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of Sariputta at Nalanda.]] Nālānda is the name of an ancient University in India . The name is a who lived in a tank in the middle of the mango grove. Another - and accepted by him - is that the Bodhisatta once had his capital here and gave "alms without intermission," hence the name. It is located about 55 miles south east of , 2006 . It has been called "one of the first great universities in recorded history.""Really Old School," Garten, Jeffrey E. New York Times, December 9 , 2006 . Nalanda is located at . Nālanda was identified by Alexander Cunningham with the village of BaragaonCAGI. 537. NALANDA IN THE TIME OF THE BUDDHA (500 BC) The Buddha is mentioned as having several times stayed at Nalanda. When he visited Nalanda he would usually reside in Pāvārika's mango grove, and while there he had discussions with Upāli-Gahapati and DīghatapassīS.ii.110; M.i.376ff., with KevattaD.i.211ff., and also several conversations with AsibandhakaputtaS. ii. 311 23. The Buddha visited Nālandā during his last tour through Magadha , and it was there that Sariputta uttered his "lion's roar," affirming his faith in the Buddha, shortly before his deathD.ii.81f.; iii.99ff.; S.v.159ff.. The road from Rājagaha to Nālandā passed through AmbalatthikāD.ii.81; Vin.ii.287, and from Nālandā it went on to Pātaligāma D.ii.84. Between Rājagaha and Nālandā was situated the Ba Huputta Cetiy aS.ii.220. According to the Kevatta Sutta Digha Nikaya .i.211, in the Buddha's time Nālandā was already an influential and prosperous town, thickly populated, though it was not till later that it became the centre of learning for which it afterwards became famous. There is a record in the Samyutta Nikaya S.iv.322, of the town having been the victim of a severe famine during the Buddha's time. Sāriputta , the right hand disciple of the Buddha, was born and died in Nālandā. Nālandā was the residence of SonnadinnāVvA.144. Mahavira is several times mentioned as staying at Nālandā, which was evidently a centre of activity of the Jains . Mahavira is believed to have attained Moksha at Pavapuri , which is located in Nalanda (also according to one sect of Jainism he was born in the nearby village called Kundalpur). King Asoka (250 BC) is said to have built a temple there. According to Tibetan sources, Nagarjuna taught thereHopkins, Jeffrey (1996). ''Meditation on Emptiness'', Wisdom Publications.. ARISING AND ESTABLISHMENT OF NALANDA UNIVERSITY Historical studies indicate that the University of Nalanda was established 450 CE under the patronage of the Gupta emperors, notably Kumaragupta . DESCRIPTION OF NALANDA UNIVERSITY Nalanda was one of the world's first residential universities, i.e., it had dormitories for students. In its heyday it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. The university was considered an architectural masterpiece, and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. Nalanda had eight separate compounds and ten temples, along with many other meditation halls and classrooms. On the grounds were lakes and parks. The library was located in a nine storied building where meticulous copies of texts were produced. The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning, and it attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey."Really Old School," Garten, Jeffrey E. New York Times, December 9 , 2006 . The Tang Dynasty Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang left detailed accounts of the university in the 7th Century . on display in the ASI Museum in Nalanda]] Influence on Buddhism A vast amount of what is considered to be Tibetan Buddhism ( Vajrayana ) actually stems from the late (9th-12th century) Nalanda teachers and traditions. Other forms of Buddhism, like the Mahayana followed in Vietnam , China , Korea and Japan , found their genesis within the walls of the ancient university. Also Theravada Buddhism was taught at Nalanda University. But the teachings of Theravada were not developed further in Nalanda, as Nalanda was not a strong center of Theravada. DECLINE AND END under monasteries along the main route of the invasion were destroyed, and being off the main route both Nalanda and Bodh Gaya survived. Many institutions off the main route such as the Jagaddala Monastery in northern Bengal were untouched and flourishing. RUINS A number of ruined structures survive. Nearby is the Surya Mandir , a Hindu temple. The known and excavated Ruins extend over an area of about 150,000 square metres, although if Xuanzang 's account of Nalanda's extent is correlated with present excavations, almost 90% of it remains unexcavated. Nālandā is no longer inhabited. Today the nearest habitation is a village called Bargaon. In 1951 , a modern centre for Pali ( Theravadin ) Buddhist studies was founded nearby by Bhikshu Jagdish Kashyap, the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara . Presently, this institute is pursuing an ambitious program of satellite imaging of the entire region. The Nalanda Museum contains a number of manuscripts, and shows many examples of the items that have been excavated. PLANS FOR REVIVAL
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