Nalanda was a Buddhist mahavihara, a great monastery, in the ancient kingdom of Magadha, near modern Rajgir in Bihar, India, often called the world's first residential university. A commemorative seal names Kumaragupta I of the Gupta Empire, also recorded as Shakraditya, as its founder around 427 CE. It taught Buddhist philosophy alongside the Vedas, grammar, medicine, logic, mathematics, astronomy and alchemy, drawing monks and teachers from across Asia; sources describing it as home to over 1,500 faculty and 10,000 student monks are disputed by modern scholars as implausible for the site, with more conservative visitor accounts putting the community over 3,000. It was destroyed around 1200 CE by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji, evidenced by a thick layer of ash across many excavated buildings, though some monks regathered and resumed teaching into the thirteenth century before the site was abandoned around 1400 CE.
Facts
Founded Year CountryIndia (ancient Magadha; modern Rajgir, Bihar) 1 Classification
Institution Type FAQs
Is Nalanda a UNESCO World Heritage Site and what survives of it?
Yes. The listed site covers 23 hectares and holds the remains of 11 viharas and 14 temples.
Yes. UNESCO lists the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar, as a World Heritage Site. UNESCO's justification says the surviving remains lie within a property of 23 hectares and comprise 11 viharas and 14 temples, besides many smaller shrines and votive structures. It also notes that the original mahavihara was a much larger complex.
Is the site of Nalanda older than its traditional founding in 427 CE?
UNESCO dates the site's remains from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE.
UNESCO describes the archaeological remains at Nalanda as those of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE. That is a longer span than the founding by Kumaragupta I around 427 CE given on this page, which is commonly dated from the seal evidence. The two accounts measure different things, with UNESCO describing the whole site's remains and the foundation date marking the great mahavihara.
Connections
In the Other Atlases
Located In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationNalanda, Founding section
Shakraditya (r. c. 415-455 CE) as its founder
Nalanda, Location section
Nalanda is about 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the city of Rajgir and about 90 kilometres (56 mi) southeast of Patna
Description, institution-kind classification
Nalanda was a Buddhist mahavihara, a great monastery, in the ancient kingdom of Magadha, near modern Rajgir in Bihar, India, often called the world's first residential university.
Associated With: UNESCO, Nalanda, World Heritage designation
The Nalanda Mahavihara is recognised as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 2016.
View the Source Wikidata: Nalanda
- Wikidata Q216243, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Wikidata Q216243, class allow-list match (w-bbfill-education6-0927)
View the SourceNalanda mahavihara (Wikipedia)
Nalanda, Founding and History sectionsQuote, Nalanda, Founding and History sections
Nalanda was established by emperor Kumaragupta I of the Gupta Empire around 427 CE
Wikipedia: History of education
Wikimedia FoundationIn Category: Institutions and Systems, Nalanda articleView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.