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Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of
Explanation
Fa-hien, one of the most eminent Chinese-Buddhist pilgrims, came to India during 399-414 A.D. during the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya[1] (Chandragupta II). Faxian visited India during the reign of Chandragupta and spent around six years in the Gupta kingdom.[2] Chandragupta II was a capable ruler who ruled for 40 years from c. 375 to 415 CE[3], and he is also known as Vikramaditya.[3] Faxian set out on this long and difficult pilgrimage to visit sacred Buddhist sites, learn from renowned Indian scholars and collect manuscripts of Buddhist texts so he could take them back to China.[4] He records the prosperity of the Gupta Empire.[5] This visit during Chandragupta II's reign is well-documented and makes option B the correct answer.
Sources- [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandragupta_II
- [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > 7.3 Chandragupta II > p. 92
- [4] 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
- [5] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > Fahien's account on Mathura and Pataliputra > p. 93
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a textbook 'Sitter' found directly in Class XI Tamil Nadu History and new NCERTs. It represents the classic 'Traveller-King Synchronization' pattern. If you miss this, you aren't failing on difficulty; you are failing on the basics of Ancient History chronology.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"During the reign of Chandragupta Vikramaditya� ... Fa-hien� came to India, during 399-414 A.D.,"
Why this source?
- Explicitly states the ruling king during Fa-hien's visit: Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
- Gives a date range for Fa-hien's presence in India (399–414 A.D.), tying the pilgrimage to Chandragupta II's reign rather than Samudragupta.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Faxian visited India during the reign of Chandragupta and spent around six years in the Gupta kingdom."
Why this source?
- States that Faxian visited India during the reign of Chandragupta and spent several years in the Gupta kingdom.
- Directly names the reigning Gupta monarch associated with Faxian's visit (Chandragupta).
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Faxian visited India during the reign of Chandragupta II and documented his ..."
Why this source?
- Identifies Faxian as having traveled to India during the Gupta period and explicitly links his visit to Chandragupta II.
- Corroborates other sources that place Fa-hien's pilgrimage under Chandragupta II's rule, not Samudragupta.
- Explicitly states the ruling king during Fa-hien's visit: Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
- Gives a date range for Fa-hien's presence in India (399–414 A.D.), tying the pilgrimage to Chandragupta II's reign rather than Samudragupta.
- States that Faxian visited India during the reign of Chandragupta and spent several years in the Gupta kingdom.
- Directly names the reigning Gupta monarch associated with Faxian's visit (Chandragupta).
- Identifies Faxian as having traveled to India during the Gupta period and explicitly links his visit to Chandragupta II.
- Corroborates other sources that place Fa-hien's pilgrimage under Chandragupta II's rule, not Samudragupta.
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
Strength: 5/5
“Chinese traveller Faxian (pronounced as Fa-Shi-Anne) visited India in the early 5th century CE. He set out on this long and difficult pilgrimage to visit sacred Buddhist sites, learn from renowned Indian scholars and collect manuscripts of Buddhist texts so he could take them back to China. Faxian travelled extensively across India, observing her culture, governance and society, and recorded his experiences and observations for the people of his homeland — and for us too — since his travelogue has survived to this day!”
Why relevant
Explicitly states Faxian visited India in the early 5th century CE, giving a time window for his pilgrimage.
How to extend
A student can compare this early-5th-century date with Samudragupta's reign dates (from a standard Gupta chronology) to judge overlap.
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > EXERCISE > p. 102
Strength: 4/5
“3. was given the title "Kaviraja".
(a) Chandragupta I (b) Samudragupta
• (c) Chandragupta II (d) Srigupta • 4. ___________, a Chinese traveller, presented an idyllic picture of Indian society in the fifth century CE. • (b) Hieun-Tsang (a) Itsing • (c) Fahien (d) Wang-Hieun-Tse • 5. Which one of the following is the wrong option for the rock-cut cave temple of Gupta Period? • (i) Udayagiri cave (Odisha) • (ii) Ajanta and Ellora caves (Maharashtra) • (iii) Elephanta cave (Maharashtra) • (iv) Bagh (Madhya Pradesh) • (a) i (b) ii • (c) iii (d) iv • 6”
Why relevant
An exercise item identifies Fahien as a Chinese traveller who presented an idyllic picture of Indian society in the fifth century CE, reinforcing the 5th-century placement.
How to extend
Use this confirmation of a 5th-century timeframe alongside Samudragupta's reign period to test temporal coincidence.
History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 7: The Guptas > 7.2 Samudragupta > p. 92
Strength: 4/5
“Since the Sakas remained unconquered in western India. The tribes of Rajasthan paid tribute, but the Punjab was outside the limits of his authority. Samudragupta's campaign broke the power of the tribal republics in those regions that led to repeated invasions from the Huns. The relationship with Kushanas is not certain, but with regard to Lanka, its ruler Meghavarman sent presents and requested permission from Samudragupta to build a Buddhist monastery at Gaya. Samudragupta's reign lasted for about 40 years, which must have given him ample time to plan and organise these campaigns. He performed the horse-sacrifice ritual to proclaim his military conquests.”
Why relevant
Describes Samudragupta's long reign (about 40 years) and events during it, providing a multi-decade window that could overlap with early 5th-century visitors.
How to extend
A student can obtain the conventional start/end years of Samudragupta's ~40-year reign from standard reference timelines and check for overlap with Faxian's early-5th-century visit.
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
Strength: 3/5
“When Buddhism spread to East Asia, pilgrims such as Fa Xian and Xuan Zang travelled all the way from China to India in search of texts. These they took back to their own country, where they were translated by scholars. Indian Buddhist teachers also travelled to faraway places, carrying texts to disseminate the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhist texts were preserved in manuscripts for several centuries in monasteries in different parts of Asia. Modern translations have been prepared from Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan texts.”
Why relevant
Notes that Chinese pilgrims like Fa Xian travelled to India to collect texts, establishing that such pilgrimages from China to India occurred in this general historical period.
How to extend
Combine this pattern of China–India pilgrimages with the specific date clues for Faxian and chronological data for Samudragupta to assess plausibility of contemporaneity.
Explicitly states Faxian visited India in the early 5th century CE, giving a time window for his pilgrimage.
A student can compare this early-5th-century date with Samudragupta's reign dates (from a standard Gupta chronology) to judge overlap.
An exercise item identifies Fahien as a Chinese traveller who presented an idyllic picture of Indian society in the fifth century CE, reinforcing the 5th-century placement.
Use this confirmation of a 5th-century timeframe alongside Samudragupta's reign period to test temporal coincidence.
Describes Samudragupta's long reign (about 40 years) and events during it, providing a multi-decade window that could overlap with early 5th-century visitors.
A student can obtain the conventional start/end years of Samudragupta's ~40-year reign from standard reference timelines and check for overlap with Faxian's early-5th-century visit.
Notes that Chinese pilgrims like Fa Xian travelled to India to collect texts, establishing that such pilgrimages from China to India occurred in this general historical period.
Combine this pattern of China–India pilgrimages with the specific date clues for Faxian and chronological data for Samudragupta to assess plausibility of contemporaneity.
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SIMILAR QUESTIONS
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?
The following persons came to India at one time or another : I. Fa-Hien II. I-Tsing III. Megasthenese IV. Hieun-Tsang The correct chronological sequence of their visits is :
Sanghabhuti, an Indian Buddhist monk, who travelled to China at the end of the fourth century AD, was the author of a commentary on :