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Nalanda University
Context:
Prime Minister inaugurates Nalanda University Campus in Rajgir, Bihar.
About Nalanda University:
- Nalanda Mahavihara, a Buddhist university, was built in 427 AD by Emperor Kumaragupta in Bihar, in the ancient kingdom of Magadha.
- Significance: Considered one of the greatest learning centres of the ancient world, it flourished for 800 years until the 12th century CE, reaching its peak during Harshavardhana and the Pala monarchs.
- It was also visited by Hiuen Tsang, who took back several scriptures and translated them into Chinese.
- Academic Excellence: Admission was highly competitive. Students were mentored by renowned Buddhist teachers such as Dharmapala and Silabhadra.
- The university’s library, “Dharma Gunj,” housed nine million palm-leaf manuscripts.
- Scholars and Subjects: Nalanda attracted over 10,000 students and scholars from across Asia, including Aryabhatta, who taught here.
- Subjects included Ayurveda, mathematics, logic, grammar, Indian philosophy, astronomy, and Buddhist principles.
- It also created top-notch academicians like Dharmakirti, Nagarjuna, etc.
- Destruction and Rediscovery: Destroyed in 1193 by Bakhtiyar Khilji, it was rediscovered in 1812 by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton and identified by Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1861.
