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Nālandā

Nalanda
नालंदा
Nalanda University India ruins.jpg
The ruins of Nalanda Mahavihara
Nalanda is located in India
Nalanda
Shown within India
Nalanda is located in Bihar
Nalanda
Shown within India
Location Nalanda district, Bihar, India
Coordinates 25°08′12″N 85°26′38″E / 25.13667°N 85.44389°E / 25.13667; 85.44389Coordinates: 25°08′12″N 85°26′38″E / 25.13667°N 85.44389°E / 25.13667; 85.44389
Type Centre of learning
Length 800 ft (240 m)
Width 1,600 ft (490 m)
Area 12 ha (30 acres)
History
Founded 5th century CE
Abandoned 13th century CE
Events Likely ransacked by Bakhtiyar Khilji in c. 1200 CE
Site notes
Excavation dates 1915–1937, 1974–1982
Archaeologists David B. Spooner, Hiranand Sastri, J.A. Page, M. Kuraishi, G.C. Chandra, N. Nazim, Amalananda Ghosh
Public access Yes
Website ASI
Official name Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) at Nalanda, Bihar
Type Cultural
Criteria iv, vi
Designated 2016 (40th session)
Reference no. 1502
State Party India
ASI No. N-BR-43

Nalanda (IAST: Nālandā; /naːlən̪d̪aː/) was an acclaimed Mahavihara, a large Buddhist monastery in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar) in India. The site is located about 95 kilometres (59 mi) southeast of Patna near the town of Bihar Sharif, and was a centre of learning from the seventh century BCE to c. 1200 CE. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The highly formalized methods of Vedic learning helped inspire the establishment of large teaching institutions such as Taxila, Nalanda, and Vikramashila which are often characterised as India's early universities. Nalanda flourished under the patronage of the Gupta Empire in the 5th and 6th centuries and later under Harsha, the emperor of Kannauj. The liberal cultural traditions inherited from the Gupta age resulted in a period of growth and prosperity until the ninth century. The subsequent centuries were a time of gradual decline, a period during which the tantric developments of Buddhism became most pronounced in eastern India under the Pala Empire.

At its peak, the school attracted scholars and students from near and far with some travelling all the way from Tibet, China, Korea, and Central Asia. Archaeological evidence also notes contact with the Shailendra dynasty of Indonesia, one of whose kings built a monastery in the complex.


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