Rediscovering the fascinating history of Nalanda

When Abhay K set foot on the ruins of Nalanda some three years ago, he was not merely a visitor tracing the contours of an ancient university; he was a seeker, keen to unearth a past that has shaped the intellectual traditions of the world.

“I had immense curiosity about the origin of a vihara (Buddhist monastery) at Nalanda: how and why did it become such a celebrated seat of learning?” he says. “Who taught there? What was taught there? And perhaps most importantly, what happened to all that knowledge?”

These questions ignited a journey that would culminate in Nalanda: How it Changed the World, a book on the historical centre of learning in India that is fast racing up the best-seller charts.

A deep dive into the history, influence, and enduring legacy of one of the world’s greatest universities, the book explores among other things, Nalanda’s contributions in fields such as science, mathematics, philosophy, art, architecture, and poetry.

But first, a bit about its history: Founded in 427 AD, Nalanda was an extraordinary centre of learning for seven centuries, attracting students from not only across India but from China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, and Turkey, among others.

At its peak, this residential university which predates the University of Oxford and Europe’s oldest university, Bologna, by more than 500 years, was said to host close to 10,000 students with more than 2,000 professors teaching them free of cost.

Sadly for the world of academia, Nalanda was destroyed by marauding invaders who set it ablaze in the 1190s; the remains are now a Unesco World Heritage site.

The university library was said to have housed more than nine million handwritten, palm-leaf manuscripts ― the richest repository of Buddhist wisdom in the world. The few that survived the devastating fire can be found in museums in the US and Tibet.

Abhay’s fascination with Nalanda is deeply personal. Born in Nalanda, the same district where this historic seat of learning once flourished, the Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations admits that he was captivated by the fact that the revered Shariputra, one of Buddha’s chief disciples, hailed from the same place as well.

“I was not aware of him, even though I was born in Nalanda district,” says the poet, and writer. “That was one of those ‘oh wow!’ moments for me during my research for the book.”

Another such moment for the Indian Foreign Service diplomat who also served as India’s ambassador to Madagascar and Comoros, was when he discovered that Nalanda’s architectural plan with its distinctive square-rectangular courtyard structure, inspired the designs of some of the world’s most famous universities, including Oxford and Cambridge.

“The concept of a college or university and the architectural plan of the courtyard travelled from Nalanda to Central Asia, the Arab world and then to Europe and the rest of the world,” he says.

The world-renowned university offered a lot more besides architectural ideas that inspired the designs of other learning centres. Nalanda’s excellence and best practices in medicine, ophthalmology, alchemy and other health sciences were embraced in Tibet, Nepal, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia and many parts of the world, too.

Abhay’s research, which took more than two years to complete, was driven by a desire to connect the dots between the past and present. As he pieced together historical records and scholarly works, the story of Nalanda began to emerge ― one of knowledge, inclusivity, and intellectual rigour.

“Nalanda welcomed students from all over the world without any barriers of race, religion, or geography. The only criterion for admission was merit,” explains the writer. “That’s a lesson for today’s educational institutions.”

In its prime, Nalanda was a melting pot of knowledge, drawing scholars from across Asia. “[The 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, and traveller] Xuanzang noted that monks from all major and minor Buddhist sects, as well as non-Buddhists, came to study at Nalanda.

It was a peaceful battleground for ideas. Despite acrimonious debates, there was never any violence. Intellectual and philosophical differences were a cause for celebration.”

This environment of open debate and enquiry, Abhay argues, was foundational to scientific progress. “The ability to question and argue without fear of persecution marked the first step in the process of scientific enquiry. Nalanda laid the foundation for what we now call the scientific method.”

Another interesting finding in his book is about how Nalanda had a renowned library named Dharmaganja, which was the largest depository of the sutras in the world during the first millennium CE.

“In today’s digital age, such a large digital depository of books can be made as part of global commons, accessible to all, following the Nalanda model,” he suggests.

Abhay’s journey as a writer has been deeply influenced by his experiences as a diplomat. Having lived and worked in diverse regions, he has developed a global perspective that resonates in his writing.

“History acts as an undercurrent, shaping present-day international relations,” he says. “Cultural storytelling builds powerful narratives that shape the behaviour of people and states alike.”

A prolific author and poet, Abhay’s first book of history though is Nalanda. “My first work, River Valley to Silicon Valley, was a memoir,” says the writer, a regular speaker on the literature festival circuit of India and who was one of the main speakers at the Kerala Literature Festival in Kozhikode.

Having penned 12 books of poetry and edited several poetry anthologies, a book on the literature of Bihar titled The Book of Bihari Literature, and translated two poems of 5th century Indian poet Kalidasa, Meghaduta and Ritusamhara from Sanskrit into English, among others, Abhay is now working on a book of poems titled The Alphabets of Africa.

Balancing a diplomatic career with writing comes easy, he says. “A typical day starts with watching sunrise, practising yoga, walking in the park and listening to birdsong,” he says.

After a breakfast of fruits, he reads for some time before heading off to office. Work over, he visits bookstores, meets readers, goes for a walk in the park and has an early dinner.

“I listen to Indian ragas a lot. Raga Malkauns is one of my favourite ragas. I read before going to sleep. I do my writing whenever I get some time, but mostly during the weekends when there is plenty of time for me to focus on my writing.”

What is the biggest takeaway from writing Nalanda? I ask.

“One of the most profound lessons from Nalanda is the importance of knowledge as a force for good. Understanding what Nalanda stood for can help humanity overcome hatred, anger, frustration and greed,” he says. “It fosters inner and outer peace.”