Faxian's pilgrimage to India
A monk in his sixties walks from China to India
In 399 the Chinese monk Faxian, then about sixty, set out from Chang'an in search of authentic Buddhist scriptures. He crossed the Taklamakan and the Himalayas, studied in India for several years, spent two years in Sri Lanka and returned by sea in 412. His 'Record of Buddhist Kingdoms' is a priceless account of Gupta India.
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Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 395 Division of the Roman Empire — 4 years earlier
- 410 Sack of Rome by the Visigoths — 11 years later
Middle East
- c. 405 Mesrop Mashtots creates the Armenian alphabet — 6 years later
Alive at the time
- Augustine of Hippo (aged 45)
- Hypatia (aged 39)