NALANDA UNIVERSITY, ANCIENT INDIAN UNIVERSITY

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NALANDA UNIVERSITY 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,

 Nalanda university is a world famous university in ancient history.It is the indian second university.It function between 5th 12th century .It fuction 800 years .Nalanda is ancient center for higher studies . Nalanda university one of the first university in the world . Nalanda university established by gupta emperor kumara gupta 1 

 

In nalanda held 10000 student and 2000 faculty in those days .In nalanda every corner of the world student come to study in nalanda university . Nalanda university is world first residential university 
The university was  considered an architectural master piece . In nalanda world famous scholar are studying: vasubandhu, dharmapala .suvishnu , asanka dharmakeerthi ,shantha rakshitha,nagarjuna ,aryadeva ,padmasambhava ,xuanzang It s finding in UNESCO( united national education scientific cultural organization)

LOCATION

 

Nalanda university located in rajagriha nalanda dist bihar state in India 95 km from south east patna
LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
  • 25.2622  North latitude 
  • 85.47.88 East longitude

MSL( MEAN SEA LEVEL )

  • Elevation or mean sea level of nalanda university is 338 meter or 1108.92 ft above sea level

CLIMATE

  • Nalanda climate is very difficult in summer very hot  (march to june) and cool in winter ( october to february ) and experience moderate rain fall average rain fall about 120 cm for the year
BEST VISITING TIME 
  • October to march 

LOCAL LANGUAGE

  • Magadhi

HISTORY OF NALANDA UNIVERSITY ( 425 TO 1205)

  • Nalanda was considered as one of the famous university and world finest and greatest university in world history
  •  Before formation of oxford cambridge bologna university in ancient India . 
  • It was know as the largest buddhist monastery in magadha in India
  • It was first  university around the world. 
  • This university founded by gupta emperor kumara gupta 1 the son of famous gupta ruler chandragupta vikramaditya
  • Nalanda university founded in 427 AD . It was religious center of learning over 800 years ,
  •  Nalanda university was best university around the world .
  • In nalanda student from across the globe come here to study 
  • . Nalanda library is one of  greatest library in  the world
  • Nalanda university obtained significant fame and relevance during ancient time and rose to legendary status due to its contributions of the emergency of indian as great power around forth century
  • Nalanda attracted student from tibet, chaina, korea , mongolia, turkey, sri lanka, central asia , and south east asia
  • All the student of nalanda studied mahayana as well as text of eighteen hinayana sec of buddhism their curriculum also include other subject

ABOUT NALANDA

  • Nalanda central campus spreed over 15,000,000
  • Area of nalanda 23 hector 
  • buffer zone of nalanda 578.88 hector
  • 300   class rooms
  • 8       conference hall
  • 3       hostels
  • 4       dinning halls 
  • 6       bricks temple

LIBRARY OF NALANDA

 

 

According tibetan source three big multistoried buildings

  • There was Ratnasagar or   Ocean of Jewels.
  • There is Ratnodadhi or    Sea of Jewels.
  • There is also Ratna Ranjak or Jewel-adorned.
  • Ratnodadhi had been nine storeys and it included sacred manuscripts consisting of Prajnaparamita Sutra along with Guhyasamaja.
  • The volumes in Nalanda Library might be hundreds of thousands.
  • After the death of Buddhist scholar in Nalanda, the manuscripts have been displayed in library

 

ADMISSION PROCESSES IN NALANDA

  • The entrance procedure at the Nalanda University was considered to be very rigid and difficult. Students had to go through three levels of tests to prove their ability. The unmatched discipline and rules were considered necessary in the University. It is believed that the great astronomer and mathematician Aryabhata was the head of the university.
  • According hien tsung only 20 % student who sat entrance test succeeded the eligibility test education was free of cost

SYLLABUS OF NALANDA

 
 
Teaching types in nalanda
  • ———————————–
  • verbal and explanatory
  • lecture and debate
  • dissussic

curriculum of nalanda

  • ——————————–
  • All the student of nalanda studied mahayana as well as text of eighteen hinayana sec of buddhism their curriculum also include other subject
  • Such as    
  • logic
  • sanskrit
  • grammar
  • medicine
  • samakyas

FACTS OF NALANDA

  •  
  • It is believed that the great mathematician and astronomer Aryabhata was the head of the university.
  • At the height of it’s glory, Nalanda University was devoted to not only Buddhist studies, but also trained students in fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics and the art of war.
  • Nalanda used to be an education centre of ancient India.
  • Kumar Gupta I established Nalanda in the 415-454 B.C.
  • Nalanda is derived from the Sanskrit word meaning lotus.
  • Students from various countries came to receive education in the Nalanda University.
  • Pali language is used for teaching in the Nalanda University.
  • In the 12th century this university was destroyed by the attack of Bakhtiyar Khilji.
  • At that time about 10 thousand students were studying and there were 2 thousand teachers.
  • According to historians, it is believed that Mahatma Buddha had also visited the Nalanda University, where he had also resided, due to which Nalanda is also known as the centre of Buddhist education from the 5th century to the 12th century.
  • The library of Nalanda University was the largest and oldest library in the world.
  • The name of this library was Dharma echo, which means the mountain of truth. There were millions of books in this library.
  • It is believed that this library was burning for six months.

FAMOUS STUDENT OF NALANDA

 

  • Aryabhatta
  • Aryadeva student of Nagarjuna
  • Atisha Mahayana and Vajrayana scholar
  • Chandrakeerhistudent of Nagarjuna
  • Dharmakeerthi, logician
  • Dharmapala
  • Diganga, founder of Buddhist logic
  • Nagarjuna formaliser of the concept of Shunyata
  • Naropa, student of tilopa and teacher of Marpa
  • shantarakshita, founder of Yogācāra-Mādhyamika
  • Shilabhadra the teacher of Xuanzang
  • xuanzang Chinese Buddhist traveller
  • Yiging, Chinese Buddhist traveller
 DESTROY NALANDA
  • Khilji was ruling at that time and once the Khilji was very sick, many of the doctors were called but there was no improvement in his health. So someone advised Khilji to be treated with Ayurvedic medicine, Shreebhadra of the Nalanda University, but he did wanted to be treated by any Indian doctor. After seeing his health deteriorating all day, he called the Indian hakim, but Khilji did not eat the medicines given to him and put a condition that he will have to fix him without medicine, otherwise you will be killed. After hearing this, Rahul Shrabhadar started thinking about how to do it without medication.
  • After a few days, he took the Quran near the Hakim Khilji and asked him to chant the Quran everyday. It will make you fit. Khilji began to read the Quran daily, his condition gradually started to heal. After all, he forgotten the favors of Indian occupation when he was completely cured and was jealous of this as how the Indian Hakim corrected me completely.
  • Due to this irritation, he thought why not eliminate the entire root of this knowledge and set fire to Nalanda University.

OTHER ANCIENT UNIVERSITIES IN INDIA

 

  1. Takshashila
  2. Rathnagiri
  3. Vikramashila
  4. Jaggadala
  5. Pushpagiri
  6. Somapura
  7. Vallabi
  8. Bikrampur
  9. Odantapuri

VISITING DAYS AND TIME

  • Every day opening through out the week
  • No holiday 
  • Every day 9:00 am to 5:00 pm 

 ENTRY FEE  

  • Below 15 years no entry fee
  • Above 15 years indian and SAARC and BIMSTEC       Rs  15 
  • Other then foreign country  Rs 200 
  • Nalanda museum closed every friday 

 NEAR AIR PORT TO NALANDA

  • Patna air port ——- 89 km 

NEAREST RAILWAY STATION

  • Rajgir railway station —-12 km

Some cities in india distance from nalanda university

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