Ancient Indian Universities PDF

Unit : Introduction to Indian Knowledge system Sub topic : Ancient Indian Universities 1. Takahashila 5 Jagaddala University 2. Nalanda 6 Nagarjuna Vidyapeeth 3.Vallabhi 7Kanthalloor University 4.Vikramshila The education imparted in these institutions during the long period of about 2,...

Unit : Introduction to Indian Knowledge system Sub topic : Ancient Indian Universities 1. Takahashila 5 Jagaddala University 2. Nalanda 6 Nagarjuna Vidyapeeth 3.Vallabhi 7Kanthalloor University 4.Vikramshila The education imparted in these institutions during the long period of about 2,000 years beginning with the 10th century BCE and ending with the 12th century CE 'Takshasila ( 1000 BCE to 500 CE ) History : Takshasila is the oldest among the universities in ancient India. It was well known as a centre of learning as early as during 700 B.C. The educational activities at this place must have started at least a few centuries earlier. The place derived its name from Taksha, a son of Bharata. The Ramayana narrates how Bharata, after defeating the Gandharvas, founded the two famous cities— Takshaiila in the Gandharva Deia for Taksha and Pushkalavata for tlie other son Pushkala in the Gandhara. The place is situated twenty miles to the west of Rawalpindi, Now in Pakistan Administration / (Gurukul System ) : Each teacher was an institution in himself and enjoyed complete autonomy in his work. His authority was final in fixing up the duration of the course, in directing the courses of studies, in selecting or rejecting students and in laying down rules for guiding the day-to-day work. As each teacher was an authority on the subject of his specialisation, there was little scope for any conflict of interests or competition among them. The knowledge of all these teachers put together represented everything that was worth knowing in those days. The studies terminated when the teacher was satisfied with the achievement of his student and there was no rigid regulation of any sort to regiment the duration of the 10 course. Normally specialisation in various subjects of study took eight years, but the period could be reduced or lengthened in accordance with the intellectual capacity of the students and the amount of energy and application shown by them. There were also some cases where teachers advised students to leave their studies, because they could not fit themselves in the social, intellectual or moral atmosphere of their schools, which were invariably located in the teachers' private houses. The completion of studies was not marred by any formal examination nor was there any convocation for conferring degrees. Examinations were treated as superfluous, because the procedure of teaching subjects was critical and thorough and unless one unit was very thoroughly mastered by the student, he was not allowed to proceed to the succeeding portions. The students who completed their studies did not receive any written certificates or diplomas because it was believed that knowledge was its own reward and using it for earning bread or for achieving any selfish end was a sacrilege. Only higher education was imparted The process of education which began at home with primary education and widened in extent in the education in the Ashrams which imparted what corresponded to secondary education reached its culmination in these places which imparted education at the university level. According to the system prevalent in ancient India, primary education was imparted to children upto the age of eight and secondary education covered from eight to twelve years more. So the students who came to learn in ancient Indian universities were approximately sixteen to twenty years of age Curriculum There was a wide variety of courses offered at Takshashila , both in literary and scientific or technical subjects. The terms used to denote these two types of courses were the Vedas and the Silpas. The number of Vedas studied in this university is mentioned as three( Rigveda, Samveda and Yajurveda) but Atharvaveda dropped from the list The term Veda also included the study of its six auxiliary sciences, the Science of correct pronunciation, Aphoristic literature guiding the performance of various rites and sacrifices, Grammar, Astronomy, Prosody and Etymology. The study of these auxiliary sciences had necessarily to precede the comprehension of the meaning of the Vedas. The Silpas or crafts were as follows : Holy tradition and secular law, Sankhya, Nyaya ( Logic ), Vaiseshika ( Atomic theory of creation ), Arithmetic, Music, Medicine, four Vedas, Puranas ( Antiquities ), Iti- hasas ( History), Military Art, Poetry and dancing Some famous students Panini, the greatest grammarian of the Sanskrit language, was a student of this university ; so also was Chanakya, ( known also as Kautilya) the minister of Chandra Gupta Mourya, who reduced the Nanda dynasty of Magadha to ashes. Jivaka, the famous physician, is also described as a student of this university. He was an expert in medicine ' for a period of seven years. It is said that Jivaka cured Emperor Bimbisara of his fistula and, as a result, was appointed a physician to the King Nalanda (425BCE to 1205CE) History There are various explanations showing the significance of the name given to the place. According to one theory Naiatida was the name of a Naga { cobra ) who lived in a tank near the mango-tree to the south of a Sangharama. A second account says that the name was the result of the incessant charity given by Bodhisattva who was living at this place. The third explanation is based on an etymological analysis of the word which means that endowments incessantly flowed to the institution, but donors had not had the satisfaction of having given sufficiently. Long before the Christian era the place Was noted as a religious centre. This was the place which was sanctified by the stay of Buddha and his disciples ( 523 BCE. —477 BCE ) and had witnessed a number of discussions on Buddhist doctrines. This was also the place where Mahavira, the Jain Tirthankara, met Gosala. This was the place of discussion carried on by Nagarjuna and others in the early centuries of the Christian era. ASoka had built a temple and a Vihara at this place Boarding and lodging arrangements for students In all Buddhist institutions boarding and lodging were offered free It has been pointed out in some places that ' the teacher as he took no fees, made the student work in his Asrama or Vihara.' Curriculum The curriculum of the university was very exhaustive and embraced all subjects, Buddhist as well as non-Buddhist, Mahayana as well as Hinayana. Only a few of these many subjects were treated as compulsory. Study of Mahayana and acquaintance with all the eighteen schools of Buddhism were prescribed as compulsory subjects. Astronomy was taught and for this purpose an observatory Tantra was a very popular subject at this university because we hear oi many scholars writing works on Tantra, others studying them and still others copying and translating them into the languages of the north. Tantras deal with the use of mystic words as well as magic. Other subjects studied in this University were the Vedas and their six auxiliaries. Medicine, Grammar, Sankhya, Philology, Law, Philosophy and other miscellaneous subjects. The subjects were drawn from different fields of learning, Brahmanical and Buddhist, secular, philosophical and practical, sciences and arts. Teachers and students It is stated that at one time there were 10,000 monks staying at Nalanda. Of these, 1,510 were teachers and the remaining 8,500 were students belonging to various levels of attainments and studying various subjects. Libraries The university had a large collection of manuscripts on various subjects in various languages stored up in three splendid buildings appropriately called Ratnasagara, Ratnodadhi and Ratnaranjaka. This was greatly helpful in the dissemination of knowledge, because we find numerous mentions of 37 scholars from abroad copying out manuscripts in hundreds from these libraries and taking them to their countries. Decline and fall of the university The university received the final tragic blow at the hands invaders at the end of the 12 th century Valabhi University (600 CE to 1200 CE) History The University of Valabhi was situated in Saurashtra in Western India. It. was an important centre of Buddhist learning, and championed the cause of Hinayana Buddhism. For some time it had be- come a rival of Nalanda in the academic field, Valabhi was the capital of Maitraka kings during the period 480-775 A. D. and was born from the benefactions of these kings. Situated on the seashore, it was then an important port for international trade. Curriculum Valabhi championed the cause of Hinayana Buddhism. Over and above religious subjects, there was also instruction imparted in subjects like Niti ( Political science. Statesmanship), Varta (Business, Agriculture), Administration. Theology, Law, Economics and Accountancy. In some cases students, after studying at this university were employed by kings for assisting in the government of their kingdom. Students and Finance There were 6,000 monks studying in the university. The Maitraka kings who ruled over the country from 480 to 775 A.D. were the patrons of this university and gave grants for the working of the University as well as for equipping the libraries of the institutions. Closure of Valabhi The patron kings succumbed to an Arab attack in 775 A.D. as a result of which the university received a temporary set-back. The work of the university, however, continued unabated even after- wards, because the successors of the Maitraka kings continued to patronize the university with rich donations. But nothing much is known about the university after this period. Probably the defeat of the patron kings must have given a death-blow to all its educational activities which continued up to the twelfth century Vikramasila University (800 CE to 1203 CE) History The Vikramasila Vihara ( Buddhist monastery) was a famous seat of learning situated on a hillock on the banks of the Ganga in northern Magadha ( Bihar) It was founded by king Dharmapala in the eighth century A.D. He gave liberal funds to the university so as to provide for free boarding and lodging to resident and non-resident monks studying at the place. Buildings The buildings at Vikramasila were well planned and accommodative There were one hundred and eight temples and six college buildings, spread out like lotus petals, with a beautiful Mahabodhi temple in the centre with its six gates leading to the six colleges. Each of those six buildings had spacious halls for lectures. All these buildings were surrounded by a strong wall. Curriculum The institution represented the Mahayana form of Buddhism, a more assertive cult as the name itself indicates. As the Mahayana form, however, presupposes the Hinayana and is a development of the same, Buddhist text-books belonging to both these branches of Buddhism must have been taught here. Special stress was laid on Grammar, Logic, Metaphysics and Ritualism. A special significance was attached to Tantras which consist of religious doctrines teaching magical and mystical formularies for the worship of deities or the attainment of supreme power. Destruction of Vikramasila The tragic end of this university came in 1203 A.D. by invaders Jagaddala University (11th Century AD.) It was a Buddhist Mahavihara in Varendra, present-day north Bengal, Bangladesh. King Ramapala (1077-1120 AD) of the Pala dynasty is thought to have founded it. Jagaddala was a Vajrayana Buddhist centre. According to Tibetan works, it was at Jagaddala where many Sanskrit texts were translated into the Tibetan language. Not much is known about why the university ceased its operations, but evidence indicates that Jagaddala may have also fallen to an invasion sometime in the early 13th century. Nagarjuna Vidyapeeth (600 CE ) Named after a famous Buddhist philosopher, Nagarjuna Vidyapeeth was situated in South India on the banks of the Krishna river. Archaeological evidence suggests that the university and its library flourished in the7thcentury. Its library housed on the top floor of the five-story building had an enormous collection of Buddhist philosophy, science, and medicine. The enormity of the collection is borne out by the fact that it not only worked on Buddhist literature but also on several branches of scientific knowledge, such as Botany, Geography, Mineralogy, and Medicine. It was a great attraction for scholars from other ancient Indian universities and from other countries, like China, Burma, and Ceylon. Kanthalloor University (1000 CE – 1300 CE) Recent excavations near Valiyasalai in the Southern Indian state of Kerela revealed the existence of an illustrious ancient university. At Kanthalloor, students were taught subjects such as Vedas, Astrology, Chemistry, Goldsmithy, Medicine, Music,