Silence reigns supreme, gradually the early morning sun lifts the mantle of darkness in its golden light, the scores of ruined red brick buildings set amongst lush green lawns appear almost ethereal. There is no sign of life today except for a few curious visitors. A long logn time ago however, this place throbbed with life, its corridors reverberated with eager voices engrossed in the pursuit of knowledge.

Nalanda, the most renowned university in ancient India
It derived its name from Na-alam-da, meaning Insatiable in Giving, one of the names by which the Lord Buddha was known. Today it is identified with modern Baragaon village and is 90kms southeast of Patna and only 11 kms from Rajgir. It is 80kms from Bodh Gaya and is easily accessible by well-maintained highways.

The monastic university, Nalanda Mahavihara, was a magnificent architectural structure. An inscription of King Yashovarman of 7th century AD describes Nalanda as "rows of monasteries with their series of turrets licking the clouds."

Sariputra - The disciple
The Buddha came to Nalanda often and stayed at Setthi Pavarika's mango grove. Two of Sakyamuni's chief disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, came from the vicinity of Nalanda. Sariputra, who was considered the foremost in wisdom and had a very important place in the Sangha, attained Nirvana here. Emperor Ashoka came to Nalanda to worship at the chaitya of Sariputra and built another temple over the existing shrine. Fa Hien the traveller mentions having seen this stupa.

The first Mahavihara
It was at this sanctified site that the Mahavihara was first established in the reign Emperor Kumargupta in the 5th century AD, a tradition carried forward by his successors in the Gupta dynasty. During the reign of Devapala in the beginning of the 9th century, Nalanda reached its zenith of fame and glory. Emissaries from around the world came with rich presents and generous donations to Nalanda, as they did to other contemporary Buddhist universities like Odantapuri, a stone's throw away from Nalanda, and Vikramshila, in Bhagalpur district of Bihar.

In the thirst for dharna
Scholars converged on this blessed place, once traversed by the Buddha, thirsting for Dharma. Hiuen Tasang and later his disciple Hwui Li, who studied at this great institution in the 6th and 7th centuries, have left behind detailed descriptions. Admission was extremely coveted and only two out of ten eminent scholars were admitted.

The art of debate (vada) and public speaking and secular subjects like mathematics and medicine were taught here. Doctrinal points were continually debated and debating was a necessary part of monastic education. Among the renowned Indian scholars trained at Nalanda were Nagarjuna, Aryadeva and Asanga. Santarakshita, and thereafter Padmasambhava, went to Tibet from Nalanda to spread the teaching of Sakyamuni. A massive fire, schisms between the different Buddhist sects and the resurgence of devotional Hinduism pushed Nalanda to the brink of destruction. Its final nemesis came with the Muslim invader Bakhtiyar Khalji who brutally wiped it off the map. A few valuable manuscripts were able to flee from the onslaught.

Nalanda - A world Heritage site
Excavations in the 1860s by Alexander Cunningham led to the discovery of the official seal with the inscriptions Sri Nalanda Magavihara Arya Bhikshu Sanghasya (Venerable Community of Monks in the Great Vihara of Sri Nalanda.)

Nalanda is spread out over an area of 14 hectares and has the ruins of 11 monasteries and 5 temples. Stone paved pathways criss-cross the entire site. Sariputra's Stupa is the most imposing structure standing in the south, a few minutes walk from the main gate. This large stupa was built over the mortal remains of Sariputra. Its corner towers display niches holding well modelled stucco figures of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. A flight of steps leads to the shrine chamber which once housed a colossal image of Lord Buddha.

The monastic remains show a number of small cells with wide verandahs in the front, set around open quadrangular courts. Each complex had a main shrine housing a large figure of the Buddha. Huge ovens were also excavated suggesting that there was a common kitchen for students.

The Archaeological Survey of India maintains the Nalanda Museum across the road which houses some exquisite bronzes of the 9th and 10th centuries, Pala dynasty, and other remains excavated at the site.

The beautiful Thai temple and the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, a centre for research in Pali and Buddhist studies , are 2kms form the main site