Xuan Zang ( Hsuen Tsang ) Memorial - Bargaon

It’s a memorial built commemorating life and travels of Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang who came to Nalanda university to study and stayed for 12 years exploring India. It is approximately 2 kms from Nalanda ruins. You can go in your own car or cab. The rickshaw people will force you to hire them for sightseeing but it’s a scam.

Xuanzang, a Buddhist monk scholar who travelled from China to India in the Seventh Century along the famous Silk Road, strenghtenins the bond between the two countries. By acting as a diplomat, he threaded together estates and kingdoms he traveled through. He was a luminary who traveled beyond boundaries, with the desire for ultimate wisdom and his passion inspired every person he met on his journey. Bhikkhu Jagadish Kashyap, the founder Director of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara first proposed the establishment of a Memorial Hall as a symbol of Indo-China friendship dedicated to the great Monk, scholar Ven Xuanzang to pay homage to his spirit of freedom and quest for knowledge, and also, to strengthen the friendship between the India and China. With the help of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, work for the establishment of the Xuanzang Memorial Hall was initiated in January 1957. The Government of India received the relics of Ven. Xuanzang along with an endowment for the construction of the Xuanzang Memorial Hall and some Chinese Buddhist texts, from the Chinese Government at a function at Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda. The construction of Xuanzang Memorial Hall was completed in 1984. In the year 2001, the Memorial Hall was handed over to the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda for its renovation, restoration and creative development. Though the construction of the Museum started in 1961, but due to unforeseen circumstances, it was not completed. In the year 2001, efforts were made to revive the construction and the site plan was handed over to the Director of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda, Dr. Ravindra Panth. His proposal to Ministry of Culture, Government of India resulted in a resource committee to execute the renovation work of the hall and to do creative art work. In 2005, a team of experts from both sides of the border made recommendations for reconstruction and creative art work for the Memorial Museum. The work was accomplished in the year 2006 and the memorial museum was jointly inaugurated by dignitaries from India and China on the 12th February 2007. The Xuanzang Memorial Museum is a fine blend of cultural subtleties of both countries which signifies the close knit roots of a common origin. It opens up a window of opportunities for further exchange of culture and ideology, not only between the two nations but also among others that are strung in a similar thread and want to strengthen friendship in the region. /p> Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda is particularly thankful to the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the Government and the people of China, and various Buddhist organizations for supporting this noble project. The Xuanzang Memorial symbolizes the age-old ties between the two great civilizations of India and China and is a befitting tribute to Indo-China friendship. The essential components of the creative works to shape it in a Memorial Museum were carried out subsequently.

It is ONE OF THE MOST PEACEFUL PLACES IN NALANDA AND THE BEST PLACE TO VISIT FOR HISTORY LOVERS. The Lake behind the Memorial adds to the Ambience and Peace of this place. A MUST ONE TIME VISIT PLACE FOR ALL!

Good place to visit at Nalanda. This acknowledged us how Indian Education was famous in Ancient India.

Excellent museum, very beautiful neat and clean. And we got a very nice guide also.

It is a beautiful place like picture net & clean every one can enjoy & spend some time

Hiuen Tsang was a Chinese scholar and traveller who came to India (the land of dreams). He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of his journey to India in 629–645 CE, his efforts to bring over 657 Indian texts to China, and his translations of some of these texts. He visited the then famed Nalanda monastery. To commemorate his visit to Nalanda, this museum was built. It's a peaceful museum next to Vipassana meditation centre. One may spend hours in peace at this place. Less visitors come here as most generally return after visiting the Nalanda archeological site. The architecture is built in Japanese/Chinese style and has a large black stone statue of Hiuen Tsang. The most famous of the Chinese travellers to India was Hsuan-Tsang who came in the seventh century when the great T'ang dynasty flourished in China and Harshavardhana ruled over an empire in North India. Hsuan-Tsang came overland across the Gobi Desert and passing Turfan and Kucha, Tashkand and Samarkand, Balkh, Khotan and Yarkand, crossed the Himalayas into India. He tells us of his many adventures, of the perils he overcame, of the Buddhist rulers and monasteries in Central Asia, and of the Turks there who were ardent Buddhists. In India he travelled all over the country, greatly honoured and respected everywhere, making accurate observations of places and peoples, and noting down some delightful and some fantastic stories that he heard. Many years hel spent at the great Nalanda University, not far from Pataliputra, which was famous for its many-sided learning and attracted students from far corners of the country. It is said that as many as 10,000 students and monks were in residence there. Hsuan-Tsang took the degree of Master of the Law there and finally became vice-principal of the university. Hsuan-Tsang's book the Si-Yir-Ki or the Record of the Western Kingdom (meaning India), makes fascinating reading. Coming from a highly civilized and sophisticated country, at a time when China's capital Si-an-fu was a centre of art and learning, his comments on and description of conditions in India are valuable. He tells us of the system of education which began early and proceeded by stages to the university where the five branches of knowledge taught were: (1) Grammar, (2) Science of Arts and Crafts, (3) Medicine, (4) Logic, and (5) Philosophy. He was particularly struck by the love of learning of the Indian people. Some kind of primary education was fairly widespread as all the monks and priests were teachers, Of the people he says: With respect to the ordinary people, although they are naturally light minded, yet they are upright and honourable. In money matters they are without craft, and in administering justice they are considerate... They are not deceitful or treacherous in their conduct, and are faithful in their oaths and promises. In their rules of government there is remarkable rectitude, whilst in their behaviour there is much gentleness and sweetness. With respect to criminals or rebels, these are few in number, and only occasionally troublesome. He says further:"As the administration of the government is founded on benign principles, the executive is simple... People are not subject to forced labour... In this way taxes on people are light... The merchants who engage in commerce come and go in carrying out their transactions. Hsuan-Tsang returned the way he came, via Central Asia, carrying a large number of manuscripts with him. From his account one gathers a vivid impression of the wide sway of Buddhism in Khorasan, Iraq, Mosul, and right up to the frontiers of Syria. And yet this was a time when Buddhism was in decay there and Islam, already beginning in Arabia, was soon to spread out over all these lands. About the Iranian people, Hsuan-Tsang makes an interesting observation: they care not for learning. but give themselves entirely to works of art. All they make the neighbouring countries value very much.

Historical place, There is nothing more to see. A very little place into the museum. But there is very interesting knowledge written to the wall must have time to read those.