Nalanda University Inauguration: Nalanda University is returning to its old form after a long wait of about 800 years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University. Amidst the news and new pictures of the inauguration of the new campus, its history is also being discussed.
Actually, Nalanda, the world’s first residential university, has such an ancient history with itself that many books have been written about it. It is said that when universities started being built in the world, at that time Nalanda had already created its legacy of several hundred years.
So on the occasion of inauguration of the new campus, today we will tell you the story of Nalanda, in which you will know what is the history of the university, which great people have studied from here and for what kind of studies Nalanda was known. So let’s read about Nalanda…
How Old is Nalanda?
When we talk about the top universities of the world, the names of Oxford and Cambridge come to mind. But, Nalanda University is much older than that. Nalanda is made up of three words – Na, Alam and Da. It means a gift that has no limit. It was built in the 5th century during the Gupta period and by the 7th century it had become a great university.
It was part of a huge Buddhist monastery and is said to have an area of about 57 acres. Apart from this, many reports claim it to be even bigger. According to some records, it was built on a mango orchard, which was given to Gautam Buddha by some traders.
Discovered in the 19th Century
The modern world came to know about it during the 19th century. This university was buried under the ground for many centuries. In 1812, local people found Buddhist statues in Bihar, after which many foreign historians studied it. After this, it came to light.
Who All Used to Come to Study?
Nalanda University was special because great teachers taught here from time to time. These great teachers include Nagarjuna, Buddhapalita, Shantarakshita and Aryadev. If we talk about those who studied here, people from many countries came here to study.
China’s famous traveler and scholar Huen Sang, Fa-Hien and Itsing also studied here. Huen Sang was a disciple of Nalanda’s Acharya Sheelbhadra. Huen Sang studied law by staying at Nalanda University for 6 years.
How Big was the Campus?
The grandeur of this university was such that it had 300 rooms, 7 large rooms and a 9-storey library for studies. It was also spread over several acres. A 9-storey library was built here for in-depth study of every subject, which had more than 90 lakh books.
It is said that when it was set on fire, its library kept burning for 3 months, from this you can guess how many books must have been there. The story of this university tells that India’s knowledge has been illuminating the world for centuries. Apart from this, some records had said that there was an attack from Al Chin Nu earlier.
What was Taught?
This university has been considered a storehouse of knowledge. Apart from religious texts, many subjects like literature, theology, logic, medicine, philosophy, astronomy were taught here. It is said that the subjects being taught here in those times were not being taught anywhere else. This university continued to lead the world on the path of knowledge for 700 years.
What is the story of destruction?
However, Nalanda had to face many difficulties. After its 700-year long journey, in the 12th century, Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked and burnt it down. It is said that once Bakhtiyar Khilji fell seriously ill. After that, he was treated in many ways and there are many stories about this. It is said that after being unhappy with his treatment, Khilji burnt it down in anger.
