NALANDA

Founded in the 5th century BC, Nalanda was one of the world's great Universities and an important Buddhist centre until its sacking by the Afgans, Bakhtiar Khiljee , in the 12th century.
The ruins of Nalanda University lie close to the village of Bargaon.
Nalanda has a very ancient history going back to the days of Mahavira and Buddha in the 6^th to 5^th centuries BC according to Jaina text, it was a suburb, situated to the North-West of Rajgriha, Mahavira spent as many as 14 rainy seasons at Nalanda and its suburb of Rajgriha. The Pali Buddhist literature contains many references that Buddha often visited the place, which is mentioned prosperous, swelling, teeming with population and containing a mango grove called Pavarika.
Nalanda was the birthplace of Sariputta and Maha Moggalana chief disciples of Buddha. Sariputta died in the room in which he has born and the birth and death room began to be regarded as the most sacred spot and was converted into a shrine. According to Taranath, Historian, Ashoka gave offering the Chaitya of Sariputta. That existed at Nalanda and built a temple here. Ashoka, must therefore, be regarded as the founder of the Nalanda Vihara. The same authority adds that Nagarjuna the famous Mahayana Philosopher of about the 2^nd century AD began his studies at Nalanda and later on became the high priest here. It is also added that Subishnu, a Brahaman contemporary of Nagarjuna, built 108 temples at Nalanda to prevent the decline of both Hinayana and Mahayana school of Buddhism. These statements lead one to believe that Nalanda was famous center of Buddhism at the time of Nagarjuna, but the excavation have not revealed anything which suggest the occupation of the site before the Guptas, the earliest datable finds being a copper plate of Samudragupta and a coin of Kumargupta this is fully confirmed by the statement of Hiuen Tsang.
Fa-Hien, the Chinese pilgrim of the early 5^th century does not mention the monastery establishment of Nalanda. He speaks the village of Nalo, the place of birth and death of Sariputta and the stupa existing here. So the monasteries of Nalanda were the creation of Gupta Emperor’s beginning with Kumarguptas.
At Nalanda, Hiuen Tsang saw, in a 6 story building and 80 feet high copper image of Buddha raised by Purnavarman, The last of the race of Ashoka, belonging to the early 6^th century AD king Harshabardhana of Kanauj greatly helped the institution by his munificence; he built a monastery of brass, which are under construction when Hiuen Tsang visited the place. Harsha remitted the revenues of about a hundred villages as an endowment of the convent and 200 householders in this villages contributed the required amount of rice, butter and milk hence, he adds the students here, being so abundantly supplied do not required to ask for the four requisites. This is the source of perfection of their studies, to which they have arrived. This statement makes it clear that the students did not have to beg for their daily food. The Pal emperors held East India from 8^th to 12^th century AD Nalanda University reached its zenith of prosperity at the time of Debpal in the beginning of 9^th century. The Emperor of Indonesia, Java and Sumatra sent Ambassador to king Debpal with rich presents for the creation of monasteries.

Nalanda had acquired a celebrity spread all over the east as a center of Buddhist theology and educational activities. This is evident from the fact that within a short period of thirty years following Hiuen Tsang’s departure, no less than eleven Chinese and Korean travelers are known to have visited Nlanda.

CURRICULUM
According I-Tsing, who reached Indian 673 AD, the curriculum were Buddhist scriptures, included logic, metaphysics, and a very extensive study of Sanskrit grammar. He further testifies to the strict rules of discipline that the monks observed, their daily life being regulated by a water clock.

RENOWNED SCHOLARS
Nalanda was known throughout the ancient world for its learned and renowned teachers- Achaya Nagarjuna, Silbhadra, Aryadeva, Santarakshita, Basubandhu, Dinganga, Dharmakriti, Kamalasila, Atish Dipankar and so on. The scholars of Nalanda carried the torch of knowledge to the foreign countries. Srong chang Gampo, Emperor of Tibet studying under Acharya Devavida acquired knowledge of Buddhist and Brahminical literature. Afterwards Santarakshita, who was invited by king khrisron-den-tsan to Tibet, where he lived for many years till his death in 762 AD. About the same time Tibet was also visited by Padmasambhava, who acquired great game as the founder of the institution of Lamasm in Tibet. It was no mean honor for Nalanda that one of its scholars gave that Tibetan religion a form. It is also said that Koran scholars came to the Nalanda for studies.

END OF NALANDA
Buddhism was slowly decaying when Hiuen Tsang visited India. Important center of early Buddhism were deserted and some new centers such as Nalanda in the East. Valabhi in the West and Kanchi in the South had sprung up. Buddhism lost its hold in other provinces and flourished only in Bihar and Bengal, when Royal patronage succeeded in keeping alive a dying cause. But Buddhism was not longer popular and centered round few monasteries. The crusade of the Brahmnical philosophers and teachers such a Kumarila and  Sankarachariya in 8^th century AD must have been another potent factor in rendering Budhism unpopular, they are reported to have traveled all over India defeating the Buddhism in arguments and compelling them of submission.
The final blow was delivered by the Mahamedan invader, Mahammad Baktiar Khilji who fell upon a city, which was found to be a place of study (most propably Nalanda). “The turks conqured the whole of Magadha and destroyed many monasteries; at Nalanda they did much damage and the monks fled abroad”, says Taranath, the Historian. After the raid of Turks, the temples and Chaityas were repaired by a sage Muditbhadra. Created a temple at Nalanda, and while a religious sermon was being delivered there, to very indignant Brahminical Tirthika medicants appeared. Some naughty young novice monks in disdain threw washing water on them. This made them very angry. After propitiating the sun for 12 years. They performed a Yoyana, fire sacrifice and threw living embers and ashes from the sacrificial pit into the Buddhist temple etc. This produced a great conflagration, which consumed Ratnodiadhi one of the thre libraries in Nalanda.

DISCOVERY OF NALANDA

The first European account of the village Bargaon containing the ruins of Nalanda was given by Buchanon Hamilton and found here sum Brahmnical and Buddhist images. But it was in the sixties of that century that Cunningham identified the place with the ancient Nalanda. He also tried to identify the temples and monasteries mentioned by Hiuen Tsang with the existing ruins. After some years Broadley carried out some unsystematic excavations in Chaitya site number 12 and published a Monograph on the place. For about 20 years Dept. of Archaeology excavated this site.