Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s2.t14.5

v1.c7.s2.t14.5

Throughout its existence of about seven centuries, Mahāvihāra played a key role in promoting Sino-Indian cultural relations. It was host to hundreds of scholar-monks not only from China but also from other parts of Central and Southeast Asia as well as from Japan and Korea. Detailed accounts of its superior academic environment by Faxian, Xuanzang and Yijing indicate its global reach. Following either the land route via Khotan in Central Asia or Tibet and Nepal or by the sea-route via Tamralipti to India, these monk-scholars aimed to earn spiritual merit by pilgrimage to study Buddhism in its homeland and collect authentic Buddhist texts. The most prominent among them was Xuanzang who visited India from 630 to 642 CE and stayed in Nālandā for about four to five years. He specialised in the Yogacara School of Buddhism under the abled-guidance of the chief abbot-rector, Śīlabhadra. In 645 CE, he returned to China carrying back some images of Buddha and several hundred copied texts and notes. His travelogue, *Xiyuji* and biography, *Fa-shi-chuan*, inspired many new works on India and created an unprecedented interest in Indian culture in China. Another notable visitor to Nālandā was Yijing who spent about 10 years in Nālandā. On his return home, he translated no less than 56 works in 230 volumes and introduced into China practically the whole texts of Vinaya belonging to the Mulasarvāstivadin School. The Chinese texts have also preserved biographies of 67 Chinese pilgrims who had been to India during the second half of the 7^th^ century CE. Among them are found some Koreans and Central Asian monks who were educated in China and went to Nālandā from China. The first noted scholar of Nālandā to go to China in the Tang period in 627 CE was Prabhakaramitra on the invitation of the Prince of Gaoping. Later, Subhākarasinha (716 CE) and Buddhakirti (989 CE) also went to China.