts of his journey became a classic source for Indian history in China. His mission was undertaken in part in order to report back to the Emperor on what Buddhism was like in India, where Buddhism first developed. Among the sites Fa Xian is believed to have visited is the Great Buddhas of Bamiyan.
References
- Albert M. Craig, The Heritage of Chinese Civilization, Third Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 51.
- Gallery labels, American Museum of Natural History.[1]