Activating and implementing the ‘Xuanzang Trail’ project

Developing heritage walks, tourist trails, and learning material to boost tourism heritage awareness in Bihar, India’s poorest state.

In 2019, the Bihar Heritage Development Society (BHDS), initiated the project ‘The Xuanzang Trail’ to trace and identify Buddhist sites in Bihar, where Buddhism originated, described in the iconic texts of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang.

Bihar, ancient Magadha, and the heartland of Buddhism, is scattered with Buddhist archaeological remains. The ‘Xuanzang Trail’ project integrated expertise on sites mentioned in Xuanzang’s texts with field archaeology to create a co-produced heritage infrastructure to promote the tourism industry in India’s poorest state.

Increasing heritage awareness and boosting tourism

This phase of the project implemented the ‘Xuanzang Trail’, which included developing heritage walks, tourist trails and multi-lingual information material, based on sites explored during the project.

Through workshops, public events and exhibitions at the Bihar Museum, the project helped establish the Xuanzang Trail as one of the major heritage networks in Bihar. It engaged researchers, cultural and political representatives, media and the public to increase heritage awareness and boost much-needed tourism revenue in Bihar.

The Xuanzang Trail is the gateway to a revolution in heritage tourism, maximising awareness of largely untapped Buddhist sites.

Posters, maps and booklets on three archaeological sites explored during the Xuanzang Trail project were produced in English and Hindi for distribution by project partner, Bihar Museum in Patna.

There is potential that other regions in India (e.g. Uttar Pradesh with important Buddhist sites such as Sarnath, Kusinagara, Sravasti, Kausambi) will follow the example of the Xuanzang Trail to establish heritage and travel trails based on historical and archaeological data and research.

Contact

For more information about this project, contact: