cultural education ppt on the book 'universities in ancient india' by D G Apte

1. UNIVERSITIES OF
ANCIENT INDIA
G.DHIKSHA
(AM.EN.U4CSE21174)
VARNIKA SOOD
(AM.EN.U4CSE21175)

2. CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
TAKSHASHILA
NALANDA
VALABI
VIKRAMASHILA

3. INTRODUCTION
The term “UNIVERSITY” used here simply means a centre
where higher education was imparted to aspiring students.
The four main ancient Indian universities dealt in
this PPT are :
-Takshashila
-Nalanda
-Valabi
-Vikramashila
TAKSHASHILA
NALANDA
VALABI
VIKRAMASHILA

4. NALANDA UNIVERSITY

5. Nalanda University (also known as Nalanda InternationalUniversity) is
located in Rajgir, near Nalanda, Bihar, India.
It has been called "One of the earliest universities in the World.
It was founded in the 5th century BC by the Gupta Empire, known as the
ancient seat of learning.
Contribution also was given by- The King Harshwardhan, Kumar
Gupta(college of fine arts). Dharmpal Brahmin scholar(tutor). Dinnaga-
Founder of the school of Logic.

6. It was a Buddhist centre of learning from 427 to 1197 CE.
It became the crown jewel of the development of Buddhism in India and the
world.
First Residential International university of the world.
It accommodated over 2,000 teachers and 10,000 students from all over
the world.

8. LIBRARIES
The library of Nalanda, known as DharmaGunj (Mountain Truth) or
Dharmaganja (Treasury of Truth), was the most renowned respository of
Buddhist knowledge in the world at the time.
The library had three main buildings- Ratnasagara, Ratnodadhi and
Ratnaranjaka.
Each building was nine stories high and had an enormous collection of
books that covered various subjects ranging from religion, literature,
astrology, astronomy, medicine and much more.

9. CURRICULUM
Learning was greatly encouraged as it served dual purposes: knowledge and
practice.
Courses were drawn from every field of learning, Buddhist and Hindu, sacred
and secular, foreign and native.
Nalanda was also the most global university of its times, attracting pupils and
scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia, and Turkey.

10. Students studied Science, astronomy, medicine, and logic as diligently as
they applied themselves to metaphysics, philosophy, Samkhya, Yoga-
shastra, the Veda, and the scriptures of Buddhism. They studied foreign
philosophy likewise.
Medicin
e
Science
Astrono
my
Metaphysics
Philosophy
Samkhya
Veda
s
Yoga-
shastra
Foreig
n
Philos
ophy
Scriptures
of
Buddhism

11. GREAT SCHOLARS
Chinese traveller and scholar, Xuanzang (Hsuan-Tsang, 7th century AD),
visited Nalanda and left a vivid account of the curriculum and of the general
features of the community.
Famous philosophers like Shilabhadra, Nagarajuna, and Mahayana were
among the few scholars of Nalanda.

12. DOWNFALL OF NALANDA
According to the records Nalanda University was destroyed three times by
invaders, but rebuilt only twice.
The first destruction was caused by the Huns under Mihirakula during the
reign of Skandagupta (455-467 AD). But Skanda’s successors restored the
library and improved it with an even bigger building.
The second destruction came in the early 7th century by the Gaudas. This
time, the Buddhist king Harshavardhana (606-648 AD) restored the
university.

13. The third and the most destructive attack came when the ancient Nalanda
University was destroyed by the Muslim army led by the Turkish leader
Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193.
After the destruction, the University again began its first academic session
on September 1, 2014 with 15 students including five women.
Initially set up with temporary facilities in Rajgir, a modern campus is
expected to be finished by 2020.

14. RUINS OF NALANDA

15. TAKSHASHILA UNIVERSITY

17. The world’s first University Takshashila also known as “City of Cut Stone”
flourished from 600 BC to 500 AD.
Takshashila was in the kingdom of Gandhar in Ancient India before partition.
But now, Takshashila is in Rawalpindi district of Punjab, Pakistan.
A town located in the north-western region of India (in today’s Pakistan).
According to references in the Ramayana, King Bharata founded the town in
the name of his son, Taksha.

18. CURRICULUM
68 subjects were taught at this university and the minimum entry age
according to ancient texts was 16.

19. A wide range of subjects were taught by experienced masters:
Language
Vedas
Grammar Warfare
Astrono
my
Philosophy
Documentati
on
Medicine
Danc
e
Accounts
Astrolo
gy
Politics
Occul
t
Music
Archer
y
Surgery
Futurology
Commerce
Danc
e

20. Admission into this university was purely based on merit.
The students would opt for electives and then would do in-depth study and
research into their field of choice.
It had 10,500 students including those from Babylon, Greece, Syria and
China.
The panel of masters at the university included legendry scholars like
Kautilya, Panini, Jivak and Vishnu Sharma.
ACADEMICS

21. DOWNFALL OF TAKSHASHILA
When Alexander’s armies came to the Punjab in the fourth century BC,
Takshashila had already developed a reputation as an important seat of
learning.
Thus on his return Alexander took many scholars from there with him to
Greece.
Being near the north-west frontier of India, Takshashila had to face the brunt
of attacks and invasions from the north and the west.

22. Thus the Persians, Greeks, Parthians, Shakas and Kushanas
laid their destructive marks on this institution.
The final blow, however, came from the Huns (also the
destroyers of the Roman Empire) who, AD c450, razed the
institution.
When the Chinese traveller Xuanzang (AD 603-64) visited
Takshashila,
the town had lost all its former grandeur and international
character.

23. RUINS OF TAKSHASHILA

24. VALABI UNIVERSITY

25. HISTORY
Valabi university was situated in saurashtra in western india. this
place is identical to old wala state.
It was an important centre of buddhist learning and championed
the cause of hinayana buddhism. for some time it had become the
rival of nalanda in terms of academic field
It was the capital of maitraka . it was also an important port for
international trade

26. CURRICULUM
Along with the instruction in buddhist doctrines brahmanical sciences were
also used to be taught at this place. over and above religious subjects the
following subjects were also taught:
NITI
•.
•POLITICAL
SCIENCE
•STATEMANSHIP
VARTA
•.
•BUSINESS
•AGRICULTURE
COMMERCE
•.
•ACCOUNTANCY
•ECONOMICS
•LAW

27. FAME
The Fame of Valabi
spread over the
whole of northern
India to such an
extent that the
‘kathasaritsagara’
narrates the story of
Brahmana who
preferred to send his
son to Valabi rather
than Nalanda or
Banaras
It is known to us about the famous
teachers and scholars who lived at
the place apart from the names of
two of its panditas viz. Gunamati
and Sthiramati
It is certain that the stamp of
approval of the doctrines preached
by various scholars by the
authoritative panditas of valabi was
much valued in learned assemblies.

28. STUDENTS
In around the 7th century , Xuanzang visited
Valabi university there were 6000 monks
studying at the university then these 6000
monks were provided with 100 monasteries.

29. RUINS OF VALABI

30. VIKRAMSHILA UNIVERSITY

31. The Vikramaiila Vihara ( Buddhist monastery)
was a famous seat of learning situated on a
hillock on the banks of the Ganga in northern
Magadha( Bihar).The place was just near
Nalanda although the exact location of the
Vihara cannot be ascertained. Dr. S. C.
Vidyabhiishana identified it withSultanganj in
Bhagalpur district and Cunningham,with the
village Silao near Badagaon.
It was founded by king Dharmapala in the
eighth century A.D. (circa 775-800). He gave
liberal endowments to the university so as to
provide for free boarding and lodging to
resident and non-residentmonks studying at
the place. All throughout theexistence of the
university, i. e., upto 1203 AD.
when its tragic end came, the successors of
King Dharmapala continued to give bountiful
donations
to the institution.
HISTORY

33. ADMINISTRATION
There were boards in charge of different duties connected with the day-to-day working
of the university ; one chief abbot worked as the president of these various boards.
There was complete academic autonomy and the teachers in charge of various
departments were responsible for theacademic work conducted in their departments.
In order to ensure a high standard of learning students were admitted to the university
only if they satisfied the tests given by eminent authorities in charge of various
subjects.
Six erudite teachers guarded the six gates leading to the university. During the reign of
Chanaka ( 955-983 A.D. ), the following six eminent logicians were posted for the
work.
Ratnakarasanti was placed at the east gate, Vagisvarakirti at the west, Naropa at the
north, Prajnakaramati, at the south, Ratnavajra at the first central gate and
Jnanasrimitra at the second gate.

34. DOWNFALL OF VALABI
.
The tragic end of this university came in 1203 A.D. at the hands of Bakhtiyar
Khilji, an officer of Kutub-ud-din. All the Buddhist monks residing at the
place had their heads shaven and they were
all slain.
It has been reported that when the invading Musalmans came across the
library of the university, they wanted to know the contents of the books and
searched for some one to give them the necessary information.
But the carnage had been so mercilessly through that not one was available
for the purpose. It is said that the invaders mistook the buildings for a
fortress ( and perhaps the yellow-robed clean-shaven Bhikkhus for soldiers
of war ! ) and only later they realized that it was a Vihara.

35. THANK YOU