Nalanda mahavihara
A renowned Buddhist mahavihara and ancient centre of learning.
Nalanda was a renowned Buddhist mahavihara (great monastery) in medieval Magadha (modern-day Bihar), eastern India. Widely considered to be among the greatest centres of learning in the ancient world and often referred to as 'the world's first residential university', it operated for almost a thousand years from 427 CE until around 1400 CE. The characterisation of Nalanda as a 'university' in the modern sense has been challenged by scholars, who argue that comparing it directly to a modern university is historically imprecise.
Quick Facts
- Other Name
- Nala, Nalaka, Nalakagrama, Nalendra
- Location
- Nalanda, Bihar, India
- Region
- Magadha
- Length
- 800 ft
- Area
- 12 ha
- Builder
- King Kumaragupta I
- Built
- 427 CE
- Abandoned
- Around 1400 CE
- Events
- Likely attacked and ransacked by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji in c. 1200 CE.
- Excavations
- 1915–1937, 1974–1982
- Condition
- In ruins
- Owner
- Government of India
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Nalanda was established by emperor Kumaragupta I of the Gupta Empire around 427 CE, and was supported by numerous Indian and Javanese patrons – both Buddhists and non-Buddhists. It continued to thrive with the support of the rulers of the Pushyabhuti dynasty and the Pala Empire. After the fall of the Palas, the monks of Nalanda were patronised by the Pithipatis of Magadha. Nalanda was attacked by Huns under Mihirakula in the 6th century, though there is no established evidence he attacked Nalanda. It also faced an invasion by a Gauda king of Bengal in the 8th century, but this is not supported by widely accepted historical records. During the final invasion it was burnt down by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji around 1197–1200 CE, effectively ceasing as a major centre of learning, with no credible evidence of operation until 1400 CE.
Reader's Guide
Over some 750 years, Nalanda's faculty included some of the most revered scholars of Mahayana Buddhism, such as Dharmapala, Nagarjuna, Dharmakirti, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Chandrakirti, Xuanzang, Śīlabhadra, Vajrabodhi, and Dharmasvamin. The curriculum included major Buddhist philosophies like Madhyamaka, Yogachara and Sarvastivada, as well as subjects like the Vedas, grammar, medicine, logic, mathematics, astronomy and alchemy. The mahavihara had a renowned library that was a key source for the Sanskrit texts transmitted to East Asia by pilgrims like Xuanzang and Yijing. Many texts composed at Nalanda played an important role in the development of Mahayana and Vajrayana, including the works of Dharmakirti, the Sanskrit text Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra of Shantideva, and the Mahavairocana Tantra. The ancient site of Nalanda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2010, the Government of India passed a resolution to revive the ancient university, and a contemporary institute, Nālandā University, was established at Rajgir, listed as an Institute of National Importance.
Did You Know?
- Nalanda operated from 427 CE until its destruction around 1197–1200 CE, not until 1400 CE.
- The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang visited Nalanda in the 7th century and recorded local traditions about its name.
- Nalanda's library was a key source for Sanskrit texts transmitted to East Asia.
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