India in Chinese Travelogues

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Buddhism gave a sublime culture and a spiritual wisdom to China affecting a total facelift. Before Buddhism reached China, there was total chaos and confusion. Buddhism gave basic lessons of culture and civilization to this country. The harbingers and missionary carriers of Buddhist thought and culture who transported and transmitted this ethico-spiritual and sublime thought to China had to pass through a very hostile terrain and exceedingly inhospitable climate. Most of the Indian monks who migrated to China did so during the five centuries following the third century CE.During that time a stream of Chinese monks arrived in India to study Buddhism in its homeland, and to collect authentic Buddhist texts. Many of the records have perished, some are known only by their titles, while brief extracts or stray passages from others appear in China's vast literature. Only three records are preserved in full: Fa-hsien's Fo-ku-chi, Hiuen-tsang's Hsi-yu-chi and I-tsing's Nan-hai-ki-kuei-nai-fa-chuan. While nearly all the Chinese monks eventually returned home, most of the Indian monks who went to China remained there. Much less is known of the Indian monks who went to China than of the Chinese pilgrims who visited India. The Chinese had a deeper interest in objective observation and in recording history. The book presents every aspect of Indian society from 1" to 10 century CE as described in Chinese travelogues.

Dr. G. K. Lama, Professor, Department of AIHC & Archaeology, Centre of Advanced Study, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, having specialization in the field of Archaeology, Buddhism and Asian Studies, has 26 books in his credit namely Tibet Men Bauddha Dharma Ka Itihas-2004; Samyak Darshan- 2004; Cultural Heritage of South-East Asia-2009; Indus to Ganges-2009; Pakkakot: Some New Archaeological Dimensions of Mid-Ganga Plain- 2012; Buddhist Cave Temples of Ancient India-2013; A Buddhist Universe-2016; An Archaeological Journey of Nalanda-2018; Art Heritage of Nalanda- 2018; India: A Journey from Lithic to Iron-2019; Footprints of the Buddha on the Roof of the World- 2020, Glimpses of North-East India-2021, Indian Culture through the Ages-2021, Revealing India's Past-2021, Buddhism on the Silk Route-2022, Mysterious World of Siddhas-2022, The Cult of Adamantine Path-2022, Buddhism A Living Spiritual Force-2022, Indian Archaeology Some New Perspectives-2022, Glimpses of Asian Art Heritage- 2023, Indian History A Multidisciplinary Approach- 2023, Fusion of Indian Culture on Asia-2023, Unique Features of Buddhist Monasteries-2023, Unending Journey of Indian Culture-2023, Mahayana Sutra Samgraha-2023, and Cultural Heritage of Nepal- 2023. He has presented 67 research papers in various National and International seminars and 113 research papers have been published in various reputed journals, edited books, conference proceedings and felicitation volumes. He has completed a Majo Research Project entitled Archaeological Investigation in and around Nalanda, granted by the University Grants Commission, New Delhi, which was submitted in 2014. The author has also completed 16 projects regarding archaeological investigations in Sikkim, Eastern and Western UP and Bihar with the kind permission of Archaeological Survey of India, New Delhi. He has invited twice to Sri Lanka and once to Thailand to deliver special lectures.

The sublime thought and culture of Buddhism was so exalted and awe-inspiring that it was embraced by a vast population of Asian countries. The people found a refuge in the soothing and consolatory teaching of the Buddha which ensured equality and justice for one and all. Buddhism became more popular among the masses all over the world in general and Asian countries in particular because there was no caste or creed in this religion. For the Buddha every one was equal. Peace and tolerance, sympathy and friendliness were the distinctive qualities of Buddhism which attracted the common mass inside and across the Asian continent. Buddhism offered a cultural bond in which almost all the Asian countries and their people got united during the course of the early centuries of the Christian era. Even now many Asian countries and their people where Buddhism is still a living faith revere both India and the Buddha and look upon our country as Jagadguru. In fact, the Buddhist thought and culture has contributed a lot in shaping the socio-religious life and civilization of the Asian people during the course of several centuries.

The Buddha blessed the human race with a unique wisdom and a spiritual culture which taught us the basics of sympathy, love and friendliness towards one and all. His message and sermons of peace and universal brotherhood were respected and practiced by all those who heard and understood the underlying spirituality interwoven in his precepts. Initially Buddhism and its exalted sermons left an indelible impression on the thought and culture of India. But in course of time during the reign of Emeror Asoka the Great, it reached the foreign land when missionaries were sent to several countries for the propagation and dissemination of Buddhism on the instruction. of Asoka. During the lifetime of the Buddha, Buddhism was confined to Kashi, Kosala and Magadha but after his Mahaparinirvana it penetrated the territories extending from Gandhara to China via Central Asia. It is interesting as well as gratifying to note that Buddhism gave a sublime culture and a spiritual wisdom to China affecting a total facelift. Before Buddhism reached China there was total chaos and confusion. Buddhism gave basic lessons of culture and civilization to this country. The harbingers and missionary carriers of Buddhist thought and culture who transported and transmitted this ethico- spiritual and sublime thought to China had to pass through a very hostile terrain and exceedingly inhospitable climate.

**Contents and Sample Pages**