Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q115 (CDS-I/2016) History & Culture › Culture, Literature, Religion & Philosophy › Ancient and classical literature Answer Verified

Which of the following statements is / are true ? 1. Faxian’s Gaoseng Faxian Zhuan was the earliest first-hand Chinese account of Buddhist sites and practices in India 2. Faxian was only 25 years old at the time of writing the text 3. Faxian’s main aim in coming to India was to obtain and take back texts containing monastic rules Select the correct answer using the code given below :

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: C
Explanation

Statement 1 is correct as Faxian’s 'Gaoseng Faxian Zhuan' (A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms) is recognized as the earliest surviving first-hand Chinese account of Buddhist sites and practices in India, predating later pilgrims like Xuanzang [3]. Statement 3 is also correct; Faxian’s primary motivation for his arduous journey (399–414 CE) was to obtain authentic copies of the Vinaya Pitaka (monastic rules) to improve discipline in Chinese monasteries [2]. Statement 2 is incorrect; Faxian was an elderly monk when he began his journey. He was approximately 65 years old when he left China in 399 CE and was in his late 70s or early 80s when he completed his travelogue upon returning to China [1]. Therefore, only statements 1 and 3 are true.

Sources

  1. [1] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 7: The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity > A Traveller's Account of Indian Society in the Gupta Age > p. 153
  2. [3] Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: India, That Is Bharat > DON'T MISS OUT > p. 83
  3. [2] THEMES IN INDIAN HISTORY PART I, History CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 4: Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings > How Buddhist texts were prepared and preserved > p. 86
How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
75%
got it right
✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2004 · Q24 Relevance score: -2.39

Consider the following statements: 1. The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien attended the fourth Great Buddhist Council held by Kanishka. 2. The Chinese pilgrim Huen-Tsangmet Harsha and found him to be antagonistic to Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

CDS-II · 2025 · Q15 Relevance score: -3.45

Which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. C. Rajagopalachari was the first recipient of the Bharat Ratna. 2. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya initiated the concept of 'Integral Humanism'. Select the answer using the code given below :

CDS-I · 2013 · Q43 Relevance score: -3.55

Statement I : Sculptures of the Gandhara School stylistically are typically linked to the Greeco-Roman and the Parthian art of Iran. Statement II : The earliest stone Buddha images in the Swat Valley pre-dated the Kushana period which suggests that certain iconographic conventions were already well-established in the pre-Kushana period,

CDS-II · 2014 · Q82 Relevance score: -3.74

Which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. Early Buddhist literature is generally composed of the canonical text. 2. The Buddhist schools classify their canonical literature as only the Pitakas. Select the correct answer using the code given below: