Revisiting Nalanda
Recent scholarship has brought about a shift in the way Nalanda, the world’s most ancient university, is seen. It appears to have had larger geo-cultural connections than were previously realised, and the monastery complex may have been twice the size of the present excavated site.
Published :
Oct 01, 2021 00:00
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Site 3 or Temple 3, popularly known as the Great Stupa or Sariputra’s Stupa, is the most iconic of all the monuments at the Nalanda site in Bihar. ▲
The plinth of Temple 2, which was once a huge, imposing structure. ▲
Carved stone panels of deities and figures, belonging to the late 7th century, that once adorned the plinth of Temple 2. ▲
One of the minor shrines in the Temple 3 complex. ▲
Monastery 1, the largest of the monastic dwellings at the site, went through at least nine phases of construction. ▲
The remains of Monasteries 1A and 1B in the background, which are connected to the Temple 3 complex (in the foreground). ▲
Monastery 6. These ruins give one a rough idea of the arrangement of monk cells around a central courtyard. ▲
Monastery 8. ▲
Monastery 9. ▲
Monastery 10. ▲
Monastery 11. ▲
The gallery leading to the excavated-enclosed site. ▲
Miniature shrines and votive stupas in the Temple 12 complex. ▲
The remains of the stucco images that once adorned the base of the structures in the Temple 3 complex. ▲
The Nalanda Museum, which was established in 1917. ▲
A pushkarni, one of the waterbodies lying outside the excavated-enclosed site. ▲
The famous black Buddha, now enshrined at a temple in Bargaon, is popularly known as the Teliya Baba. ▲
Temple 12. It comes across as the largest and most complex of the temples in the enclosed area. ▲
The Xuanxang Memorial Hall, which also houses a museum. ▲
The new art and craft centre village that lies close to the Xuanzang Memorial Hall. ▲