The sea voyage to China attempted by Indian Buddhist monks during the years from 305 to 435

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article aims to give a brief survey of the voyages undertaken by Buddhist monks who travelled between India and China during the early period (305–435) when Buddhism spread via the maritime Silk Road from India and Sri Lanka towards China. These maritime routes concern a large number of Chinese pilgrims traveling to India searching for Buddhist Dharma as well as some learned Indian monks who were invited by Chinese monasteries to be teachers. Other aspects examined here include the motivation of those monks for such a venture, the danger and difficulties they had to deal with, and their relationship to the merchants and lay followers (dānapati). Furthermore, it tries to capture and reconstruct the recorded seafaring route including some important survival bases on the voyage, the nationality of merchants using the maritime silk route in the early fifth century as well as their shipbuilding and seafaring technology.