In a candid chat on Nikhil Kamath’s WTF podcast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled an intriguing reason behind Chinese President Xi Jinping’s desire to visit Gujarat. The visit, as it turns out, was not just about diplomacy, but a historical connection dating back over 1,400 years.
“President Xi, during a courtesy call in 2014, said to me that I want to come to India and want to visit Gujarat. He told me there is a connection between me and him,” Modi recounted.
The connection? The legendary Chinese philosopher Xuanzang, also known as Hiuen Tsang, who once stayed in Modi’s ancestral village, Vadnagar.
“One Chinese philosopher named Xuanzang stayed for long in your village in India and when he returned to China, he stayed in my village,” Modi quoted Xi as saying.
This unexpected revelation was shared by Modi while speaking with Zerodha Co-Founder Nikhil Kamath. The prime minister elaborated on the historical link that Xi had with Vadnagar, where Xuanzang is believed to have spent time during his travels through India.
Modi even recalled writing to a filmmaker making a movie about Xuanzang, urging them to highlight his connection to Vadnagar.
As for his own connection to Vadnagar, PM Modi had fond memories of his childhood. “I used to wash everyone’s clothes in my family, due to which I would get permission to go to the pond,” he shared, adding that his swimming lessons took place at a small village pond.
He also fondly remembered his schooling days in Vadnagar, admitting he was an average student with a few standout moments. “I wasn’t someone who would get noticed. But there was one teacher who took interest in me and told my father that I was a talented student,” Modi reflected.
He went on to reveal that, as a student, he avoided anything involving competition but participated in other activities. “I used to run away from anything in which competition was involved,” he laughed, offering a candid glimpse into his early years.
Back to the bigger picture, Modi revealed how Xi’s visit to Vadnagar was rooted in the ancient connection with Hiuen Tsang, who had written about the existence of 10 Buddhist monasteries in Vadnagar around 1,400 years ago.
“When I became the Prime Minister in 2014, leaders from across the world made courtesy calls. Chinese President Xi also made a courtesy call in which he said he wants to come to India. I said ‘you are welcome, you must visit’. He said he wanted to visit Gujarat and my village, Vadnagar,” Modi explained.
In 2014, Xi visited Gujarat on Modi’s 64th birthday, where the prime minister showed him a pictorial gallery highlighting Vadnagar’s Buddhist roots. The visit was symbolic, marking the deeper cultural ties between the two nations, long before they were thrust into the headlines of international politics.
In 2017, during Xi’s visit to Gujarat, PM Modi once again touched upon the historical significance of Vadnagar. Vadnagar is not just any village; it has an ancient connection with Xi’s hometown of Xian, China.
In fact, archaeological excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) corroborated Xuanzang’s writings, unveiling traces of Buddhist monasteries and establishing Vadnagar’s importance in India’s rich Buddhist heritage.
The village, referred to as “O-nan-to-pu-lo” by Xuanzang, was later renamed Anandapura. Historical records also show that during Xuanzang’s visit, the region was ruled by Harshavardhana of Kannauj, whose court the philosopher visited.
