Nalanda Tourism

Perhaps the oldest seat of learning in India, Nalanda treasures a glorious past, rich spiritual heritage and some extraordinary architectural ruins. Believed to be established in 5^th century BC by the Gupta kings, Nalanda finds vivid mention in the documents of Chinese pilgrims and scholars, particularly Hieun Tsang who studied at the erstwhile university for several years in the 7^th century AD. Students from all over the world came to Nalanda for education. Nalanda derives its name from nalam meaning lotus and da to confer; a lotus symbolises knowledge. Lord Buddha had visited Nalanda several times during his lifetime, and it became a prominent centre of Buddhist learning between 5^th -12^th century. Equally revered as a Jain pilgrim centre, the founder of Jainism, Lord Mahavira spent a couple of years teaching the principles of Jainism. The first residential international university of the world was unfortunately destroyed by the Muslim invader, Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1205 AD. Together with Bodh Gaya (62 Km) and Patna