60th to 62nd B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2016

Historical Travelers

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

Chinese traveller 'Sungyun' was came to India in:

Solution & Analysis

Answer: A

Concept Chinese Buddhist pilgrims provided essential outside perspectives on the political and religious shifts in North India during the transitional post-Gupta period.

Explanation Sungyun (Song Yun) visited India between 515 CE and 520 CE. He was sent by the Buddhist Empress Hu of the Northern Wei Dynasty to collect sacred Mahayana texts.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: He traveled through the Swat valley and northwestern India, documenting the status of the Gandhara dynasty.
Logic 2: He returned to China in the winter of 520 CE with 117 Buddhist texts.
Logic 3: His accounts, conserved in the *Loyang Jielanji*, provide rare details about the socio-political state of India after the initial Huna invasions.

Active Recall

Question

What was the primary goal of Sungyun's mission?

Answer

His mission was to collect authentic Mahayana Buddhist scriptures for the imperial library of China.

Core Insight

Sungyun’s observations of the Swat valley offer a snapshot of a region still vibrant with Buddhist culture despite the mounting pressures of nomadic invasions.