into a connected chronicle.

Fa-Hsien, the first of these interesting men, left China in 399 and
resided in India from 405 to 411, spending three years at Pataliputra
and two at Tamralipti. He visited the Panjab, Hindustan and Bengal and
his narrative leaves the impression that all these were in the main
Buddhist countries: of the Deccan which he did not visit he heard that
its inhabitants were barbarous and not Buddhists, though it contained
some Buddhist shrines. Of the Middle Kingdom (which according to his
reckoning begins with Muttra) he says that the people are free and
happy and neither kill any living creature nor drink intoxicating
liquor.[236] He does not hint at persecution though he once or twice
mentions that the Brahmans were jealous of the Buddhists. Neither does
he indicate that any strong animosity prevailed between Maha and
Hinayanists. But the two parties were distinct and he notes which
prevailed in each locality. He left China by land and found the
Hinayana prevalent at Shen-shen and Wu-i (apparently localities not
far from Lob-Nor) but the Mahayana at Khotan. Nearer India, in
countries apparently corresponding to parts of Kashmir and Gilgit, the
monks were numerous and all Hinayanist. The same was the case in
Udyana, and in Gandhara the Hinayanists were still in the majority. In
the Panjab both schools were prevalent but the Hinayana evidently
strong. In the district of Muttra the Law was still more flourishing,
monasteries and topes were numerous and ample alms were given to the
monks. He states that the professors of the Abhidharma and Vinaya made
offerings to those works, and the Mahayanists to the book
Prajna-paramita, as well as to Manjusri and Kwan-shih-yin. He found
the country in which are the sacred sites of Sravasti, Kapilavastu and
Kusinara sparsely inhabited and desolate, but this seems to have been
due to general causes, not specially to the decay of religion. He
mentions that ninety-six[237] varieties of erroneous views are found
among the Buddhists, which points to the existence of numerous but not
acutely hostile sects and says that there still existed, apparently in
Kosala, followers of Devadatta who recognized three previous Buddhas
but not Sakyamuni. He visited the birth-places of these three Buddhas
which contained topes erected in their honour.

He found Magadha prosperous and pious. Of its capital, Patna, he says
"by the side of the topes of Asoka has been made a Mahayana mon