Nālandā (नालंदा)

Updated: Sep 14

One of the first universities in the world and the world's most important Buddhist school - Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda, Bihar 1502

What and Why

Nālandā (Hindi : नालंदा) was a Mahāvihāra (Sanskrit: महाविहार), meaning 'great Buddhist monastery', was established in the 5th century CE during the end of the Gupta Empire (Sanskrit: गुप्त राजवंश, Śri Gupta) although it was reported that there had been some form of a loose learning institution at the site since the 5th century BCE. Nālandā played an important role in the development of Mahāyāna (Sanskrit : महायान ) and Vajrayāna (Sanskrit: वज्रयान) Buddhism especially towards its spreading to the East.

Nālandā boasts as the longest running university in Indian history and the world's first ever residential university. It is also sometimes taken as one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the world, depending on interpretation. However there are very little available evidences to confirm its actual birthday and founder, and some anecdotal documents attribute Buddha (né Siddhattha Gotama (Pali)) himself as the founder of the site, or at least an inspiration to its foundation. Current studies seem to suggest Emperor Ashoka (Brahmi: 𑀅𑀲𑁄𑀓, Aśoka) built a monastery at the site.

One of its most important visitors was Xuanzang (Chinese: 玄奘, né 陈祎 (Chinese), Chen Yi), who travelled all the way from China (Chinese: 中国, Zhōngguó) during 630s CE to collect more than 657 manuscripts and 150 relics from India (भारत, Bhārat) and wrote his travelogue in the form of Great Tang Records on the Western Regions (Chinese: 大唐西域记, Datangxiyuji) which provided the inspiration for the famed Chinese novel Journey to the West (Chinese: 西遊記, Xiyouji).

At its height Nālandā accommodated over 10,000 students and over 2,000 faculties. However it started to decline after the 7th century CE, and Xuanzang had the epiphanies of his religion's slow decay and Nālandā's forthcoming demise. This tragedy finally happened when it was ransacked and destroyed by Mamluk (Arabic: مملوك, Mamlūk) invaders, led by Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī (Pashto : محمد بختیار غلجي) in the late 12th century CE, when students and teachers were massacred and the massive university library was burnt down. Currently all that remains are extensive ruins that spread over an area of 140,000 m2. Those who survived the destruction fled to Tibet (Tibetan: བོད, Bod), and continued with Nālandā's tradition. The original site was then largely forgotten until its rediscovery by the British in early 19th century CE.

The university was not only a monastery, according to the scriptures. While it taught religious subjects and philosophies such as Yogachara (Sanskrit : योगाचार , Yogācāra) and Sarvāstivāda (Sanskrit: श्र्वास्तिवाद) as well as subjects such as Vedas (Sanskrit: वेदः, veda), it also taught astronomy, agriculture, Sanskrit language, science, mathematics, medicine, and even magic. It was a genuine cosmopolitan higher learning institute, with students coming from everywhere. In particular logics was an important subject as it was believed that a Buddhist had to be well-versed in the logics associated with different schools of thought of the time to fully understand and defend Buddhist systems.

Nālandā has profound development on the spread of Buddhism, especially towards the East. Much of contemporary Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna traditions originate from the teachings and traditions of Nālandā. The foundation of Tibetan Buddhism (Tibetan: བོད་བརྒྱུད་ནང་བསྟན།) is often credited to Śāntarakṣita (Sanskrit : शान्तरक्षित) and Padmasambhava (Sanskrit: पद्मसम्भव ) who were both Nālandā scholars.

On 25th November 2010 CE the Indian government, through an Act of Parliament, resurrected the ancient university through a University Bill, and subsequently a new Nālandā University (नालंदा आंतरराष्ट्रीय विद्यापीठ, Nālandā Aneeti) was established.

Toponymy

The name 'Nālandā', according to Xuanzang, derives from Old Sanskrit 'नालन्दानगरम् (na al lam dā)', meaning charity without end, although this is still being disputed.

See

The main site plan is as follow, although much of the original site is still under excavation.

Śāriputra Stupa (स्तूप)

The most iconic of Nālandā's structures, called Temple 3 or Śāriputra (Sanskrit: शारिपुत्र ) stupa (स्तूप), with its multiple flights of stairs that lead all the way to the top, where it was conjectured to be the main tower. The temple was originally a small structure which was built upon and enlarged by later constructions. The stupa is at the southern corner of the site. At the apex of the Temple features a shrine chamber with a pedestal upon which a statue of Buddha must have once stood.

This temple is surprisingly only recently excavated in the 1980s CE.

Monastery (मठ)

The site has a whole row of school or rooms for monks and scholars to study in the respective monastery, indicated by M in the site plan.

Monastery 1 is considered the oldest and the most important of the monastery group and evacuation studies have shown there was as many as nine levels of construction. Monastery 1 used to have a massive seated Buddha statue inside its atrium.

Xuanzang's room (जुआनज़ैंग का कमरा)

The famous study room of Xuanzang along the corridor near the main stupa is actually quite inconspicuous. The room is a squarish room, reasonably spacious with a pedestal for meditation. Inside the room, there is a tiny dark niche where the scholar would sit inside and meditate silently without external interference. The niche is just the size of a small human being and unbelievably clean.

Other than Xuanzang, the other important Chinese monk who visited Nālandā was Xijing (Chinese: 义净, né 张文明 (Chinese), Zhang Wenming). He visited and stayed in Nālandā during the mid-7th century CE and when he returned to China after a 14-year stay, he brought with him 400 Sanskrit texts which were subsequently translated in China. Moreover, while Xuanzang's text include cultures and his travel stories, Xijing's text are more focussed around the Buddhist culture, practices and rules, called Nikāya in Pali, of Buddhism in India during his visit.

Temple 12 (मंदिर 12)

Another main temple with a very well-preserved staircase, apparently built in the 7th century CE.

Temple 2 (मंदिर 2)

The small squarish Temple 2 distinguishes itself from the rest of the monastery in that it shows a large number of Hindu bas-reliefs. They include devas (Sanskrit : देव ) like Shiva (Sanskrit: शिव , Śiva) - one of Trimūrti (Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति), Parvati (Sanskrit: पार्वती , Pārvatī) - one of Tridev ī (Sanskrit : त्रिदेवी ), Kartikeya (Sanskrit: कार्त्तिकेय , Kārttikeya) - son of Shiva and Parvati, and Kinnara (Sanskrit: किन्नर ) - a chimera of eagle head, horse body and human legs. We also saw a number of Kālá (Sanskrit: काल), the deitification of time in Hindu culture, as seen in our blog of Yogyakarta and Magelang.

There are also reliefs showing human daily lives and erotic positions. All these reflects the Hindu-Buddhist syncretism that took place during the 12th century CE around the region.

Ruins (खंडहर)

The entire site is massive and it is a pleasant walk to understand the history of Nālandā with a guide. Numerous sculptures and artefacts have been unearthed within the ruins of Nalanda. These include both Buddhist and Hindu artefacts, again showing the Hindu-Buddhist syncretism in Nālandā.

There is a Nalanda Archaeological Museum (नालंदा पुरातत्व संग्रहालय, Naalanda Puraatatv Sangrahaalay) just opposite the road that preserves many of the artefacts of the ruins. At INR ₹5 per entry, you cannot complain.

Stay

We stayed in one of the OYO hotels in Bihār Sharīf (बिहारशरीफ), Mamta International (ममता इंटरनेशनल), a fairly basic but by Indian standard luxurious hotel.

During the journey I was bitten by a stray dog and believe it or not, in the airport, and obviously there was a rabies scare. Rabies and stray dogs are major menaces in India. We were gratefully assisted by the hotel staffs to find a local hospital for the jab. Kinda fun to be honest. Guess who is the doctor in the photograph below.

Getting There and Around

Travelling in India takes quite a toll, especially to remote inaccessible areas like Nālandā. We took a chartered car throughout our journey and in later blogs, I shall explain the pain in dealing with the poor roads. It took us a six-hour drive from Patna (पटना) airport to reach Nālandā after a night stay at Bihār Sharīf. The entry fee is 200₹ for foreigners, and only 10₹ for locals. The site is definitely worth a full day-visit.