A Forgotten tale of the glorious yesterday

The tale is of a forgotten marvel, a marvel that represented India proudly in the old days. Still it was abandoned or you may say it is abandoned. We have many great architectural, acoustic and great wonders but lesser we know about them. So this is one integral part from the golden era of Indian history.

This place has a devastated story &

I fell in love with it's Ruins...

Nalanda University, evidence of the rich cultural & educational values of 🇮🇳 India, was one of the first universities in the world, founded in the 5th Century BC during the Gupta empire by king Kumargupta I. At its peak, in the 7th century AD, it held some 10,000 students and 2000 teachers from around the World. At that time also there were proper accommodation inside the premises of Nalanda University. And it was not like any other university. It had entrance exam and if any one failed in it they had to step back. Even the great traveller Fa Hien also appeared for the entrance exams at the University.

The library of Nalanda, known as Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or (Treasury of Truth), was the most renowned repository of Buddhist knowledge in the world at that time. Its collection was said to comprise hundreds of thousands of volumes. At that time scripts / books were written on the bark of the trees🌳. The library had three main buildings as high as nine stories tall, all filled with books 📚.

Courses were drawn from every field of learning, Buddhist and Hindu, sacred and secular, foreign and native. Students studied science, astronomy, medicine, logic and what not.

"It is said that when Nalanda was invaded and transformed into ruins by setting it on 🔥fire. The library kept burning for 6 months." The destructive invasion was done by a Turkish leader in 1193. Due to this Buddism had a major setback for 100 s of years as there was a huge loss of religious texts, scripts. Now, the government is trying to revive the University. The university began its first academic session on September 2014. Its original faculty consisted of world-class professors from some of the top universities across the globe. Initially set up with temporary facilities in Rajgir, a massive modern campus is expected to be finished by 2020.

The original university, was the greatest of all ancient monasteries and the world's first residential institution, functioned for Over 800 years. Isn't that amazing to see something so impeccable❓

Some famous personalities associated with the original illustrious university include Lord Buddha, and the legendary Buddhist master Atisa.

This place has witnessed the glory and devastation but still standing tall with many unfolded stories. It's a World Heritage site ❤.

To enter the university premises and museum affiliated to it, we need to take entry passes which costs ~

For Indians - Rs. 15

For foreigners - Rs. 200

How to reach -

Nearest railway station is Rajgir.

Patna, the capital is 83.7 km far from the university and is well connected with roads, trains and flights.

You may also like to read: Nalanda ruins