For centuries, ancient India was the intellectual lighthouse of the world. While much of the globe moved through the shadows of the early Middle Ages, the Indian subcontinent birthed a sophisticated "Temple University" system. Institutions like Takshashila, Nalanda, Vallabhi, Vikramshila, and Sharada Peeth were not merely schools; they were cosmopolitan cities of thought where philosophy, medicine, and mathematics flourished. However, this golden era was systematically dismantled by waves of foreign invasions, primarily from the Northwest, leaving a void in global knowledge that took centuries to bridge.
The Pioneers of Global Education
The destruction began with the oldest of them all: Takshashila. Located in modern-day Pakistan, it was the cradle of Chanakya’s political genius and Panini’s linguistic precision. Unlike modern centralized campuses, it was a flexible hub of over 60 subjects. Its decline started with the Greco-Bactrian and Kushan incursions, but the final, devastating blow came from the Huna (White Hun) invasions in the 5th century CE. The Hunas, driven by nomadic conquest rather than a thirst for administration, razed the city, effectively ending its thousand-year legacy as a bridge between Greek and Indian thought.
The Flame that Burned for Months
Perhaps the most harrowing tale is that of Nalanda in Bihar. By the 12th century, Nalanda was a global marvel, housing 10,000 students and a library, Dharma Ganja, so vast it was said to "touch the clouds." In 1193 CE, the Turkic commander Bakhtiyar Khilji targeted the university. Mistaking the fortified campus for a military outpost, or perhaps viewing its Buddhist teachings as a threat to his religious hegemony, Khilji ordered the massacre of thousands of monks and set the library ablaze. Historical chronicles suggest the smoke from millions of manuscripts darkened the sky for three months—a literal incineration of human heritage.
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The Fall of the Eastern and Western Beacons
Khilji’s path of destruction did not end at Nalanda. He soon turned his sights toward Vikramshila, the premier center for Vajrayana Buddhism founded by the Pala King Dharmapala. Vikramshila was a masterpiece of architecture, featuring a central temple surrounded by 107 smaller ones. Khilji’s forces demolished the structures and slaughtered the resident scholars, effectively uprooting Buddhism from its Indian birthplace and forcing surviving monks to flee to Tibet.
Taxila (Takshashila) University,NW region (Pakistan):
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| Ancient Taxila university wonderthatwasindia.blogspot.com |
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| Taxila university,facebook |
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| Taxila university,facebook.com |
World's first university at Takshashila (Taxila) in 700 BC: Remarkably this educational center had 10,000 students and 2000 teachers, according to Hsuan Tsang, the famous Chinese traveler and scholar. Young students could choose Sixty different subjects including the ''Vedas'', the ancient and the most revered Hindu scriptures, and the Eighteen Silpas or Arts, besides 16 other subjects in arts and science including medicine, astronom. The galaxy of scholars included Panini (the ancient grammarian who set the rules that would define Classical Sanskrit), Chanakya (also known as Kautilya, the strategist who guided Chandragupta Maurya and was responsible in the founding of the Mauryan empire), Charaka (Ayurvedic expert), Vishnu Sharma and others. The institution was known for Buddhist tradition of the Mahāyāna branch. Thus Takshashila was proud to have "intellectual dominance over other contemporary universities in the areas of higher learning. Hence student from ancient India and elsewhere made a beeline to this institution of repute.
The other ancient universities such as Vikramashila and Vallabhai were founded with similar vision. Much importance was given to artistic expression and sophistication, strong intellectual, ethical and moral values to govern the society and the country which were set to serve as models for the future generations to emulate. Because of academic excellence of the learned teachers in their respective fields student from several regions came there despite tedious journey to gain knowledge and wisdom.
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| Vikramshila University,India en.wikipedia.org |
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| Vikramshila University hindustantimes.com |
Above images: Vikramshila University. Founded in the 8th–9th century CE by King Dharmapala in the Bhagalpur district of modern-day Bihar,India; destroyed by Turkish forces under Muhammad Bin Bakhtiyar Khilji around 1203 AD..............
Vikramshila University (8th C to 12 th C): Founded by Dharmapala of Pala dynasty in the Bhagalpur district of modern day Bihar, it flourished for 400 years till 12th century. There were 100 teachers and over 1000 students enrolled at this University as it was well known for its specialized training on the subject of Tantra (Tantrism. Famous alumnus was Atiśa Dipankara, a founder of the Sharma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism who also revived the Buddhism in Tibet.
Valabhi University, Gujarat:
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| Valabhi Univ,Gujarat historified.in |
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| Valabhi Univ,GJ institute.careerguide.com |
Valabhi University: Flourished for 600 years from 6th to 12 centuries, this institution was located in Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat, in western India, near Bhavnagar. Also known as Vallabhipura, it was the capital of the ancient Maitraka dynasty descending from general Bhatarka, a military governor of the Saurashtra peninsula at the time of Gupta ruler Skandagupta (455-467), had ruled the peninsula and parts of southern Rajasthan from Vallabhi from the fifth to the eighth centuries.and known to impart high quality education. Vallabhi was a noted center of Jains as well as Buddhists.
Pushpagiri University, Odisha:
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| Pushpagiri Vihara ,Odisha en.wikipedia.org |
Above image Pushpagiri was an Indian monastery (3rd to 11thCentury) located in the Jajapur district of the state of Odisha in India. popular center for learning,it was a major Buddhist center...........
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| Forgotten Buddhist Institution Pushpagiri Vihara (University) dnn24.com |
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| Ancient Pushpagiri University,Odisha historified.in |
Pushpagiri University (2rd to 11th Century): Pushpagiri enjoyed the status of being one of the primary institutions of higher learning in ancient India, along with Nalanda, Vikramshila and Takshila universities. The famous Chinese traveller Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) visited Pushpagiri and the institutions there in 639 CE and made objective observations. Founded in Kalinga kingdom in modern-day Odisha, it is believed to have been established Emperor Ashoka himself. Evidence suggests that it was the oldest Buddhist establishments in the world. The discovery of this university is of recent origin. Unlike Takshila and Nalanda, the ruins of Pushpagiri were not discovered until 1995, when a lecturer from a local college first stumbled upon the site stretching over 143 acres (0.58 km2) of land.Work was undertaken by the Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies between 1996 and 2006.
Ratnagiri: Part of Pushpagiri Mahavihara, Odisha:
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| Ratnagiri Buddhist center of learning,Odisha en.wikipedia.org |
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| Odantapuri University,Bihar tripxl.com |
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| Odantapuri University, Bihar tripxl.com |
Odantapuri University (8th C to 12th C) and Somapura Mahavihara (8th C to 12th C) were established by Dharmapala of Pala dynasty. Ancient records show that the former had 12,000 students and the later occupying about 27 acres of land was a large university where they taught Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Jainism (Jina Dharma) and Nalanda University.Bihar.India. Dharmapala of Pala dynasty alone is said to have founded 50 big learning centers across his kingdom, and they were huge and equally popular.But they were perished, along with Nalanda, during the invasion of Ali Bakhtiar Muhammad Khilji around 1193 from Delhi Sultanate. The Turkish Muslim invaders from NW, accompanied by treacherous and merciless Arab soldiers began destroying the universities one by one.
The Persian historian Minhaj-i-Siraj, in his chronicle the Tabaqat-I-Nasiri, reported that thousands of Buddhist monks were burned alive and thousands beheaded as Khailji tried his best to uproot Buddhism from India. The burning of the Nalanda library continued for several months (120 days) and "smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a dark pall over the low hills." (En-Quote).The main purpose of their invasion was bounty- fortunes in gold,jewelrey, etc,In the aftermath of invasion, perished and turned into mounds of ash were a repository of knowledge,vast storage of valuable books of wisdom and intellectual work.
D.C. Ahir (2005). Buddhism Declined in India : How and Why?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Ancient_universities_of_the_Indian_subcontinent
Minhaj-ud-Din, Maulana (1881). Tabakat-i-Nasiri - A General History of the Muhammadan Dynasties of Asia Including Hindustan. Translated by Major H. G. Raverty. p. 552. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_ancient_Taxila
https://www.reddit.com/r/AbandonedPorn/comments/101z7on/yet_another_ancient_indian_university_taxila
https://wonderthatwasindia.blogspot.com/2018/05/as-early-as-700-bc-when-most-of-europe.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikramashila
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valabhi_University
https://institute.careerguide.com/valabhi-university-coursesfees-eligibility
https://historified.in/2022/06/07/pushpagiri-the-excavated-university
https://dnn24.com/pushpagiri-vihara-forgotten-buddhist-university
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pushpagiri_Vihara
https://tripxl.com/blog/odantapuri-monastery
https://www.myindiamyglory.com/tag/odantapuri-university
K. N. Jayaraman Author: navrangindia.blogspot.com
