Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.s2.t2.13

v1.c6.s2.t2.13

Buddhism reached China in the 2nd century CE via Silk Route. Soon there was a regular flow of Buddhist monks between India and China. Chinese monks visited India for pilgrimage and also to collect canonical works. Buddhism thrived in China during the Tang Dynasty and the number of Buddhist monasteries and temples increased rapidly. The early Tang emperor Taizong (627-650 CE) developed contacts with several Indian kingdoms including Magadha that was ruled by the powerful king, Harṣavardhana. Nalanda University, therein, was a famous seat of learning at that time and Chinese Buddhist monks visited it in large numbers. Since interests in Indian medicine and other sciences were growing, these monk-travellers wrote about the distinctive nature of Indian medicine in their travelogues.⁵ By and large, under the directive of Tang emperors, Chinese monks and visitors searched for famous Indian doctors and drugs. Practice of medicine in Chinese monasteries also grew rapidly and it is reflected in literature, cave inscriptions and carvings of the time.