In the
year 637, the famous Chinese monk Xuen Zang, during his travels in
India, reached a place known as Nalanda, where the greatest Indian
university of that time stood. This was the place, Xuen Zang had
always hoped, would guide him to his true understanding of the
Buddhist scriptures called Tripitika. In his earlier studies in
China, Xuen Zang has been always dissatisfied with the quality of
Buddhist texts available. This was because of many different
interpretations of the scriptures, most contradicting each other.
There was no one single standard version of the scripture. Different
branches of Buddhism also complicated the process of interpretation.
The followers of each branch had different views of the teachings,
which were frequently disputed by members of different sects.
The
University of Nalanda located in the present Indian state of Bihar,
was a great seat of learning of those times. Xuen Zang is believed to
have studied here for at least two years in the company of several
thousand scholar-monks, whom he praises. He studied during his time
at Nalanda, logic, grammar, Sanskrit, and the Yogacara school of
Buddhism.
In his
travelogue, Xuen Zang has given detailed description of the history
of this university founded by Dharmapala, it's campus consisting of
six monasteries built by six different kings and the high quality of
the students. A French historian René Grousset, says that it was
here at Nalanda that the:
"The
Chinese pilgrim had finally found the omniscient master, the
incomparable metaphysician who was to make known to him the ultimate
secrets of the idealist systems.The founders of Mahayana idealism,
Asanga and Vasubandhu, Dignaga, Dharmapala had in turn trained
Silabhadra. Silabhadra was thus in a position to make available to
the Sino-Japanese world the entire heritage of Buddhist idealism”
In
fact, while describing the faculty at the university, Xuen Zang
becomes greatly eloquent and says:
“But
with respect to those of conspicuous talent of solid learning, great
ability, illustrious virtue, distinguished men, these connect (their
high names) with the succession (of celebrities belonging to the
college), such as Dharmapala (Hu-fa) and Chandrapala (Hu-yueh), who
excited by their bequeathed teaching the thoughtless and worldly ;
Gunamati (Tih-hwui) and Sthiramati (Kinhwui), the streams of whose
superior teaching spread abroad even now; Prabhamitra (Kwang-yeu),
with his clear discourses ; Jinamitra (Shing-yeu), with his exalted
eloquence ; the pattern and fame (sayings and doings) of Jnanachandra
(Chi-yueh) reflect his brilliant activity ; Sigrabuddha (Ming-min),
and Silabhadra (Kiai-hien), and other eminent men whose names are
lost. These illustrious personages, known to all, excelled in their
attainments (virtue) all their distinguished predecessors, and passed
the bounds of the ancients in their learning. Each of these composed
some tens of treatises and commentaries which were widely diffused,
and which for their perspicuity are passed down to the present time.”
This
great university or seat of learning was completely destroyed in
1193, by the invading Turkish army of Bakhtiyar Khilji, a general of
Qutbuddin Aibak. The litterary evidence suggests that the Nalanda
University library was so vast that it kept burning for several
months and smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a
dark pall over the low hills. The cultural and historical loss to
India can not even be imagined.
In the
year 2013, Indian Government first came up with an idea of reviving
this ancient seat of learning in collaboration with the 18 East Asia
Summit (EAS) countries. Then prime minister of India, Manmohan singh,
during his trip to Brunei in October 2013, had inked agreements with
seven EAS countries — Australia, Cambodia, Singapore, Brunei, New
Zealand, Laos and Myanmar, who pledged their commitment to the
project. In November 2013, China committed $1 million for the
project and Singapore, which has been the prime mover for this
university pledged $5-6 million and Australia about $1 million
Australian dollars. The federal Government of India has sanctioned
Rs.2,700 crore ($445 million) cost for the university, to be spent
over 10 years.
In May
2013, the Nalanda board approved the architectural plan of the
university at Rajgir, 12 km from where the ancient Nalanda Univeristy
stood till the 12th century, proposing a massive lake at the centre
of the campus. A library, a huge dome-shaped structure, would come up
in the middle of the lake and be half submerged. This design has been
finalised perhaps, to honour the original campus of Nalanda, which
French historian René Grousset describes as:
“where
an azure pool winds around the monasteries, adorned with the
full-blown cups of the blue lotus; the dazzling red flowers of the
lovely Kanaka hang here and there, and outside groves of mango trees
offer the inhabitants their dense and protective shade"
The
university campus spread over 455 acres, is under construction and
all the NU buildings are now under construction.
The
new Nalanda University, begins its first academic session from
today, September 1, with 15 students, including five women, and 10
faculty members, says its first vice-chancellor Gopa Sabhrawal.
A
three-day student orientation programme for the School of Historical
Sciences and the School of Environment and Ecology for the first
session 2014-15 actually commenced on 29th
August 2014 in the makeshift campus.
Enthusiasm
of the students from world, for this new university can be judged
from the fact that more than a thousand students from various
countries across the globe had applied for the seven schools on
different subjects that will function at the university, of which
only 15, including one each from Japan and Bhutan, were selected.
I am
sure that all the readers would join me in welcoming this revived
ancient seat of learning and hope that in near future, it would
retrieve back the old fame and scholarship for which it once stood
and about which Xuen Zang has written so passionately.
1st
September 2014
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