Nalanda University

The ruins of Nalanda Mahavihar

“A life of joy and happiness is possible only on the basis of knowledge and science”
— Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan —

If you do, you will never cease to grow. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.

In words of Swami Vivekananda “Education is the manifestation of divine perfection already existing in man”. He also said “Educate our people, so that they may be able to solve their own problems. Until that is done, all these ideal reforms will remain ideals only”.

Indian education was on the top in the whole world for its two top most universities- Takshashila and Nalanda where the students from all across the world came to attain specialization. Famous graduates of Takshashila University include the ones like Chanakya, Panini, Charaka, Vishnu Sharma and many more. The architecture of these Universities were built in such a way that there was ample amount of fresh natural air and cross ventilation in the rooms which made the place airy and cool without the use of electrical fans or air conditions. India should achieve this pride again to prove to other nations that we are still enriched with knowledge. Other Nations should feel proud to get education in India, and then only India will once again be called “VISHAV GURU.”

Education in India and its spectra was influenced by the dynasties that governed the Indian cultural for periods. Great example of it is Nalanda University.

‘Nalanda’ in Sanskrit: NA + ALAM + DAA, which means “no stopping of the gift of knowledge”. In other words it meant that the spreading of knowledge should be eternal. The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from 427 to 1197 CE. It has been called “one of the first great universities in recorded history. Some buildings were constructed by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great (i.e. Raja Asoka: 273–232 BCE) which is an indication of an early establishment of the Buddhist learning center

Nalanda. TheGupta Empire also patronized some monasteries. According to historians, Nalanda flourished between the reign of the Gupta king Śakrāditya (also known as Kumāragupta, reigned 415-55) and 1197 CE, supported by patronage from Buddhist emperors like Harsha as well as later emperors from the Pala Empire. The complex was built with red bricks and its ruins occupy an area of 14 hectares. At its peak, the university attracted scholars and students from as far away as China, Greece, and Persia. Nalanda was sacked by Turkic Muslim invaders underBakhtiyar Khalji in 1193, a milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India. The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have burned for three months after the Mughals set fire to it, sacked and destroyed the monasteries, and drove the monks from the site. In 2006, Singapore, India, Japan, China and other nations, announced a proposed plan to restore and revive the ancient site as Nalanda International University.

History of Nalanda:

Nalanda University was one of the first universities in the world, founded in the 5th Century BC, and reported to have been visited by the Buddha during his lifetime.

Historical studies indicate that the University of Nalanda was established during the reign of the Gupta emperorKumaragupta. Both Xuanzang and Prajñavarman cite him as the founder, as does a seal discovered at the site.

As historian Sukumar Dutt describes it, the history of Nalanda university “falls into two main divisions–first, one of growth, development and fruition from the sixth century to the ninth, when it was dominated by the liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age; the second, one of gradual decline and final dissolution from the ninth century to the thirteen–a period when the tantric developments of Buddhism became most pronounced in eastern India.

Nalanda University was a completely residential university. At its peak, in the 7th century AD, Nalanda held some 10,000 students and 2000 teachers. It was able to embrace knowledge in its entirety to become uniquely attractive for all seekers of pure knowledge. The profound knowledge of the Nalanda teachers attracted scholars from places as distant as China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and South East Asia in quest of knowledge. These scholars have left records about the ambience, architecture and learning of this unique university. The most detailed accounts have come from Chinese scholars and the best known of these is Xuan Zang who carried back many hundred scriptures which were later translated into Chinese.

Nalanda University – A Structural masterpiece

Ventilation system at the dormitory: There were no proper windows. However, fresh air and sunlight were ensured by the ventilation system at the dormitory was an opening. These openings where wide and inclined in nature to allow the air and sunlight to come in through.

Drainage system: The drainage system was also hierarchical in nature. There was the main drainage system which carried the water of the whole settlement then there was smaller drainage which was from households. This drainage system was more or less inspired by the Harappan culture. The bigger drains were seated deeper in the earth while the smaller drains were shallow. so that smaller drainage could flush in the bigger and dipper seated drainage.

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The library of Nalanda, known as Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or Dharmagañja (Treasury of Truth), was the most renowned repository of Buddhist knowledge in the world at the time. It was praised as the world’s largest collection of Buddist literature and contained thousands of hand written manuscripts. It was a grand complex to house thousands of sacred and rare scriptures. There were different libraries for the Hindu and Buddhist scholar.

Ratnasagar held the collection of rare and sacred manuscripts like Prajnaparamita Sutra, the Samajguhya etc. The great library of Nalanda was so vast and its collection was said to comprise hundreds of thousands of volumes, so extensive that it burned for three months when set aflame by Muslim invaders. The invaders sacked and destroyed the monasteries and drove the monks from the site.

The great library of Nalanda was so vast and its collection was said to comprise hundreds of thousands of volumes, so extensive that it burned for three months when set aflame by Muslim invaders. The invaders sacked and destroyed the monasteries and drove the monks from the site.

Admission Process in Nalanda University:

Academic:

Great emphasis was placed on the Mahayana system of Learning. The curriculum taught there were not only Buddhist literature, religion and philosophy but also on the Vedas, other books like Chikitsavidya on medicine, Shabdavidya on grammar, Hetuvidya on logic, Atharvaveda which were works on magic, Philosophy of Samkhya, metaphysics and Yoga-shastra.

The classroom system at Nalanda university:

• Students were expected to enter into dialogue with visiting scholars thus logic and exegetics were preeminent subjects.
• There used to be hundreds of students and they were not allowed to go outside until the lecture was over.
• To add to their facility, even a well was there in most of the classroom to quench the thirst of the students if they were thirsty.
• There were around 8 colleges with tens of classrooms.
• A high level of discipline was maintained as can be observed from the presence of a water clock. Laxity was not tolerated.
• There was no punishment of any kind. For the faults or the defects of the students, the teachers punished themselves.

Teaching Methodology:

The teachers:

• Nalanda was an example of the Guru- Shishya parampara, a great Indian tradition.
• The authority of a Guru over the shishya was absolute, and yet dissent was permitted in academic matters.
• The teacher- pupil relation was like that of the father and his son. The greatest delight and the highest reward of the teacher came when his pupil outshone him.
• The standards of scholarship among the teachers were very high.
• They were not only famous for their piety, but were renowned for scholarship also.
• They were eminent for ‘conspicuous talent, solid learning, great ability and illustrious virtue.’
• Nalanda scholars were invited to different countries to establish educational centers there and were

Destruction of Nalanda University complex by Bakhtiyar Khilji:

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Persian historian in his chronicle Tabaqat-I-Nasiri writes that the monks were driven away, burned alive and thousands of them were beheaded to uproot the Buddhism. It is also believed that the library burned for more than three months and the sky had almost turned grey because of the heavy black smokes. To save their life, remaining monks fled away to Tibet or to other monasteries which are now in West Bengal and Bangladesh which were also a part of this University. 

Nalanda University in modern days:

 REBIRTH OF NALANDA

Eight hundred years after the destruction of Nalanda, former President of India Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, while addressing the Bihar State Legislative Assembly, in March 2006 mooted the idea of reviving the university. Almost simultaneously, a proposal termed the “Nalanda Proposal” was forwarded to Government of India by Singapore. This proposal sought the re-establishment of a University like Nalanda which would once again be the focal point of Asia. The State Government of Bihar quickly adopted the visionary idea and consulted the Government of India on the way ahead. It also began its search for a suitable location for the new Nalanda University. It identified and acquired 450 acres of land for the University in Rajgir¸ Bihar. The establishment of this University was thus marked by a high degree of co-operation between the State of Bihar and the Government of India.

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Nalanda is inspired by the academic excellence and global vision of its historic predecessor and aspires to meet and set global standards of academic excellence and research and enable capacity building in all areas of higher learning. The new Nalanda University is envisaged as a centre of inter-civilizational dialogue. The university began its first academic session on September 1, 2014 with 15 students including five women. Its original faculty consisted of world-class professors from some of the top universities across the globe. Initially set up with temporary facilities in Rajgir, a massive modern campus is expected to be finished by 2020. The university has been designated as an “international university of national importance” by the Parliament of India.