Nalanda University
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| Nalanda University |
Nalanda University was the most important and famous center
of higher education in ancient India. Nalanda is composed of Sanskrit word
Nalma + Da. In Sanskrit, 'Nallam' means 'Kamal' (Lotus). Lotus is a symbol of
knowledge. Nalma + da means lotus, giving knowledge. There was a Nalanda
University in Nalanda district of Bihar, where the students - foreign students
came to education. Nowadays its remains are visible. Located 90 kilometers away
from Patna and about 12 kilometers south of Bihar Sharif, the world famous
ancient Buddhist University, and Nalanda’s ruins are located. There were 2,000
teachers to teach 10,000 students here. The famous Chinese traveler Huansang
had spent a significant year of life as a student and as a teacher in the 7th
century. The famous 'Buddhist Sariputra' was born here. About two and a half
thousand years ago, there were three universities in Asia. Takshashila,
Vikramshila, Nalanda On becoming Pakistan, Takshshila University went to
Pakistan and found excavation at Vikramshila and Nalanda University in Bihar.
Vikramshila is in Bhagalpur district of Bihar. And Nalanda University was found
in Nalanda district.
This university also got the help of foreign rulers the
monasteries of Nalanda University were constructed from ancient Kushan
architecture. It looked like a row of cells around a courtyard. Emperor Ashoka
and Harshvardhan built the most monasteries and temples here. Thus it continued
to operate successfully until the twelfth century, but after the devastation in
the Turks invasion, it did not get restored. Find out its structures after
excavation at this place. The remains of this university were found in 14
hectare area. All the buildings here have been constructed with red stone. Even
today, we can see the main two-storey building of this university. It is
believed that teachers were probably used to address their students. A prayer
hall here is still in a safe state. There is a statue of Lord Buddha placed in
it but it has become a little fragmented. Apart from this, there are many
temples here. Temple number 3 has a panoramic view of this entire area. It is a
Buddhist temple in which there are many small stupas and each one has a statue
of Lord Buddha installed.
Establishment of university
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| Site of Nalanda university |
Gupta king Emperor Kumar Gupta I, 415-454 BC NalandaUniversity was established.
And developed this place as a university. After that, his
successor, other kings, constructed many buildings and university buildings
here. Of these, Gupta Emperor Baladitya established a beautiful temple here in
470 AD and installed a statue of 80 feet of Lord Buddha.
Emperor Ashoka built a temple at Nalanda in this place,
hence Emperor Ashoka is considered the founder of Nalanda Vihar. In the
excavation of Nalanda, a copper plate of Samudragupta and a coin of Kumaragupta
got. Hence Nalanda Vihar Kumaragupta is considered to be made of secret
monarchs. Raja Harshavardhana of Kannauj (606-47) gave a lot of money to
Nalanda University. He gave away the name of this university to about 100
villages. According to the requirement of the University from those villages,
rice, ghee and milk etc. started coming. Therefore, full doses of the
university students got free from these villages, and they did not have to go
for a begging anywhere.
According to some opinions, Emperor Ashok gave 1200 villages
to Nalanda University. That the expenses of the university should be spent on
the income.
Free studies: No
fees were imposed on students of Nalanda University for education,
accommodation, food etc. All the facilities were free.
After being associated with the prominence of Buddhist
religion, there are indications of studies related to Hindu and Jainism, as
well as Vedas, science, astronomy, sankhya, architecture, crafts,
sculpture, grammar, philosophy, Surgery, astrology, yoga and medicine
were also included in the syllabus. This shows that despite being a Buddhist
regime, Buddhists have never discriminated against the followers of other
religions.
Rules of Nalanda University
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| Ruined Building of Nalanda university |
In the next 30 years, even after Yuwaanwang, eleven Chinese
and Korean travelers had come in Nalanda.
Teachers of Nalanda University were famous for their
knowledge in the world. His character was completely bright and flawless. There
was a rigid rule for students. Which were necessary to follow. Chinese traveler
Hansang studied Buddhist philosophy, religion and literature at Nalanda
University. He studied here for ten years. Accordingly, entering this
university was not easy. Only students receiving higher education could get
admission here. The first student had to take the exam for admission. Entrance
was possible only after passing it. The university had six gates. There was a gate
at each door. Before admission, he used to take examinations of students there.
Only 20 to 30 percent of the students could pass this examination. Even after
admission to the university, students had to work hard and it was compulsory to
pass several examinations. The student who graduated from here was respected
everywhere.
In China, Itings and Huiyi and Haineh from Korea are the
main ones in foreign travelers. When the University of Utah came here in 630
AD, the university was at its peak. At this time there were ten Sahastra
students and one Sahastra Acharya.
Students were admitted in Nalanda University with a lot of
difficulty because only high-quality students were admitted.
The system of education was under the control of Mahasthvir.
Sheilabhadra was the Principal at that time. These were famous Buddhist
scholars. Among the other well-known educators here, Nagarjuna, Padamasambhava,
who promoted Buddhism in Tibet, Shantirakshak and Dipankar are all famous in
the history of Buddhism.
Nalanda was the best university in Asia in the 7th century
and for several hundred years. To study here, students from other countries
such as Champa, Kamboj, Java, Sumatra, Burmadesh, Tibet, Lanka and Iran used to
come and studied in the school and considered they blessed.
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| Corridor of Nalanda university |
Apart from Buddhism in Nalanda, subjects related to
ornithology, vocabulary, medical science, Atharvaveda and Sankhya were also
taught. Yuvvanchwang had written that one of Nalanda's Sahastra scholars were
hundred of the Acharyas, who knew the formula and scriptures, were five
hundred, three subjects, and twenty, in 50 subjects. Only Shilabhadra was such
that there was equal speed in all subjects.
At the beginning of the new century, at the time of King Devplal
of Bengal, Nalanda reached the highest peak of progress. The emperors of
Honduria, Java, Sumatra sent money to Devpal by the Ambassadors which made the
Vihar there. Emperor Song of Tibet Yang Gumpo acquired knowledge of Buddhist
and Brahmin literature with Acharya Devviddhi.
Thereafter, King Kho Deo Utpana called Tang of Tibet. Almost
even the fortunes of the same time went to Tibet, and he got great fame as the
founder of Lama Panth in Tibet. It was a matter of great pride for the Nalanda university
that its scholar gave a special design to Tibetan religion. Nalanda's scholars
also went to Korea.
Library of Nalanda university
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| Library of Nalanda university |
Nalanda University had three great libraries-
1.
Ratnodhadi,
2.
Ratnagar
3.
Gemstones
Describing the height of their buildings, Yuwanwang has
written that 'their peak attic highlights were even higher than the clouds and
the snow in the morning had solidified them. From the vellors of the sun, the
light of the sunlight made the atmosphere beautiful and attractive. In theselibraries there were handwritten manuscripts. ' Many of these copies were
copied by Yuvvwvang. In the Jain book 'Sukrutatang', a beautiful garden named
Nalanda's 'Hastian' is described. At the time of the invasion of Muslims in
Bihar and Bengal in 1303 AD, Nalanda had to become a victim of his wrath. All the
monks here have been killed by the invaders. The Muslims burned the famous
library of Nalanda, and burnt down the basin and ruined the beautiful buildings
and beautiful buildings in ruins. In this way, the monks who had never thought
of Nalanda's house of Indian education, culture and civilization away from the
harsh realities of the world, have never imagined, the shock of one attack
combined with dust.
Who destroyed the Nalanda University?
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| Bhaktiyar khilji destroying Nalanda university |
This university had international fame from the 4th to the 11th century, but a Muslim Turk Robbers named Ikhtiyaruddin Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji burnt and destroyed it in 1199 AD. Thousands of rare books were burnt to ashes in this scandal. Important documents were destroyed. It is said that there were so many books that even after the fire; the books kept burning in smoke for three months.
It is said that many teachers and Buddhist monks,
hiding in their clothes, saved many rare manuscripts and took them towards
Tibet. In the meantime, these knowledge funds converted the Tibetan area into a
large center of Buddhism and knowledge.
Surprisingly, the robber came with just 200 horsemen
and at least 20,000 students were studying at Nalanda University at
that time. Unarmed and non-violent Buddhist monks never imagined that this
university would also need protection.
This cruel Turk massacred Buddhists, many religious
and Buddhist monks living near the university and captured some areas ruled by
Buddhists in North India. Thousands of Buddhist monks were killed and thousands
of monks fled Sri Lanka or Nepal.
Khilji had selected all the Buddhist monasteries in Bihar
and forced the people to accept Islam. Islamic extremists chose Gaya's
Bodhasthal for its attack. Say that if Islam was eradicated by eradicating
Buddhism, then there would be no exaggeration in it. History is the witness,
the facts are witnesses. Due to the thousands of books burnt to Nalanda, a lot
of such knowledge has become extinct, which is the work of the world today.
Bakhtiyar Khilji wreaked havoc on the inferior Nalanda
University in the absence of army. Thousands of Buddhist monks were killed even
when Khilji could not find peace with the blood of teachers and students, even
after breaking the entire land, he set fire to a grand educational institute.
Bakhtiyar Khilji was a fanatic and a fool. After attaining
power in Bengal, he tried to occupy Tibet and China, but in this effort, his
army was destroyed and he was brought to Devkot in an impious condition. In
Devkot, only his assistant Alimardan killed Khaliji.
When and how the ruins of Nalanda University came to know?
In 1812, Bakmanam Hamilton was known as Bargaon, where
Nalanda Khandahar is located. From there were some Brahmin sculptures and
some Buddhist sculptures. A few years later, Bradley digging on the spot. For
twenty years, the Department of Archeology also excavated there, so that the Kandahar
of Nalanda University was detected.
Nalanda University Architecture
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| Seal of Nalanda university |
Nalanda University was spread over seven miles long and
three miles wide. But it was only done in a square mile that excavated two
parts of the university. In one part hostels were fewer colleges which are in
one line. And in the second part of the temple found Lord Buddha's temple,
eleven Buddhist monasteries found in one line. Now they are called 11 blocks.
Whatever is in a block, it is in every block. Their two floors are suppressed
below. And we see the third floor. The first floor is on the bottom of the
secret period. Harshavardhana was built by the second floor in the seventh
century by covering the first floor. And the second floor was made by Devpal
for the third floor.
Each block has a lecture hall. Acharya used to teach here there
was a black board, there was a well in the lecture hall. There were rooms
around the lecture hall. In which students and teachers were living. This
college was residential. There were verandas in between the rooms and lecture
hall. There was a bathroom on one side. In which the lecture hall used to water
the well. There was a terrace for washing clothes. The skylight was also there.
The government has made a map here to understand the blocks.
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