Ancient seat of learning
RAMESH SETH
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Founded in the fifth century, the Nalanda University flourished for 800 years.
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The ruins: A famous university once.
Nalanda University, actually the ruins of the once famous University, is only 15 km from Rajgir. The ruins have lain thus for 800 years. Even today, the impression of its excellence survives. And this was the first residential international university of the world.
End of an era
But, first the ruins. Our guide points out that the 1,500-year-old bricks among the ruins were in far better condition than the newer bricks put in for support. The difference is clear. He says that the ancient brick was made of mud totally desalinated. As a result the bricks did not corrode like modern bricks. Founded in the fifth century A.D., under the Gupta Empire, Nalanda was known as the ancient seat of learning. It used to have 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students from all over the world, especially the Eastern World. They lived and studied at Nalanda, thus making Nalanda the first residential international university of the world. It flourished for 800 years, from the fifth to the 12th century. The university campus was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. The library containing thousands of volumes, was located in a nine-storied building.
The end of such a magnificent University was rather sad. In 1193, the Nalanda University complex was sacked and burnt by Muslim invaders under Bakhtiyar Khilji. The university survived for about a 100 more years but it went into deep decline.
More than the destruction of merely a seat of learning it was the end of an era.
A number of ruined structures has survived. The known and excavated ruins extend over an area of about 150,000 square metres, although if Xuanzang’s account of Nalanda’s extent is correlated with present excavations, almost 90 per cent of it remains unexcavated. After almost 1000 years, recent reports suggest that authorities concerned hope to resurrect the Nalanda University.
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