Ancient university of Nalanda is situated at Nalanda district of Bihar, India. The Nalanda University was founded by king Kumargupta I, a ruler of Gupta dynasty in the 5th century at ancient Magadha (modern Bihar). The University was the centre of learning from late 4th CE to 12th CE. Nalanda was the centre for the development of the philosophy of Mahayana. Nalanda University was first of its type to provide hostel accommodations for students and teachers. Approximately there were 10000 students and 3000 teachers in ancient Nalanda University. In around 1193 CE, Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, a Muslim invader destroyed the University.
Takshashila was a world famous and recognizable university in the world. The ancient university was the first international university (400 to 550 BC). The University flourished in 500 BC in Gandhar region, present time situated at Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Takshashila was the capital of ancient Gandhar, a kingdom. It was greatly influenced by the Vedic culture and their philosophy. Approximately 10500 students were studied in Takshashila and taught by nearly 2000 teachers. The students came from within India and outside (Egypt, Iraq, Greece, Syria, Turkey and China). Students were admitted to University after passing the examination which was taken by teachers.
The entry age of University was sixteen years. Students were free to have a choice for selecting any subjects. Takshashila was specialized in the study of medicine (Ayurveda) and surgery, and had taken seven years to complete graduation. Kautilya (minister of Chandragupta Maurya), Charaka (Father of Surgery) and Panini (a well-known grammatical) were also students of Takshashila.
Vikramshila University was one of the famous Universities in ancient India. The ancient University was founded by Dharmapala (783 CE to 820 CE), a ruler of the Pala dynasty who was a follower of Buddhism. The Dharmapala founded the University mainly in response to decline in the quality of scholarship in Nalanda. Vikramshila University situated in Antichak village at Bhagalpur district of Bihar, India. The University flourished from the 8th century to 12th century. There were approximately 100 teachers and 1000 students in University. The University was famous for learning on the subject of Tantra. Other subjects in Vikramshila University were philosophy, metaphysics, Indian logic and grammar.
Vallabhi University was a famous ancient University in western part of India. The ancient University is located at Vallabhipur at Bhavnagar district of Gujarat in India. It was founded by Bhattarka, king of Maitraka Empire. Valabhi was the capital of the Maitraka Empire during 480-775 CE. It flourished between from 600 to 1200 CE but after decline due to less interest by the successor of the Maitraka Empire and continued to be attacked by Arabs invaders. In nearly 700 CE, Vallabhi University was considered the competitor of Nalanda.
Somapura was a famous and the largest Mahavihara, centre of learning and situated in Paharpur, Naogaon district, Bangladesh. University built by king Dharmapala (781-825 AD), a ruler of Pala Empire. Somapura Mahavihara means “Great Monastery” in Sanskrit. It was also known as “Paharpur Buddhist Vihara”. Somapura Mahavihara was a major centre of learning of “Dharma traditions” such as Buddhism (Buddha Dharma), Jainism (Jain Dharma) and Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma).Somapura wall terracotta paintings showed that it was major centre of learning of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Somapura covers 27 acres of land and is built on Buddhist architecture style of Cambodia.
Jagaddala University was an ancient Buddhist learning centre, mainly in the Hinayana sect of Buddhism. This university was set up by king Rampala, a ruler of the Pala Empire in the 11th century. It is located at Varendra in Bangladesh. Jagaddla taught a wide range of subjects including Sanskrit, Vajrayana Buddhism. It flourished for a little more than hundred years until Muslim plunders destroyed it in around 1207.
Odantapuri University was an ancient University situated in a mountain “Hiranya Prabhat Parvat” at Nalanda district of Bihar, India.It was also known as “Odantapura” or “Uddandapura”. It was the centre of learning, a large Buddhist Mahavihara which was founded by king Gopala I, ruler of the Pala Empire in the 7th century. It flourished till 1200 CE from its foundation. Ancient university was the second oldest university in India after Nalanda University. Tibetan sources explained that there were approximately 12000 students in this ancient university. The subjects taught in university vary from Vedic to Buddhists.
Pushpagiri University was a centre of learning, located in ancient Kalinga (Cuttack and Jajpur district of Odisha). Its campus was spread into three adjoining hills: Ratnagiri, Lalitgiri and Udayagiri. Pushpagiri University was a prominent Buddhist seat of higher learning in ancient India and flourished from the 2nd century to the 10th century. It was older than Nalanda University. This ancient university was discovered in 1995 and their evidence showed that it may be originally commissioned by Ashoka himself. The temples, monasteries and stupas were built in Gupta period architectural style.
This ancient learning center is located at Telhara, at a distance of around 40Km from Nalanda University in Bihar. Archaeologists have traced the remains of this center ducinr the course of an excavation at Telhara, which began in 2009. The ruins were discovered in 2014. Chinese travellers Hiuen Tsang and Itsang have mentioned in their travel accounts about Telhara University as a seat of higher research and a competitor ro Nalanda university.
Nadia, formerly called Navadweepa , located at the confluence of Ganga and Jalangi rivers in Bengal, was set up after the destruction of Nalanda and Takshashila universities. Many subjects including Logic, Vyakaran, Politics and Law were taught here.There were three centers, namely Navdweep, Shantipur and Gopaalpura, at the university site. There have been records of the students studying for as long as 20 years.
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