Samuel Beal
One of the first pilgrims to travel to India from China, Hiuen-Tsiang was a monk whose journeys brought him in close contact with India’s flourishing Buddhist culture, giving him a deep understanding of the political, social, and economic scenarios of the country.Translated in the mid-nineteenth century by Samuel Beal, this gripping account of a scholar’s journeys takes us across seventeen years of travel-through the Gobi desert, to the ancient monasteries of Kabul, and finally to the hotbed of Buddhism, India. Known as the Master of the Law, Hiuen-Tsiang provided an insightful commentary on India’s social structure during the times of monarchs such as Ashoka and Harsha.A book replete with undertones of adventure and wanderlust, The Life of Hiuen-Tsiang is a riveting narrative about one of the world’s most celebrated travellers.
