NALANDA UNIVERSITY AND ITS HISTORY

In the year 2019 , me along with my family paid a visit to the ancient Mahavihara , Nalanda, in the month of October during the puja vacation. It is a popular tourist destination in the state of Bihar, attracting a number of Indian and overseas visitors. We board our train at around 8 O'clock at night , from Howrah Junction. The next day , early in the morning we arrived Gaya Junction. Our booking was in a nearby hotel . After a couple of hours we got refreshed and again started our journey toward Rajgir by bus. It took around two and half hours to reach our destination. There were a no. of restaurants aside the main road. We had our lunch from one of those. Walking a few steps we reached the entrance of Nalanda.

HISTORY👇

Nalanda, the ancient most university of India, was a revered Buddhist monastery. It served as a renowned centre of learning in the ancient kingdom of Magadha. The University contributed emergence of India as a great power around the fourth century. The methods of buddist studies helped the establishment of large institutions like Taxila, Nalanda and Vikramshila, which are often charecterised as the early universities if India. Nalanda flourished under the patronage of Gupta Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries and later under Harsh, the emperor of Kannauj.

Nalanda was destroyed thrice, but was rebuilt only twice. While its excavated ruins today only occupy an area of around 488m by 244m, Nalanda Mahavihara occupied a far greater area during the mediaval time.