SSC
The ancient Nalanda University, one of the world's earliest residential universities, is located in:
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Answer: Option D — Bihar
Detailed Solution
The ruins of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) are located in the Nalanda district of Bihar, near Rajgir.
About ancient Nalanda:
- It was founded in the 5th century CE, during the Gupta period, by Emperor Kumaragupta I (also known as Shakraditya).
- It was a great centre of Buddhist learning, and also taught the Vedas, logic, grammar, medicine, mathematics and astronomy.
- It is regarded as one of the world's earliest residential universities, with dormitories for students and teachers, lecture halls, temples and a large library called "Dharmaganja" ("Mart of Religion").
- It was supported by later rulers, such as Harshavardhana of Kannauj and the Pala kings of Bengal.
- At its peak, it had several thousand students and teachers from India and abroad, including China, Korea, Tibet and Central Asia.
The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) studied there in the 7th century under the teacher Shilabhadra. Another Chinese pilgrim, Yijing (I-tsing), also studied there.
Famous teachers associated with it include Nagarjuna, Aryabhata (according to some accounts), Dharmapala and Shilabhadra.
It was destroyed around 1193-1200 by the Turkish general Bakhtiyar Khalji.
The ruins were identified by Alexander Cunningham in the 19th century.
"Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar" was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.
Modern Nalanda University:
It was re-established under the Nalanda University Act, 2010, as an international university, with support from East Asia Summit countries.
Its new campus near Rajgir was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2024. It is a "net-zero" campus.
Other ancient universities:
- Vikramashila (Bihar): founded by the Pala king Dharmapala.
- Odantapuri (Bihar): founded by the Pala king Gopala.
- Takshashila (Taxila, now in Pakistan): one of the oldest centres of learning.
- Valabhi (Gujarat).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Uttar Pradesh has Sarnath and Kushinagar.
- ✗West Bengal has Buddhist sites such as Moghalmari and Jagjivanpur.
- ✗Odisha has the ancient Buddhist sites of Ratnagiri and Pushpagiri.
Quick tip
Remember: Nalanda = Bihar (founded by Kumaragupta I, 5th century; Xuanzang studied there; destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khalji; UNESCO 2016; new campus 2024); Vikramashila = Dharmapala.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.