If you thought you knew the oldest university in the world, think again!
If you thought it was Oxford, Cambridge, or any other, think again!
Heard of Nalanda? Nalanda was a glorious university, the oldest known university of mankind. But not many had really heard of it until recently. Best kept secret. Sad, isn't it?
Nalanda was the first world university, based in India, established around 427 CE by Emperor Kumaragupta I in the northeast of India. But why was it a secret until now?
Many theories abound, but it was largely due to the ignorance of the world and the suppression of India by foreign invaders, and the late freedom that she gained. This meant that a lot of resources were spent and wasted for the enrichment of outsiders. The country had been attacked and taken over by many invaders. Thus, a glorious history was buried deep inside for long, needing to be resurfaced.
Now that it has resurfaced, here are some mind-boggling facts about Nalanda:
1. Housed over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers.
2. Attracted scholars from Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, etc.
3. Region vibrated with positivity endowed by spiritual divines like Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira.
4. Great masters such as Nagarjuna, Aryabhatta, and Dharmakirti discoursed at ancient Nalanda.
5. Famous scholars included Xuan Zang and Yijing, Chinese Buddhist monks.
6. Xuan Zang documented his observations and experiences at Nalanda in his travelogue, "Great Tang Records on the Western Regions" during 600/602－664 AD
7. The library, Dharmaganja, housed more than 9 million books.
8. Scholars wrote on palm leaves, birch bark, and later on paper introduced by the Chinese.
9. Subjects taught included theology, grammar, logic, astronomy, metaphysics, medicine, and philosophy.
10. University was officially revived on September 1, 2014, first proposed by APJ Abdul Kalam.
In 1193 CE, Nalanda University was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji, a Turkish military general of the dynasty Qutb-ud-din Aibak. It has been 815 years since its destruction. Sadly, not much was left of Nalanda once the wars and attacks by Turkish invaders destroyed it. It is said that Nalanda burned for three months, having been attacked by ruthless invaders who cared nothing for peace and history.
This then begets the question: When will humans learn to live peacefully and value the culture, the glorious past that we have got, from the toils of our ancestors?
In my humble opinion, we don't own this earth; we merely borrow it from our future generations. The earlier we realize this, perhaps the more we will value existence and learn to live peacefully. And preserve Nalanda, Oxford, Cambridge, and many others and their successors for all posterity!
Regards,
The AmblingIndian- The New Common Woman of India, By Aina Rao
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