Nalanda University

20.06.2024

Nalanda University

Why in the news?   

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new Nalanda University campus near Rajgir’s ancient university ruins.

About Nalanda University:

• Nalanda stands out as the most ancient university on the Indian Subcontinent.
• It was founded by Kumargupta of the Gupta dynasty in Bihar in the early 5th century, and it flourished for 600 years until the 12th century.
• During the era of Harshavardhan and the Pala monarchs, it rose to popularity.
• It was a center of learning, culture, and intellectual exchange that had a profound impact on the development of Indian civilization and beyond. 
• Nalanda was a monastic establishment in the sense that it was primarily a place where monks and nuns lived and studied. It used to teach all the major philosophies of Buddhism. 
• It had students from far-flung regions such as China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia.
• The students at Nalanda were expected to follow a strict code of conduct and were required to participate in daily meditation and study sessions.
• Subjects such as medicine, the ancient Indian medical system Ayurveda, religion, Buddhism, mathematics, grammar, astronomy, and Indian philosophy were taught there.

It continued to be a center of intellectual activity up until it was destroyed in the 12th century AD, in 1193, by Turkish ruler Qutbuddin Aibak's general Bakhtiyar Khilji.

• After six centuries, the university was rediscovered in 1812 by Scottish surveyor Francis Buchanan-Hamilton and later identified as the ancient university by Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1861.
• The Chinese monk Xuan Zang was offered invaluable insights into the academic and architectural grandeur of ancient Nalanda.
• It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

                                                                        Source: Hindustan times

Ques :- Consider the following statements with reference to the Nalanda University:

Statement-I

It was founded by King Harshavardhan in the early 5th century AD.

Statement-II

It was a monastic establishment and used to teach all the major philosophies of Buddhism. 

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

A.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I.

B.Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I.

C.Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect.

D.Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct.

Answer D