Consider the following statements: 1. The Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien attended the fourth Great Buddhist Council held by Kanishka. 2. The Chinese pilgrim Huen-Tsangmet Harsha and found him to be antagonistic to Buddhism. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Both statements are incorrect. The Fourth Buddhist Council is traditionally associated with Emperor Kanishka and took place in Kashmir much earlier (Kushan period) than Faxian’s time. Faxian was a Chinese pilgrim of the early 5th century CE who travelled to India to collect texts and visit sacred sites, so he could not have attended a council convened by Kanishka centuries earlier [1]. Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang) visited India during King Harsha’s reign and records show Harsha convened assemblies, distributed wealth to Buddhists, and treated Buddhist monks and Vedic scholars alike; Xuanzang spent years studying at Nalanda, indicating Harsha’s patronage rather than antagonism to Buddhism [1].

Sources

1. [1] Exploring Society:India and Beyond ,Social Science-Class VII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 7: The Gupta Era: An Age of Tireless Creativity > A Traveller's Account of Indian Society in the Gupta Age > p. 153
2. [2] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 8: Harsha and Rise of Regional Kingdoms > Buddhist Assembly at Prayag > p. 109
3. [3] History , class XI (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 8: Harsha and Rise of Regional Kingdoms > Buddhist Assembly at Prayag > p. 110