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History & Civics

Who was Fa-hien? What did he say about India?

Gupta Age

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Answer

Fa-hien was a Chinese pilgrim who visited India on a religious mission during the reign of Chandragupta II. He made careful unbiased observations about the conditions at that time.

Fa-hien gave following accounts about India:

  1. Magadha was a prosperous country with large towns and wealthy population.
  2. Pataliputra was a flourishing city with numerous charitable institutions including a hospital.
  3. People led a simple life, observing the Buddhist rules of conduct even though they were wealthy.
  4. Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Buddhism and Jainism were main religions. People had no ill-will towards other sects.
  5. Hindu Gods and Goddesses were depicted on coins and also in sculptures and paintings.
  6. The penal code was mild and the offences were ordinarily punished by fines only.

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