A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms / Being an account by the Chinese monk Fa-hsien of travels in India and Ceylon (A.D. 399-414) in search of the Buddhist books of discipline

The narrative records a fifth-century Chinese monk's pilgrimage to South Asia to seek canonical Buddhist texts, describing routes, cities, monasteries, relics, and religious practices encountered. It combines travel observations — geography, local customs, and logistical hardships — with precise notes on monastic discipline, sacred sites, and textual transmission. Interspersed are catalogues of scriptures, accounts of holy places and ceremonies, and reflections on doctrinal variants, all presented in a matter-of-fact, episodic travel log supplemented by scholarly annotations and textual appendices.