Nalanda

History

From roughly the 5th to 12th centuries CE, Nalanda drew scholars from across Asia. Destroyed in later medieval upheavals, the site was excavated under ASI care and is now protected as a World Heritage property.

Bihar Tourism pairs Nalanda with Rajgir on day circuits from Patna or Bodh Gaya. The modern Nalanda University campus (near Rajgir) is a separate contemporary institution inspired by the ancient name.

Stories

A Monastery Founded by a Gupta Emperor

Nalanda in Bihar was one of the great Buddhist monastic centres of the ancient world. Scholars generally credit the Gupta emperor Kumaragupta I with founding it around 427 CE, a view supported by coins found at the site. Later patrons included Harsha of Kannauj and the Pala kings Dharmapala and Devapala.

The Chinese Pilgrims Who Studied Here

Much of what we know about daily life at Nalanda comes from Chinese monks who travelled there in the seventh century. Xuanzang studied and later carried hundreds of Sanskrit texts back to China, while Yijing spent about ten years at the monastery and wrote a detailed account of its rules and customs.

Their records describe decisions taken by assembly and consensus among the monks, and a monastic life supported by revenue from villages granted to the institution. The two travellers give different figures for the size of the community, so the numbers are best treated as estimates.

The Library Called Dharmaganja

Traditional Tibetan sources describe a great library at Nalanda named Dharmaganja, said to have been made up of three large multi-storeyed buildings known as Ratnasagara, Ratnodadhi and Ratnaranjaka. These names mean roughly Ocean of Jewels, Sea of Jewels and Jewel-adorned.

The details come from later Tibetan accounts rather than from excavation, so they are best read as tradition. What is certain is that Nalanda was a rich source of the Sanskrit texts that pilgrims like Xuanzang and Yijing carried to East Asia.

From Decline to World Heritage

Nalanda was raided and burnt by forces of Bakhtiyar Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate around the end of the twelfth century, after which it faded from use. The buried ruins were later uncovered by archaeologists, and the excavated site was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.

Today visitors walk among monastery cells, shrines and the large stepped mound of Temple 3, also called the Sariputta Stupa. Tradition links this spot to Sariputta, a chief disciple of the Buddha.

Good to know

UNESCO World Heritage excavated mahavihara campus

Temple 3 and monastery courtyards

Archaeological Museum and Xuanzang Memorial

Getting there

About 15 km from Rajgir and ~90 km from Patna. Rail: nearby stations on the Bakhtiyarpur–Rajgir corridor; road taxis from Patna, Rajgir or Bodh Gaya are the usual pilgrim option.