Even today, the ruins of red bricks lie silently in the sun on the land of Bihar. Once upon a time, a city of ideas was situated on these. Its name was Nalanda. Centuries before the rise of Oxford or Harvard, India established the world’s first residential university. Here, under the shade of Bodhi trees, 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers studied subjects ranging from astronomy to grammar. This was not just a Buddhist monastery, but a multidisciplinary university. This university was not only a global center of knowledge but also a symbol of India’s intellectual golden age. Let us know the untold legacy of Nalanda, which transformed Bihar into a hub of knowledge centuries ago.
University ahead of its time
Nalanda was founded by the Gupta dynasty emperor Kumaragupta I in the 5th century AD. For about 700 years, it flourished under the patronage of the kings. Scholars came here from China, Tibet, Korea, Indonesia and even Sri Lanka. It would not be an exaggeration to call it the first international university in history. In the seventh century, the Chinese monks Hiuen Tsang and Yijing studied here and described the grandeur of Nalanda in detail. According to him, Nalanda had eight huge complexes, 427 halls, 72 lecture halls and three huge libraries: Ratnasagara, Ratnodadhi and Ratnaranjaka, whose manuscripts glittered like gems. Itsing has also written that students from far and wide came here to learn logic, philosophy, medicine and languages.
64 subjects of Nalanda
The most distinctive feature of Nalanda was its curriculum. In this, not only religion but a total of 64 subjects were taught. According to Hiuen Tsang, the subjects in which students could specialize were as follows.
Grammar and Linguistics (Grammar)
logic (hetuvidya)
Ayurveda (medicine)
mathematics (mathematics)
Astronomy and Astrology (Jyotish)
Philosophy and spirituality (Madhyamaka, Yogachara)
Politics and Economics (Arthashastra)
Art, Sculpture and Architecture
This combination shows that in India at that time, knowledge was considered interconnected, that is, logic, language, medicine and ethics were all part of the same intellectual journey.
Not just rote learning, but education for thinking
Education in Nalanda was based not only on books but on dialogue and debate. Students were free to ask questions of teachers and defend their ideas in open meetings. Entry was also difficult. Hiuen Tsang writes that gatekeepers were scholars who asked questions of students before entering. Only one student out of five was admitted. This system shows that in Nalanda, importance was not given to lineage or wealth, but to intelligence and ability.
Kings gave money, monks managed
Unlike today’s universities, this university did not charge any fees. Nalanda received land and grants from the kings of the Gupta, Harshavardhana and Pala dynasties. The complex included dormitories, classrooms, temples, lakes, and meditation gardens, which were managed by a well-organized team of monks and staff. According to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), many foreign rulers also made donations to Nalanda, which is a testament to its international fame.
Nalanda was the center of global education
Hundreds of foreign scholars studied or taught here, including Hiuen Tsang and Itsing. Nalanda became the center of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy and learning, which influenced the education systems of Tibet, China, and South-East Asia. When Bakhtiyar Khilji burnt Nalanda in the 12th century, some of the monks fled to Tibet with the manuscripts. This was the foundation of Tibetan Buddhist education and many famous monasteries (such as Samye and Tashilhunpo). Fragments of these manuscripts were later found in the caves of Lhasa and Dunhuang, attesting to the far-reaching legacy of Nalanda.
The fire kept burning for months…
The most tragic chapter of the story of Nalanda came in 1193 AD when the army of Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked. According to historians, the huge library of Nalanda, Dharamganj, continued to burn for months. In some accounts it is even said that the fire was so severe that it did not go out for six months. Historian John Key has written that the fire in the library of Nalanda dimmed the light of Indian knowledge for centuries.
What is left of Nalanda?
Although the destruction was great, the spirit of Nalanda survived. Its scholars like Dharmapala, Shilabhadra and Atisha Dipankar continued to spread knowledge in Tibet and other countries. In the 19th century, archaeologist Alexander Cunningham rediscovered the ruins of Nalanda based on Hiuen Tsang’s travelogue. In 2016, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site, describing it as a symbol of India’s ancient global knowledge exchange.
Nalanda 2.0: Renaissance of Knowledge
History took a beautiful turn when Nalanda University was revived in 2014, right near the site of its ruins. Seventeen countries, including Japan, China, Singapore and Australia, participated in the reconstruction of this new university. Its design is based on the mandala structure, which symbolizes wisdom and cosmic balance.
Nalanda’s legacy
A thousand years ago, when the rest of the world’s knowledge centers had not yet been established, India had created a blueprint for higher education in the form of Nalanda. A blueprint that prioritized logic, curiosity and freedom to learn.
