Nalanda ((नालन्दा)) is derived from three Sanskrit words, i.e., Na-Alam-Da (ना-अलम्- दा), which means ‘no stopping to the gift of knowledge’. The word Nalanda itself intensifies the knowledge as the only resource to be appreciated and retained. Over 10,000 students from all over the world live at Nalanda, together with more than 2,000 teachers. The University’s curriculum was entirely free, and the admissions process was quite rigorous.
North Eastern India’s central Bihar State has Nalanda, the oldest University and Buddhist monastic centre. The traditional history of Nalanda begins with the Buddha (6th–5th centuries BCE).
Nalanda – the ancient centre of higher learning where highly formalised methods of Vedic learning were imparted to the students. The literary stock of Nalanda comprised 9 million manuscripts and was spread over three multi-storeyed complexes. Many valuables uncovered during the excavations are kept in a museum at Nalanda. The ruins of Nalanda were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016.
Today, we know the ruins of Nalanda due to the long history of invaders in vast parts of India. The fall of the University witnessed a decline in Sanskrit literature as well as the decline of Buddhism from India.
Grammar, Lexicography, Arts, Crafts, Medicine, Meditation, Logic and Philosophy flourished here as different schools of thought, later becoming the basis of the modern education system in different Western civilisations.
Recently, the ruins of Nalanda became the centre of attraction as it was the face of the G20 Summit hosted by Bharat on September 9 and September 10, 2023, at the Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
