- Nalanda was an acclaimed Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar) in India.
- The site is located about 95 kilometres southeast of Patna near the town of Bihar Sharif, and was a centre of learning from the fifth century CE to c. 1200 CE.
- It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Nalanda flourished under the patronage of the Gupta Empire 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 ninth century.
- The subsequent centuries were a time of gradual decline.
- At its peak, the school attracted scholars and students from near and far with some travelling all the way from Tibet, China, Korea, and Central Asia.
- Much of our knowledge of Nalanda comes from the writings of pilgrim monks from East Asia such as Xuanzang and Yijing who travelled to the Mahavihara in the 7th century.
- Nalanda was initially a prosperous village by a major trade route that ran through the nearby city of Rajagriha (modern Rajgir) which was then the capital of Magadha.
- Shakraditya is identified with the 5th-century CE Gupta emperor, Kumaragupta I, whose coin has been discovered at Nalanda.
- Traditional sources state that Nalanda was visited by both Mahavira and the Buddha in c. 6th and 5th century BCE.
- It is also the place of birth and nirvana of Shariputra, one of the famous disciples of Buddha.
Categories:Ancient Indian History, Bihar, |
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