RAS question
The Chinese pilgrim who visited India during Harsha's reign was:
Correct answer: (A) Hiuen Tsang.
Hiuen Tsang, also known as Xuanzang, was the Chinese pilgrim who visited India during Harsha's reign.
Explanation
Hiuen Tsang is the right answer because the NIOS chapter explicitly treats him as a Chinese traveller whose account is a source for Harsha's reign. His Indian journey took place in 630-645 AD, during Harsha's rule, and he studied at Nalanda. That detail matters because the same NIOS source says Nalanda became a major centre of learning during Harsha's reign and that Hiuen Tsang gave a detailed account of it. His record is also tied to Harsha's public and religious life: he described the Kanauj and Prayag assemblies, while the NIOS chapter links Harsha with a philosophical assembly at Kanauj.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Megasthenes cannot fit Harsha's reign because he was a Greek ambassador to Chandragupta Maurya, an earlier Mauryan ruler.
- (C) I-tsing is wrong here because he visited India after Harsha's death, not during Harsha's reign.
- (D) Fa Hien is not the Harsha-period traveller because his visit belongs to the reign of Chandragupta II.
Concept
This tests the use of foreign travellers' accounts as sources for ancient Indian history. It recurs in RAS because rulers such as Harsha are often studied through external accounts alongside court literature.