Nalanda University: Ancient Beacon of Knowledge
Nalanda Mahavihara, established around 427 CE by Emperor
Kumaragupta I of the Gupta Empire in modern-day Bihar, India, operated as the
world's first residential university for nearly a millennium, attracting over
10,000 students and 2,000 teachers from across Asia. Its curriculum spanned
Mahayana Buddhism alongside Vedas, grammar, medicine (Ayurveda), logic,
mathematics, astronomy, alchemy, politics, and fine arts, fostering
multidisciplinary scholarship that influenced global intellectual traditions.
Contributions Across Fields
Nalanda advanced education through rigorous oral
examinations and debate, setting standards for residential learning
institutions worldwide. In medicine, it propagated Ayurveda, emphasizing
nature-based healing that spread to Southeast Asia via alumni. Scientific
pursuits included mathematics, astronomy, and logic, with scholars developing
key Mahayana texts like those on Madhyamaka and Yogachara philosophies.
Culturally, its library—housing millions of manuscripts in multi-story
buildings—preserved and disseminated Sanskrit works, influencing art in
Thailand, Tibet, and Indonesia; politically, it promoted cross-cultural
exchanges under patrons like Harsha and Pala kings; socially, it embodied
inclusive monastic governance with consensus-based administration.
Prominent Gurus and Their Contributions
- Nagarjuna:
Pioneered Madhyamaka philosophy, foundational to Mahayana Buddhism,
emphasizing emptiness (shunyata).
- Dharmapala:
Key Yogachara thinker, advanced consciousness-only doctrines; also a noted
abbot.
- Dharmakirti:
Revolutionized Buddhist logic and epistemology, authoring Pramanavarttika
on valid cognition.
- Asanga
and Vasubandhu: Developed Yogachara idealism, with Vasubandhu also
contributing to Abhidharma and Vinaya.
- Chandrakirti:
Defended Madhyamaka against rivals, wrote Prasannapada on Nagarjuna's
Mulamadhyamakakarika.
- Shilabhadra:
Xuanzang's teacher, upheld Yogachara; led Nalanda during 7th century peak.
- Xuanzang:
Chinese pilgrim-scholar who studied and lectured there, translated 74
texts, spreading Nalanda's knowledge to East Asia.
These masters shaped Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions, with
their works transmitted via pilgrims to Tibet, China, and beyond.
Destruction by Bakhtiyar Khilji
Around 1200 CE, Turko-Afghan general Muhammad Bakhtiyar
Khilji raided Nalanda during his Bihar conquest, setting its vast library
ablaze—reportedly burning for three months—and destroying monasteries, killing
or driving away monks. Motivated by conquest and possibly resentment after
failing Ayurvedic treatment (mistaking Nalanda for a fort), his forces
systematically targeted Buddhist centers like Odantapura, aiming to plunder
wealth and suppress non-Islamic learning hubs. Prominent survivors included Rahula
Shribhadra (over 90, teaching in 1235 amid ruins) and Dharmasvamin's group;
many fled to Tibet, but mass slaughter of unnamed panditas occurred, with no
specific high-profile gurus confirmed killed on-site.
Impact on India's Knowledge System
The atrocities razed Nalanda's irreplaceable manuscripts,
crippling Magadha's Buddhist scholarship and accelerating the decline of
organized Indian learning centers, as fleeing monks preserved fragments in
Tibet. This targeted erasure of non-Abrahamic knowledge—part of broader
12th-13th century invasions—diminished India's role as a global intellectual
hub, shifting Buddhist transmission eastward and stunting local
scientific-cultural continuity for centuries.
Modi Government's Revival
The Narendra Modi government advanced Nalanda's
resurrection, passing the Nalanda University Act in 2010 (building on APJ Abdul
Kalam's vision), designating it a National Importance Institute. Prime Minister
Modi inaugurated the new 455-acre, net-zero campus near ancient ruins in Rajgir
on June 19, 2024, with global ambassadors present, emphasizing its role in
India's "Golden Age" and ancient inclusive spirit. This revival
positions India as a modern education hub, hosting international scholars and
restoring Nalanda's fame through sustainable architecture and Buddhist studies
programs.
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