PM Modi inaugurates new Nalanda University campus in Bihar

PM said- Nalanda is not just a name, it is an identity and honor; Learn about the history of the university

PM Narendra Modi today i.e. June 19, 2024 Wednesday inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University. He said, I got an opportunity to go to Nalanda in the first 10 days after taking oath for the third term. This is my good fortune, I see it as a good sign of India's development journey. Nalanda is not just a name. It is an identity, an honor. Nalanda is a value, a mantra, a pride, a story. Nalanda is the declaration of truth. "Fire may burn books, but it cannot destroy knowledge."

In the program, CM Nitish Kumar said that the old government did not listen. He said he had requested the university several times.

Earlier, the Prime Minister visited the ruins of the 1600-year-old ancient Nalanda University for about 15 minutes. The Prime Minister reached the ruins at 10.03 am. They left there at 10.24 minutes. After this, the Prime Minister reached the ancient Nalanda University. There he inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University and dedicated it to the country. The Prime Minister also planted trees in the university campus.

Along with the PM, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar are also present in Nalanda. The program was attended by representatives of 17 countries. This is PM Modi's first official visit to Bihar after the Lok Sabha elections. It is believed that during this time PM will also give a message of strength of NDA and unity with Nitish Kumar.

What is the history of the university, which great people have studied here and what kind of studies Nalanda was known for. So let's...know about Nalanda...

Today (June 19, 2024) Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University. Amidst the news and new pictures of the inauguration of the new campus, its history is also being talked about. In fact, Nalanda, the world's first residential university, has such an ancient history with it that many books have been written about it. It is said that Nalanda had built its hundred year legacy when the world started to build universities.

How old is Nalanda?

Whenever one talks about world's top universities, the names of Oxford and Cambridge come to mind, but Nalanda University is much earlier than that. Nalanda is composed of three words. No, Alam et al. It means a gift that knows no bounds. It was built during the Gupta period in the 5th century and became a great university by the 7th century.

It was part of a large Buddhist monastery and is said to have an area of ​​about 57 acres. Apart from this many reports have claimed it to be even bigger. According to some records, it was built on a mango orchard, which was given to Gautama Buddha by some merchants.

Discovered in the 19th century

The modern world came to know about it during the 19th century. This university was buried underground for many centuries. The intellectual idols were found by local people in Bihar in 1812, after which many foreign historians studied them. After this came to know about this.

Who came to study?

Nalanda University was special because great teachers taught here over time. Among these great teachers are the names of Nagarjuna, Buddhapalita, Shantaraksita and Aryadeva. If we talk about the people studying here, people from many countries used to come to study here. Famous Chinese travelers and scholars Hiuen Tsang, Fa Hien and Itsing also studied here. Hiuen Tsang was a disciple of Acharya Shilabhadra of Nalanda. Hiuen Tsang studied law at Nalanda University for 6 years.

How huge the campus was

The grandeur of this university was that it had 300 rooms, 7 large rooms and a 9-story library for study. Also it was spread over many acres. A 9-storey library was built here for in-depth study of each subject. In which more than 90 lakh books were kept. It is said that his library burned for 3 months when it was set on fire, you can imagine how many books it contained. The story of this university tells that India's knowledge has been illuminating the world for centuries. Apart from this, some records say that the first attack was from Al Chin Nu.

What was taught?

This university is considered as a repository of knowledge. Apart from religious texts, many subjects like literature, theology, logic, medicine, philosophy, astronomy were taught here, it is said that the subjects that were taught here at that time were not taught anywhere else. This university led the world on the path of knowledge for 700 years.

What caused the destruction?

However, Nalanda had to face many difficulties. After its 700-year-long journey, Bakhtiar Khilji attacked and burnt it down in the 12th century. It is said that once Bakhtiar Khilji fell very ill. After that he was treated in many ways and there are many stories about him. It is said that Khilji set him on fire in a fit of anger after being upset with his treatment.