नालंदा nālāndā
‘Lotus-Giving’ / ‘Endless Giving (of Knowledge or Charity)’ Ancient Mahāvihāra site, Bihar
From Skt: nala, ‘reed’ or ‘lotus stalk’; and da, ‘to give’. Another derivation is from Skt: nā + alam + da — “no end to giving,” understood as generosity in knowledge or almsgiving.
Nalanda was the greatest centre of Buddhist learning in Asia for nearly 700 years, from the 5th to 12th centuries CE. Established under the Guptas, it evolved into a vast residential university, with up to 10,000 students and teachers from across India, Tibet, China, Korea and Central Asia. The curriculum covered Buddhist logic, philosophy, and metaphysics, but also medicine, mathematics, grammar, and astronomy.
The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who studied here in the 7th century, described its imposing monasteries, temples, and libraries, where intellectual debate was as prized as devotional practice. Royal support from the Palas helped sustain Nalanda until the 12th century, when Bakhtiyar Khilji’s invasion led to its destruction. Its rediscovery in the 19th century transformed modern understanding of India’s scholastic past.
Today the UNESCO-listed ruins testify to Nalanda’s status as the archetypal Indian university, renowned for its “endless giving” of knowledge.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Bihar place names.
