FA IIIAN, a Chinese Buddhist traveller in India, Khotan (Yu-than), and Tibet, along with Hoei King and other Chinese pilgrims. They reached Yu-than or Khotan in A.D. 399-400. Fa Ilian then tmvelled by Tsu-bo and Yu-hoei and over the Tsu-Ling mountains southwards to Kie-Chlta, the modern Ladakh, where he rejoined Hoei King. From Kie-Chha the pilgrims pro ceeded westward to Tho-ly, which they reached in one rnonth. He passed successively through Kaahmir, Kabul, Kandahar, and the Panjab, into the ceutral parts of India, and the country of Mathura was one of the first in which he entered (Cal. Rev.). He left China A.D. 399. He was six years on his route to Central India, resid ing at places on his way. He passed six years in India, visited Ceylon, and sailed from there to Java, and returned to China A.D. 415. The silence of Fa Hian and Hiwen Thsang regarding Dehli is a proof of the insignificance of that city from A.D. 400 to 640. His usual place of resi
dence was Chang-au, in the province of Shen-si. On his return he wrote an account of his travels, called Fo - kue - ki, or an account of the Bud dhist countries. His journal is very concise, and is chiefly taken up with the description of the sacred spots and objects of his religion ; but as he usually gives the bearings and distances of the chief places in his route, his short notices are very valuable. At the time of his visit, Buddhism was still the dominant religion, though Vaishnava doctrines were gaining ground. I-tsing gives a history of fifty-six Chinese Buddhist priesta who visited India during the early part of the T'ang dynasty.—Cal. Rev. ; Travels of a Hindoo, p. 156; Cunningham's Ancient Geography of India.