Friday, April 3, 2015

Ancient Nalanda University

'Ruins of Ancient Nalanda University: Glory of ancient Bharat
The complex was built with red bricks and its ruins occupy an area of 14 hectares. At its peak, the university attracted scholars and students from as far away as Tibet , China ,
Greece , and Persia. Nalanda was ransacked and destroyed by Turkic Muslim invaders under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193. The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have burned for 6 months after the invaders set fire to it, ransacked and destroyed the monasteries, and drove the monks from the site.
In 1193, the Nalanda University was sacked by the fanatic Bakhtiyar Khilji , a Turk. The Persian historian Minhaj-i-Siraj , in his chronicle the Tabaqat-I-Nasiri, reported that thousands of monks were burned alive and thousands beheaded as Khilji tried his best to uproot Buddhism and plant Islam by the sword the burning of the library continued for several months and "smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a dark pall over the low hills."
In the 7th century, Xuanzang records the number of teachers at Nālandā as being around 1510. Of these, approximately 1000 were able to explain 20 collections of sūtras and śāstras, 500 were able to explain 30 collections, and only 10 teachers were able to explain 50 collections. Xuanzang was among thefew who were able to explain 50 collections or more. At this time, only the abbot Śīlabhadra had studied all the major collections of sūtras and śāstras at Nālandā.
The library of Nalanda, known as Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or Dharmagañja (Treasury of Truth), was the most renowned repository of Hindu-Buddhist knowledge in the world at the time. Its collection was said to comprise hundreds of thousands of volumes, so extensive that it burned for approximately more than 6 months when set aflame by Turkish invaders. The library had three main buildings as high as nine stories tall,
Ratnasagara (Sea of Jewels), Ratnodadhi (Ocean of Jewels), and Ratnarañjaka (Delighter of Jewels).'Ruins of Ancient Nalanda University: Glory of ancient Bharat
The complex was built with red bricks and its ruins occupy an area of 14 hectares. At its peak, the... university attracted scholars and students from as far away as Tibet , China ,
Greece , and Persia. Nalanda was ransacked and destroyed by Turkic Muslim invaders under Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193. The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have burned for 6 months after the invaders set fire to it, ransacked and destroyed the monasteries, and drove the monks from the site.
In 1193, the Nalanda University was sacked by the fanatic Bakhtiyar Khilji , a Turk. The Persian historian Minhaj-i-Siraj , in his chronicle the Tabaqat-I-Nasiri, reported that thousands of monks were burned alive and thousands beheaded as Khilji tried his best to uproot Buddhism and plant Islam by the sword the burning of the library continued for several months and "smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a dark pall over the low hills."
In the 7th century, Xuanzang records the number of teachers at Nālandā as being around 1510. Of these, approximately 1000 were able to explain 20 collections of sūtras and śāstras, 500 were able to explain 30 collections, and only 10 teachers were able to explain 50 collections. Xuanzang was among thefew who were able to explain 50 collections or more. At this time, only the abbot Śīlabhadra had studied all the major collections of sūtras and śāstras at Nālandā.
The library of Nalanda, known as Dharma Gunj (Mountain of Truth) or Dharmagañja (Treasury of Truth), was the most renowned repository of Hindu-Buddhist knowledge in the world at the time. Its collection was said to comprise hundreds of thousands of volumes, so extensive that it burned for approximately more than 6 months when set aflame by Turkish invaders. The library had three main buildings as high as nine stories tall,
Ratnasagara (Sea of Jewels), Ratnodadhi (Ocean of Jewels), and Ratnarañjaka (Delighter of Jewels).

 

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