After having a look at the brief report about the Sin-Che temple, I decided to have a relook at the account of Hieun Tsang’s travels. However, even as Hieun Tsang did visit North Bihar, I could not clearly relate to any reference to this particular site. However, as I scanned through Samuel Beal’s translation of the life of Hieun Tsang by Hui Li, I could see the note on the account of I-Tsing, the Chinese traveller who happened to visit some years after Hieun Tsang.

In his reference to earlier Chinese travellers, the references included the names as quoted by Prof. Choudhary. It mentioned that Hieun-Chiu, a master of the law, a native of Sin-Chang, in Ta-chau, with the Indian name as Prakashmati, had stayed at the Sin-Che temple. Sin-Chiu, a doctor of the law, whose Sanskrit name was Charita-varma, had also lived in the Sin-Che temple, where in an upper room, he had constructed a sick chamber and left it for the use of sick brothers. He is said to have died in the same temple, where some days before his death, he had remarked that the Boddhisatva was reckoning him to his holy abode. Another traveller Chi-Hing is also said to have lived and died in the same temple. Hwui-Lun (otherwise called Prajnavarma), a Korean, is also said to have lived for some time in the Sin-Che temple, north of the Ganges. Wong-po or Matisimha had also visited the temple accompanied by the priest Sse-pin. From the accounts it was clearly established that the Sin-Che temple must have been an important temple, which was held in high esteem and was located north of the Ganga.

To be continued.....