Wang Xuance (Chinese:王玄策;pinyin:Wáng Xuáncè, fl. 7th century) was a Chinese diplomat, military general, and travel writer. In 643 CE he went on a pilgrimage to India, together with Li Yibiao.[1] Due to Tibet's aggressive stance, which threatened both Chinese and Indian states,[a] The Tang and Kannauj had started to maintain friendly relations, and in 648,Tang Taizong (reign 626 to 649) of theTang dynasty (618 to 907) sent him to the Kingdom of Kannauj (510–1036), India, heading the third Tang mission, in response toHarshavardhana (reign 606 to 647) sending an ambassador to China.[2] According to Chinese sources,[b] on arriving in India he discovered that Harshavardhana had died.[3] The new king, Aluonashun (supposedlyArunāsva[3][c]), attacked Wang and his 30 mounted subordinates.[6] Wang Xuance escaped to Tibet, and assembled a regiment of 700Nepalesemounted infantry and 1,200Tibetanmercenaries, which attacked Arunāsva,[7] captivating him[8][9] and 2,000 prisoners,[10] and also taking a reported Buddhist relic for China.[11] The success of this attack won Xuance the prestigious title of the "Grand Master for the Closing Court."[7] He wrote the bookZhong Tianzhu Guo Xingji (Travel Notes of Central India), which included a wealth of geographical information.[12]
^Nepal had been subdued by the Tibetan KingSongtsen (Sen 2003, pp. 22).
^The confrontation is only described in Tibetan and Chinese sources, not in Indian sources, and may have been exaggerated by the Chinese.(Sen 2003, pp. 22–24, 253).
^The pretender's name was recorded in Chinese records as "Na-fu-ti O-lo-na-shuen," probably a reference toTirabhukti andArunasva.[4][5]
