Nalanda mahavihara

Nalanda Mahavihara is the site of an ancient Buddhist monastic university in Bihar, India, that functioned as a major center of learning from the early centuries CE through the 12th century. It attracted students and scholars from across South and East Asia and combined religious instruction with philosophical and scientific study.

The archaeological site preserves the remains of multi-storey monastic complexes, lecture halls, temples, stupas, and extensive sculptural and epigraphic material; the Nalanda Archaeological Museum presents many of the finds. Excavations have revealed the plan of a large campus with cells and study rooms arranged around brick quadrangles.

Nalanda declined and was sacked in the late 12th century; the ruins remained visible through later centuries and were systematically excavated in the 19th and 20th centuries. The site now serves as a historical monument and an important reference for the study of Buddhist scholastic traditions.

The ruins lie near the modern town of Nalanda in Bihar state, India, and are visited as an archaeological and pilgrimage site.

• Historic university: Founded in the early centuries of the Common Era and flourishing from the 5th to the 12th century, the complex was a major center of Buddhist learning that attracted scholars from across Asia.

What to See #

• Monastic quadrangles: Excavated monastic and academic quadrangles containing the remains of lecture halls, monastic cells, and courtyards from the classical period of the university.
• Stupas and temples: Stupas, votive shrines, and temples that were part of the site's religious and teaching complex, many excavated and displayed in situ.
• Archaeological Museum: Nalanda Archaeological Museum, which displays sculptures, inscriptions, coins, and architectural fragments from the site.