Xuanzang’s travel records played a crucial role in confirming key Buddhist sacred sites. He described Lumbini as the birthplace of the Buddha and specifically mentioned the Ashoka pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka, marking the exact location of the Buddha’s birth.
Xuanzang (6 April 602 – 5 February 664) was a renowned 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. Born as Chen Hui (also known as Chen Yi) in Chenliu, near present-day Luoyang in Henan Province, China, he later became known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva. Xuanzang is remembered as one of the most important figures in the transmission of Buddhism between India and China.
During his early life, China experienced severe political and social turmoil following the fall of the Sui dynasty. To escape this unrest, Xuanzang travelled about 300 miles south with his brother to Chengdu, in present-day Sichuan Province. There, at the age of twenty, he was ordained as a bhikṣu (fully ordained monk) and began an intensive study of Buddhist scriptures and practices at a local monastery. His deep desire to study authentic Buddhist teachings later inspired him to undertake the arduous journey to India.
Xuanzang departed secretly from Chang’an (the Tang capital – presently Xi’an, located in Shaanxi Province, China) in AD 629, as overseas travel was restricted at the time. He arrived in India around AD 630, overcoming great dangers along the Silk Road. During his travels across Central Asia, he carefully documented the lands, cultures, and religious practices he encountered. Among his most famous descriptions are those of the colossal Buddha statues carved into the cliffs of the Bamiyan region in present-day Afghanistan. These magnificent statues, which stood for centuries, were tragically destroyed in 2001.
Soon after arriving in India, Xuanzang went to Nalanda University in present-day Bihar, the greatest centre of Buddhist learning in the ancient world. Established around the 5th century CE, Nalanda attracted scholars from across Asia, including China, Korea, Tibet, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.
It functioned as a fully residential university with extensive libraries and a highly structured curriculum covering Buddhist philosophy, logic, medicine, mathematics, and languages. Nalanda became Xuanzang’s main base in India, where he studied and taught for about four to five years, mastering Buddhist philosophy, logic, and Sanskrit texts. After completing his studies, he travelled extensively across the Indian subcontinent.
Nalanda is widely regarded as the world’s oldest fully residential university, though earlier centres of learning existed in other parts of the world. The ancient university declined after the 12th century and eventually fell into ruins, gradually becoming forgotten and buried under earth and vegetation. In the 19th century, British archaeologists, guided in part by Xuanzang’s detailed travel accounts, rediscovered the site and identified the extensive ruins of Nalanda. In 2010, Nalanda University was officially re-established, and the modern Nalanda University began academic operations in 2014 near the original site. Today, it functions as an international postgraduate and research university, continuing Nalanda’s historic legacy as a global centre of learning.
During his later travels, around AD 640–642, Xuanzang journeyed to South India, where he visited Kanchipuram (Kanchi) in present-day Tamil Nadu. In his travel records, he referred to the city as “Kanchipoluo.” At that time, Kanchipuram was under Pallava rule and was a major centre of Buddhist learning. Xuanzang described the city as having several Buddhist monasteries and a large number of monks. He is also believed to have learned Tamil and studied under a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, highlighting the strong cultural and religious exchanges between South Asia and East Asia during that period.
Xuanzang spent a total of about fifteen years in India. After completing his extensive travels, he returned once again to Nalanda before leaving India around AD 645 carrying a vast collection of Buddhist scriptures and relics. He then returned to China, where he devoted the rest of his life to translating Buddhist scriptures. His translations became authoritative texts and laid the foundation for the development of Buddhism in East Asia.
Xuanzang’s travel records played a crucial role in confirming key Buddhist sacred sites. He described Lumbini as the birthplace of the Buddha and specifically mentioned the Ashoka pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka, marking the exact location of the Buddha’s birth. He also identified Kushinagar (Kusinara) as the place where the Buddha attained Parinirvana, describing stupas and monasteries associated with the event. Although these sites were already known locally, Xuanzang’s detailed accounts preserved their locations during a period when Buddhism was declining in parts of India.
Over time, the Ashoka pillar at Lumbini became buried beneath earth and debris, likely due to natural causes and long neglect. When archaeologists unearthed the pillar in the late 19th century, it was found broken into two pieces, exactly as Xuanzang had described centuries earlier. This striking correspondence highlighted the remarkable accuracy and reliability of his observations.
Because of this accuracy, Xuanzang’s writings proved especially valuable during the modern rediscovery of Lumbini. In 1896, the German archaeologist Alois Anton Führer, working with Khadga Shumsher Rana, the Governor of Palpa, identified the Ashoka pillar bearing a Brahmi inscription stating that the Buddha was born at that site. This discovery closely matched Xuanzang’s account and, together with earlier records by the Chinese pilgrim Faxian, firmly established Lumbini as the historical birthplace of the Buddha.
Xuanzang remains one of history’s greatest travellers and scholars. His dedication not only strengthened Buddhist learning across Asia but also left an enduring historical record that continues to guide historians, archaeologists, and scholars today.
George Arulanantham – ONZM QSP JP, Auckland
