Exploring India's Ancient Glory: Nalanda University

Dear readers, which university comes to mind when you hear the world's oldest and greatest university? Oxford or Cambridge or any other Western universities? Here I will talk about India's ancient and greatest universities that produce the world's most renowned mathematicians, and astronomers of all time. Let's explore history and destruction and captivating stories and facts about Nalanda University, also known as Nalanda Mahavihara.

Founded By

The story of Nalanda University dates back to the 3rd century when Kumaragupta I established the Nalanda Mahavihara. Nalanda is the combination of three Sanskrit words Na-Alam-Da, meaning the 'Unstoppable flow of knowledge'. This prestigious university was located in the Indian state of Bihar.

  

Construction

When it comes to construction, Nalanda University was one of the masterpieces of the Gupta period. As people from across the world visit there, the university has residents and student dorms. It has high walls with only one gate guarded by a gatekeeper. According to Huen Tsang, the gatekeeper had extensive knowledge of books. It is said that before entering the university people had to pass an oral examination conducted by the keeper. Inside, the university comprised eight distinct compounds, ten temples, several meditation halls, classrooms, lakes and parks. 

Library

The university boasted around 2000 teachers and 10,000 students as claimed by the Chinese scholar Xuanzang. The library is referred to as Dharmagaja (Treasury of Truth or Mountain of Truth). It comprises main buildings like Ratnasagar (Sea of Jewels), Ratnodadhi (Ocean of Jewels) and Ratnaranjaka (Jewel Adorned). The library contained 90 lakh or 9 million books across a 9-story structure of Nalanda University. Subjects like medicine, philosophy, grammar, Vedas, logic, mathematics, astronomy, alchemy, literature, religious texts and Sanskrit texts were the core subjects taught at the university. 

International Students

Nalanda University attracted students globally, especially from China making it one of the world's first international universities. Travellers like Huen Tsang and I-Tsing visited Nalanda and studied there. Other travellers like Megasthenese visited during the Hellenistic period, known as the 'Father of Indian History'. Nalanda University have been visited by Lord Buddha. Mention of Nalanda University can be found in several texts by Chinese travellers but Xuanzang wrote extensive reports on characteristics of the community. The University remained a Buddhist centre of learning from 427 to 1197 CE. 

Famous Personalities

Nalanda Mahavihara gave brilliant minds to the world like the greatest mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata, who invented zero (0), and Emperor Harshavardhana. Nagarjuna, and Vasubandhu, were also notable candidates at Nalanda University. 

Destruction

Finally, in the 1190s the Turkish leader Mohammad Bakhtiyar Khilji, the general of Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak destroyed the Nalanda Mahavihara and Vikramshila University. There are several reasons behind the destruction that will amaze you:  

1. Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked the university because it was a centre of learning and wealth. he was motivated by the desire for plunder and control of the prosperous region. 

2. another perspective suggests that there might have been religious motive. Bakhtiyar Khilji's desire to destroy the Buddhist centre of knowledge during his quest of northern and eastern parts of India. 

3. Once Bakhtiyar Khilji fell sick and even Hakims failed to cure him. Then he called Rahul Sri Bhadra, the principal of Nalanda University. He further put a condition that the principal had to cure him, but Khilji would not take any medicine. Following his condition, the principal applied medication to the pages of the Quran and asked him to read it every day. Just by smelling the medication Bakhtiyar Khilji got cured. Finally, when he discovered the truth, out of jealousy that he got cured by an Indian scholar who knew more than his hakims he set the library on fire to destroy the knowledge. Consequently, the library kept on burning for three months. 

These above-mentioned reasons are not historically accurate there are no historical records supporting these narratives. Different reasons have been debated from time to time by historians, but the exact reasons behind the destruction have yet to be discovered. 

Before Bakhtiyar Khilji, Hunas and Goudas Rajvansh had attacked the Nalanda University. But both times, the university was revived. Finally, Khilji ruined it so badly that no one could revive the university again. In 2010, the Government of India passed a resolution to rejuvenate the university, listing it as an "Institute of National Importance". In 2009, the University was also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.