Nalanda Mahavihara
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Overview
Nalanda Mahavihara in Bihar was a great monastic university that drew students from across Asia. It became a World Heritage Site in 2016.
It was a centre of learning from the 5th century CE until the 12th century, founded under the Gupta king Kumaragupta I.
The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang studied and taught here in the 7th century.
It was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2016, and a new Nalanda University campus nearby opened in 2024.
It had large libraries and many monasteries.
It drew students from China, Korea, Tibet and Central Asia.
It was destroyed in about 1200 CE.
The ruins cover a large area.
Geography and key facts
- Bihar
- Monastic university
- WHS 2016
- Kumaragupta I
- Xuanzang
Why it matters for UPSC
Asked on ancient education.
Note for UPSC
Cultural World Heritage Site, inscribed 2016 · Bihar.
UPSC asks about the state, the dynasty or period, and whether a site is cultural or natural.
Asked in PYQs
No question in our Prelims bank names Nalanda Mahavihara yet.
Key facts
- Type
- World Heritage Site
- State / UT
- Bihar
- Heritage type
- Cultural
- Inscribed (UNESCO)
- 2016
- Coordinates
- 25.137°N, 85.444°E
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Indian Architecture and Temple Styles (map lesson)
- Performing Arts, Paintings and Heritage (map lesson)
- Hindu Temple Architecture: Nagara, Dravida and Vesara (map lesson)
- Indo-Islamic, Mughal and Colonial Architecture (map lesson)
- Mughal Culture: Architecture, Painting, Literature and Music (map lesson)
More world heritage sites nearby
Other places in Bihar
All world heritage sites · Revision list · Most asked in PYQs