The
highly formalized methods of Vedic learning helped and inspired the establishment of large teaching institutions
such as Taxila (Gandhar), Nalanda, Vikramashila, Odantpuri
(Bihar), Vallabhi (Maharashtra) and Salotgi (Karnataka) which are often characterised as
India's early universities.
Nalanda Visva
Mahavihara flourished under the patronage of the Gupta Empire, it was India's one of the Golden period who were
traditionally a Brahiminical
dynasty in the 5th and 6th centuries and later under Harsha the emperor of Kannauj.
The liberal
cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age resulted in a period of growth
and prosperity until the 9th (ninth) century.
The subsequent
centuries were a time of gradual decline, a period during which the tantric developments of
Buddhism became more pronounced in eastern India under the Pal Empire.
Nalanda name, place and Mahavihara –
There are many stories about the name Nalanda. (Xuanzang also known as Hiuen
Tsang) says it comes from Na
alam dā meaning “No End in
Gifts or Charity without Intermission”.
Yijing or It sing, another
Chinese traveler, scholar and student of Nalanda however, derives it from Nāga Nanda referring to the name (Nanda) of a snake (naga)
in the local tank.
Hirananda Sastri Indian
archaeologist who headed the excavation of the ruins, attributes the name to
the abundance of nālas (lotus-stalks) in the area and believes that Nalanda
would then represent the giver of lotus-stalks.
The word Nalanda derives from Sanskrit word Nalam + Da. In Sanskrit Nalam
means Kamal (Lotus). In Indian culture and Dharma Kamal or Lotus is the sign of
“Knowledge or Gyan”. “Da” word derives from Sanskrit Dhatu (magic roots or verb
roots), it means Dene wala (Giver).
So “Nalam + Da or Nalanda” means “Gyan dene
wala” or Giver of Knowledge and “Giver of Lotus or Kamal”. Both points are true in its sense.
In ancient
period Nalanda as a village of that time was full of Lotus Ponds from which
People, Monks and Students used to get Kamal or Lotus.
Jain Trithankar Mahavir and Gautam Buddha was regular visitor and had spent many years there.
When Mahaviharas were built this place became a place of “Knowledge Giver”. So the name “Nalanda” fully fits.
Jain Trithankar Mahavir and Gautam Buddha was regular visitor and had spent many years there.
When Mahaviharas were built this place became a place of “Knowledge Giver”. So the name “Nalanda” fully fits.
Nalanda was
initially a prosperous village by a major trade route that ran through the
nearby city of Rajgriha (Modern Rajgir) which was then the
capital of Magadha.
It
is said that the Jain Trithankar Mahavir spent 14 rainy
seasons at Nalanda. Gautam Buddha too is said to
have delivered lectures in a nearby mango grove named Pavarika and one
of his two chief disciples, Sariputra was born in the
area and later attained nirvana here.
This traditional association with Mahavira and Buddha tenuously dates
the existence of the village to at least the 5th–6th century BC.
Nalanda is a renowned Visva Mahavihara or University of
Ancient India and World.
It was one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (Today’s Bihar province) in India.
It was one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (Today’s Bihar province) in India.
Nalanda is
situated about 95 kilometers or 55 miles southeast of Patna, state capital of Bihar, 24 km North from Rajagriha
or Rajgir, 11 km from Odantpuri or Biharsarif, 24 km from Pawapuri
(Mahaparinivana place of last Jain Trithankar Mahavir).
Patna or Patliputra was Ancient Capital of India for about
1,000 years.
Nalanda Visva Mahavihara or University was a centre of learning from the 5th (fifth) century AD to 1200 AD. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nalanda Visva Mahavihara or University was a centre of learning from the 5th (fifth) century AD to 1200 AD. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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