Hyecho
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Hyecho (704-787), called Hui Chao in Chinese, was a Korean Buddhist monk from the Korean kingdom of Silla.
Hyecho studied esoteric Buddhism in Tang China, initially under Subhakarsinha and then under Vajrabodhi who praised Hyecho as "one of six living persons who were well-trained in the five sections of the buddhist canon." On the advice of his Indian teachers in China, in AD 723 he set out for India to acquaint himself with the language and culture of the land of the Buddha.
[edit] Wang ocheonchukguk jeon
During his journey of India, Hyecho wrote a travelogue named Wang ocheonchukguk jeon which means, "Memoir of the pilgrimage to the five kingdoms of India." The travelogue reveals that Hyecho began his journey from the ancient Indian Kingdom of Magadha (present-day Bihar), then moves on to his visit to Kusinagar and Varanasi. However Hyecho's journey did not end there and he continued north, where he visited Lumbini (present-day Nepal) and Kashmir. Hyecho left India following the Silk road towards the west, where he encountered the cultures of Tokhara, Persia, and the Saracens.
The travelogue ends with Hyecho entering China. It took Hyecho approximately four years to complete his journey. The travelogue contains much information on local diet, languages, climate, cultures, and political situations.
It is mentioned that Hyecho witnessed the decline of Buddhism in India and he found it quite interesting to see the cattle roaming freely around cities and villages.
The travelogue was lost for many years until it was discovered by Paul Pelliot in Dunhuang grotto in China in 1908 and was subsequently translated into different languages over the years; the original version of Wang ocheonchukguk jeon is now in France.
