India and China are in advanced stages of discussions over a joint nomination for 'The Great Tang Records on the Western Regions', a narrative of Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar Xuanzang's travels through medieval India in the 7th century. The proposal, led by China and to be supported by India, is presently under consideration with the Ministry of External Affairs, as per sources. China had earlier reached out through diplomatic channels to convey an interest in pursuing a joint nomination for an inscription in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Xuanzang, also known as Hiuen Tsang, spent 19 years travelling through India; his accounts remain a source for the study of early medieval India. He studied at the Nalanda University and captured the political, social and religious practices of the time. This development emerged from the BRICS Culture Working Group, whose second meeting was held in Varanasi earlier this month under India's chair. Delegations from Brazil, China, South Africa, the UAE, Indonesia and Iran attended, with Russia, Ethiopia and Egypt joining in hybrid mode. The idea behind joint nominations is to skip the queue, since each country is allowed only two dossiers during the two-year cycle of UNESCO heritage lists, while there is no limit on countries filing joint nominations, with the dossier led by one country and supported by others. India also aims to secure a place for the Panchtantra along with Iran, and for the philosophy of Satyagraha along with South Africa. The recommendations will be sent to the BRICS Cultural Track ministerial meeting in August in Bhopal.