The aim of the present book, the first of its kind, is to promote a systematic and informed discussion on the Buddhist monastery of Nālandā in the field of South Asian studies. It wills to help in rectifying the elitist bias characteristic of much research and academic work in the area of religion and education. The book is a result of...

The establishment of Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra in pre-modern northern India firmly installed Buddhist monastic life and activity; simultaneously, the monastery also served as the popular seat of Buddhist learning and Buddhism in South Asia....

Available early literary sources and later archaeological explorations reveal that Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra liked to be in obscurity. The real nature of the institution was never revealed nor did anybody try and give a detailed interpretation of its existence and functions. But its name as an international university was being used in international politics and...

~The last chapter showed us the excavated site of Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra and its monuments. It reflected both archaeological and historical discovery of Nālandā Mahāvihāra as a full-fledged Buddhist monastery with religious attachments engaged in...

~After brief details of the gurukula, or pre-Nālandā education, we will now look into the mahāvihāra, or Nālandā education system, another important form of early religious learning in South Asia. Broadly, the remaining present-day monasteries are also...

~The last chapter brought up a picture of Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra as an institution devoted to Buddhist teaching and learning. Starting as popular traditional places of salvation, Buddhist monasteries like Śrī Nālandā played a growing role in the evolution of...

~The last chapter focused on the curriculum practiced at Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra, matching to the features of a religious learning institution. Buddhism as a religion was the motivational factor in studies and training took place at the monastery of Nālandā. The teachers and students of...

We got an idea of the organization and management of Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra in the previous chapter. It was an efficient system because of the active participation of monks and residents of Śrī Nālandā. We also discussed in detail the academic and religious practices, studies, and training of inhabitants of the...

~We have gone through the history of Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra and Buddhist monastic education in the preceding chapters. We started with the long description of origin, growth, and decay of the monastery of Nālandā with favorable factors. We also went through the details of how a vihāra, or a...

~This book is a long-cherished dream of author Dr. Pintu Kumar intimately related to his research, teaching, and academic endeavors. He specialized in pre-modern history and later in South Asian History of Education during his Masters, MPhil, and PhD degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. He has been an assistant...