NALANDA – THE FIRST UNIVERSITY OF WORLD

 

Bharata the land of knowledge, where the light of the high consciousness of spirituality constantly illuminated the whole world. The way foreign invaders did the work of destroying the high Himalayas of that knowledge, This lead the entire Bharata thousands of years was left behind.

When the whole world was lives in caves and kandaras, then there was a discussion on knowledge and science in Bharat. Here in Bharat people use to discuss over Stars, Nakshatra, Moon ,Sun and all the genres of geography were studied.

Bharata was always in search of knowledge and science for mankind. These invaders not only destroyed Bharat but also forced the coming generations of the entire mankind to live a life of darkness.

The broken remains of Nalanda University are a living example of how foreign invaders looted Bharat, how they extended the era of darkness for the coming generations.

Let us know about the world-famous university Nalanda and we will definitely be proud to know about it.

NALANDA – THE FIRST UNIVERSITY OF WORLD

Nalanda was an acclaimed Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar) in India. The site is located about 95 kilometres southeast of Patna near the city of Bihar Sharif, and was a centre of learning from the fifth century CE to 1200 CE. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The highly formalized methods of Vedic education helped inspire the establishment of large educational institutions such as Taxila, Nalanda, and Vikramashila, which are often labeled as the early universities of India. Nalanda flourished in the 5th and 6th centuries under the patronage of the Gupta Empire and later under Emperor Harsha of Kannauj. The liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta era resulted in a period of growth and prosperity until the ninth century. The following centuries were a time of gradual decline, a period during which the Tantric developments of Buddhism became most evident in the Eastern Empire under the Pala Empire

 

Establishment & Protection

The credit for establishing this university goes to the Gupta ruler Kumaragupta I 450-470. All the ruling dynasties that came even after the fall of the Gupta dynasty continued their contribution to its prosperity.  It also received the patronage of the great emperor Harshavardhana and the Pala rulers.  Along with the local rulers and various regions of Bharat.

When and who burnt Nalanda University

Turkish ruler Bakhtiyar Khilji had set fire to Nalanda University. It is said that there were so many books in the university that the fire continued in the library here for three whole months. He killed many religious and Buddhist monks. Khilji occupied some areas ruled by Buddhists in North India

 

Structure

It was the world's first fully residential university. In the developed situation, the number of students was about 10,000 and the number of teachers was 2000. When Xuanzang came in the seventh century, there were 10,000 students and 2000 teachers in Nalanda University. Students from different regions of India but also from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey used to come to this university. Highly educated graduates of Nalanda used to go out and preach Buddhism. This university had international fame from the ninth century to the twelfth century.

 

 

 

PREMISES

Built in a very well-planned manner and over a wide area, this university was a wonderful specimen of architecture. Its entire complex was surrounded by a huge wall with a main gate for entry. There was a row of monasteries from north to south and there were many grand stupas and temples in front of them. Beautiful statues of Lord Buddha were installed in the temples. The Kendriya Vidyalaya had seven large rooms and in addition there were three hundred other rooms. There were lectures in them. So far, thirteen monasteries have been found in excavations. By the way, there are likely to be even more monasteries. Monasteries had more than one floor. There was a stone outpost for sleeping in the room. There were lamps, books, etc. There was a well in the courtyard of each monastery. Apart from eight large buildings, ten temples, several prayer rooms and study rooms, the complex also had beautiful gardens and lakes.

 

 

Management

The entire university was managed by the chief acharya who was elected by the monks. The Chief acharya used to make all the arrangements in consultation with two consultative committees. The first committee looked after the education and curriculum work and the second committee looked after the financial system and administration of the entire university. The committee looked after the produce and income from the 200 villages donated to the university. From this, food, clothes and accommodation were arranged for thousands of students.

 

Teachers & scholars

 

There were three categories of teachers in this university who came in first, second and third class according to their qualifications. Among the famous acharyas of Nalanda, Shilbhadra, Dharmapala, Chandrapala, Gunamati and Stammati were prominent. At the time of Xuanzang in the 7th century, the head of this university was Shilbhadra who was a great teacher, teacher and scholar.

Admission rules

The entrance examination was very difficult and due to that only talented students could get admission. They had to pass three tough exam levels. This is the world's first such example.  It was extremely necessary to follow the rules of pure conduct and association.

Teaching-learning method

In this university, Acharya used to teach students through oral lectures. Apart from this, there was also an interpretation of books. The scriptures continued. Every hour of the day there was study and doubt resolution.

 

Area of Education

Here the works of Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, Asanga and Dharmakirti, the originators of Mahayana, were studied in detail. Vedas, Vedanta and Sankhya were also taught. Grammar, philosophy, surgery, astrology, yoga and medicine were also under the curriculum. On the basis of many bronze sculptures found in the excavation of Nalanda, some scholars believe that perhaps the science of making metal idols was also studied. There was a special department for astronomy studies.

Library:-

Nalanda had a huge library of nine floors for the study of thousands of students and acharyas with a unique collection of more than 3 lakh books. [3] This library had books related to all subjects. It was located in three huge buildings called 'Ratnaranjak', 'Ratnadadhi', 'Ratnasagar'. The 'Ratnadadhi' library had many unobtainable handwritten books stored. Copies of many of these books were taken with them by Chinese travelers.

 

Hostel

 

There were 300 rooms for the students to stay, in which there was a provision for living alone or more than one student. One or two monk students lived in one room. The rooms were given to the students each year based on their advancement. It was managed by the students themselves through the students' union

 

Student Union

The students had their own union here. They arranged and made their own choices. This association used to manage various student related matters like hostels etc.

Economic base

 

The students did not have any kind of financial worries. Education, food, clothing, medicine and treatment were all free for them. The university had received 200 villages donated by the state, from which the income and food grains were used to meet its expenses.

 

^{END OF ERA}

^{By the 13th century, the university had completely collapsed. The accounts of Muslim historian Minhaj and Tibetan historian Taranath show that this university suffered great damage from the invasions of the Turks. According to Taranath, the dignity of this university was also severely damaged by the quarrels between the pilgrims and the monks. The first attack on this was done by the Huna ruler Mihirkul. In 1199, the Ottoman invader Bakhtiyar Khilji burned it down and completely destroyed it.}

 

Historical mention

 

Famous Chinese scholars traveler Hiuen Tsang and Itsing received cultural and philosophical education here for many years. He has written a lot about Nalanda in his travelogues and memoirs. [3] [a] Xuanzang wrote that thousands of students studied in Nalanda and that is why Nalanda became famous. The whole day was spent studying. Foreign students also used to resolve their doubts. Hiuen Tsang wrote that the names of eminent scholars of the university were written in white letters at the main gate of the university.

 

Complex of ancient relics

The remains of this university have been found in an area of fourteen hectares. All the buildings found in the excavation were constructed of red stone. This complex is built from south to north. Monasteries or viharas were built in the east direction of this complex and chaitya (temple) in the west direction. The main building of this complex was Vihar-1. Even today, there is a two-story building left. The building is located near the main courtyard of the complex. It was probably here that the teachers used to address their students. A small prayer hall in this vihara is still left in a safe state. There is a broken statue of Lord Buddha in this prayer hall. The temple no. 3 is the largest temple in this complex. A panoramic view of the entire area can be seen from this temple. This temple is surrounded by many small and big stupas. In all these stupas, there are statues of Lord Buddha in different postures.