In the run-up to Vesak Day happening later this week, The Sri Lanka-China Society is commemorating the 1600th anniversary of Fa-hsien’s visit to Sri Lanka. Fa-hsien was a Buddhist monk from China who travelled west to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures. His journey took him to Sri Lanka in the year 410, and he travelled back to China by sea through Southeast Asia. His travelogue is recorded in A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms, Being an Account by the Chinese Monk Fa-Hien of his Travels in India and Ceylon in Search of the Buddhist Books of Discipline.
Asian Tribune, 24 May 2010