Nalanda Mahavihara

Nalanda Mahavihara was founded under the Gupta Empire in the 5th century CE as a centre of Buddhist learning, and it expanded under later patrons including the Pala dynasty, which supported monastic institutions across eastern India.

The Chinese pilgrims Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) and Yijing both studied at Nalanda in the 7th century. Their travel accounts, preserved in Chinese translation, are the principal surviving description of the university in operation: they record the organisation of the monasteries, the seniority of the teachers and the range of subjects pursued there.

The institution declined as support for Buddhist monasticism weakened across India, and the complex was destroyed in 1193 CE during the campaign of Bakhtiyar Khilji. The ruins lay buried until systematic excavation began in the early 20th century under the Archaeological Survey of India.

The excavated remains preserve the foundations of monastic viharas and temples laid out in brick along a broad north-south axis. Vihara cells open onto central courtyards, and votive stupas were added around them over successive centuries — the standard arrangement of a Buddhist monastic complex in eastern India.

The best-known structure is the Sariputta Stupa, a terraced mound that rises above the monastic quadrangles and is reached by stairways on each face. Sculptural remains recovered from the site include Buddha and bodhisattva images in stone and stucco, along with decorative fragments from the temple platforms.

The site lies about 15 km from Rajgir in Nalanda district, south-central Bihar, and roughly 90 km from Patna, whose airport is the nearest for air travel. Most visitors pair Nalanda with nearby Rajgir and with Bodh Gaya, the three forming the standard Buddhist circuit of the region.

The open-air complex is largely unshaded, so two to three hours on site is a realistic allowance and early morning or late afternoon is the more comfortable time to visit. The Nalanda Archaeological Museum, managed by the Archaeological Survey of India, stands beside the ruins and displays stone sculpture and other objects excavated at the site.