Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of

Question

Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese pilgrim, travelled to India during the reign of

1. A. Samudragupta
2. B. Chandragupta II (Correct answer)
3. C. Kumaragupta I
4. D. Skandagupta

Correct Answer

Option B — Chandragupta II

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Chandragupta II.

Key Points

• Explanation: Fa-hien (Faxian), the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, travelled to India roughly between 399 and 414 CE, during the reign of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) of the Gupta dynasty.
• He came mainly to collect Buddhist manuscripts and to visit sites associated with the Buddha, and his account, the Fo-Kuo-Ki (Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms), is a key source on Gupta-era India.
• Why the other options are wrong: Samudragupta was Chandragupta II's father and ruled before the visit; Kumaragupta I and Skandagupta both ruled after Chandragupta II.

Additional Information

• Fa-hien noted the general prosperity and peace of the empire and remarked that people could travel freely.
• He should not be confused with Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang), who visited during Harshavardhana's reign in the 7th century, or with I-tsing, who came later.