Enlightening Pilgrimage of Indian Heritage

A Wish That Came Through

(From the Travelogues of Mathew D. Kunnappilly)

NALANDA

The ruin of Nalanda is 11 km North of Rajgir. We left at 11.30 AM in a mini bus. Reached Nalanda at 12.30 PM. There were just few shops at the bus stop. There was a sign showing the direction to the old university. The road goes to your left. Few cycle rickshaws were parked at the bus stop. No auto rickshaw or Tonga was present there. I decided not to ask any one there for a rickshaw because I knew they all would surround us. Since we do not speak the language it is better to deal with one person at a time.

So we turned and walked toward the ruins as if we do not need a rickshaw. After walking some distance we waited in the shade of a tree for a rickshaw driver to come by. After few minutes I saw a driver coming from the ruins. I stopped him and asked how much he wants to take us to the university. (Mostly I used sign language. Nalanda University needs no translation and he understood me) He gave me a number in Hindi. I did not know how many that was. We used all the fingers we had and all that, but that did not make any sense to him or to me. A middle-aged man was passing by us and he was well dressed. I asked him if he speak any English. He said he does but why? I told him that we wanted to go to the ruins of Nalanda University and this man gave me a price but I do not know how much that is. He asked the driver in Hindi and the driver gave his answer. The man turned to me and said, " He is asking for 20 rupees. That is a very reasonable rate" I thanked him and climbed on to the rickshaw.

On the way, by using sign language and all, I told the driver that we would like to have lunch before going in. He nodded his head.

When we reached the campus gate I was so surprised. If it were in Kerala, for the same distance a driver would have demanded 50 rupees just to take us there.

He took us to a restaurant. I asked him to come with us. He did not understand me and stood with his rickshaw. I told him to come with us and eat, by using amateur sign language, and he did. I ordered three meals. The owner- com- manager looked at me puzzled. He does not speak any English. He asked me three times to make sure the number he head was right. Finally, I pointed to me, to Subash, and to the Driver. He served us our meals. From this I suppose that not very many visitors order food for their drivers. I did not say this to show my magnanimity. Only to show how hard some people have to work to earn their "daily bread" Our meals cost 20 rupees each. Later this poor fellow cannot do for me enough and cannot thank me enough. At the end I gave him double the amount he asked for and on top of that I gave him a little tip.

It is very difficult to say what I expected to see at Nalanda. When you go to see the "RUINS" of an ancient institution you do not expect to see much. You may see broken bricks or stones, outlines of the buildings, and signs saying something were here, there, and elsewhere. The efficacy and the totality are not that important but only the sanctity of the place.

After lunch we set out to see the ruins. Admission to the area is through tickets only. The compound is fenced in and well kept. No cattle’s or sheep’s are allowed in. There is only one gate. (I had not seen any other) Guards are stationed there. A clean, well-kept walkway leads to the ruins. Near the other end there is a small stall where you could buy soft drinks, hot tea, coffee and snakes. That is where you leave your foot ware also. You climb few steps and you are against a three story high long wall. Over this wall you could see an imposing solid structure standing. The long wall has only one arched entranceway. Now, if you could imagine an artistic huge letter "L" laid flat on the ground, the long line facing you and the leg away from you. The entrance door is parallel to the curved leg of the L. When you enter, you are in a hallway, walls three story high on both sides, stairways going up on the right side, going down on the left side. If you go strait through the hallway, you will come out of the building into the open air. To your left is the main Temple. The imposing structure you had seen over the wall is the southern most wall of the main Temple. This is about 15 story high. There are three different staircases going up to the top of this wall. (It is closed to the public now, after a couple of people fell from the top and died) There are a number of votive stupas in front of it. This Temple has no roof. Everything stands in the open air.

After seeing this, if you turn around and turn to your right, and go down, you will come to a large area that might had been the common cooking area. There is a well that is covered with an iron grill now. (Remember, this is inside the building) On the sidewalls there are several undamaged (I mean, not severely damaged) rooms. I spent about 5 minutes in one of them. It was broiling hot out side. I felt like sitting in an air-conditioned room. These rooms might keep you warm during winter.

Now, if we take the steps, we can go to the second story level. Some of the walls of the rooms still stand. This appears to be the dormitory area. Each room has two sleeping places built with bricks on the walls. (Those places are covered with cement, to protect the old bricks)

In some places you can go up to the third level. From there you get a sky view of the entire building. The second and third level arias are left in only about 1/3 of the whole place. The rest is only up to the ground level. From the third level it seemed like it was one huge building. The inside walls are all attached. There are no gaps between them anywhere from one room to the next.

The kitchen, dining room, dormitories, class rooms, lecture halls, study halls, library, etc, etc, all in one building under one roof? 3,000 years ago?

There were 7 detached Temples (but near by) and 8 Monasteries here. At monastery site 6 has an interesting item. Two sets of double OVENS in the upper courtyard, which the monks might have used for cooking or for some demonstration to students.

If you wanted to see every niche and corner of this ruins you need at least one-week time. We got down to the ground and started walking to the other end of the place through the sidewalk. We reached about the half way when I saw a couple of benches under cool shade of a large tree. By this time I was tired. My legs were aching. Feet were sore. We sat down on that bench. Then I did not want to get up. I told Subash that I cannot go any further (We were carrying our suite cases too) and he should go and take a look at the rest of the place. He left. He did not stop anywhere. He walked at a reasonable speed. Went all the way to the other end and came back. That took him 45 minutes. (This is only half the distance to go and come back) So you can imagine the size of this place.

By then it was close to 4 PM. We decided to leave.

When we reached the gate, our driver was waiting. He took us to the bus stop, put us in a mini bus, and made sure that I was not siting in the side where the sun was and I had enough space to sit. I said goodbye to him.

We were on our way to Bihar Sheif and from there to Patna.

We reached Patna around 7 PM, checked into a lodge, cleaned up, had some supper and then went to sleep.

An Introduction to Nalanda.

Many years ago while reading about the history of educational institutions I came across a statement that the world’s first universities were at Nalanda and Taxila (Thakshasila). I was under the impression that world’s first university was Oxford, then came Cambridge, next Harvard, then Yale, etc. That intrigued my curiosity. Up on further investigation I found that these Universities existed during the time of Buddha and Mahavira. Which means these institutions were well established at least 500 years before Jesus was born. Therefore, the Jesuits or the Dominicans did not introduce the educational ideas first. I knew that ancient Romans and the Greeks were well advanced but they did not have any universities. At a time when Socrates and Plato were educating people at street corners, or in their own homes like in Gurukulam, or in their pupil’s home if the student is of Noble, like Philip’s son Alexander, there was a University at Nalanda? Since that time I wished to visit Nalanda. (My chance for seeing Txila was slim since it is in Pakistan now)

Nalanda is not yet fully excavated. For example, the three separate Temples on the West of the main structure, about 200 feet away and facing it, have only the front entrance to the Temple are exposed. The rest is still under the ground. Many scholars believe that the unexposed area is larger than the exposed.

The known written document on Nalanda is that of the renowned Chinese traveler of the 7th century, Hiuen Tsang. (We must remember that the main library of the university was burned down when the Moslem invaders thought that it was a military fort, and attacked it.) A university deputation escorted Hiuen Tsang from Bodha Gaya. He was given a warm welcome. The Title Mokshacharya (Preceptor of Salvation) was confirmed up on him. He stayed many years at Nalanda and studied Tantraism.

Without any other records it is safe to assume that this university was in existence for a long time before his arrival. No institution could have become world renown in short period of time. especially during that period. We may never know the exact date the Nalanda University opened its door the first time. If it had students from all over Asia in the seventh century AD, then it is highly probable that the university was in existence before Buddha’s time.

The University was fully a residential one. When Tsang was residing, they had about 4 thousand students and teachers there. The largest number of students and teachers Nalanda had was 10,000.

The education was fully free. No tuition, room and board, or any other charges, to be paid. The students were there to study. That is all they had to worry about. No one would kick them out because the parents did not have the money.

The discipline was very strict and laxity was never tolerated. But hardly ever risen an occasion of serious breach of discipline. Had it ever happened, the most drastic punishment would have executed.

The large number of students from all parts of India and abroad who came seeking admission to the university were accommodated in guesthouses near the different gates of the university. Very learned scholars known as Dwaraka Pandits (Gate Professors) superintended those houses. These Professors would interview the candidates to determine they’re academic ability, intellectual caliber, personal habits, behavioral patterns, and other qualities and defects. So hard were these tests and scrutiny, seven or eight out of ten candidates will have to go back home disappointed.

The true NEED BLIND, SELECTIVE ADMISSION, long before such concepts were ever imagined!

Even those who got admission were not quite secure. The pride of many new entrant to be humbled at the hands of abler students during group "discussions"

The Nalanda method of teaching was through discussions and debates among small groups of students and teachers. (Seminars in BC?)

The instructions were given in all branches of Buddhism, its scriptures and theology, Vedantic studies, Literature, Philosophy, Logic, Grammar, Rhetoric, Phonetic, Chemistry, Metallurgy, etc.

The teachers at Nalanda were real scholars. They were not PROFESSIONAL teachers. They were DEDICATED masters. A "Fellow at Nalanda" carried more weight than a don at Oxford or a Full Professor at Harvard carries today. Nalanda scholars were invited to different countries to establish educational centers there. Many went. Once accomplished their task, they returned to Nalanda. They never left Nalanda for "better" pay. We do not even know if they were paid any wages at all.

Today I am inclined to believe that the integrity of Indian society did not disintegrate into naught yet because it was held together with the glue of such noble institutions. The frightening fact is that the succeeding generations are withdrawing from the deposits their ancestors made without contributing to it. If this continues, one of these days, the fund will be depleted completely.

Next - Varanasi