Latest / The Hidden History of Bengal: Kingdoms, Empires, and Revolution — Fexingo History / The Buddhist University That Burned: Nalanda and Bengal's Lost Knowledge
Transcript
- Lucas: So today I want to take us to a place that's become almost mythical in the history of learning — the ancient university of Nalanda. And I think the Bengal connection here is something most people don't realize. Luna: Nalanda — that's in Bihar, right? Not Bengal. Lucas: Right, it's in present-day Bihar, about 90 kilometers southeast of Patna. But during its golden age, from the 8th to the 12th centuries, Nalanda was under the patronage of the Pala dynasty, who ruled Bengal and large parts of eastern India. In fact, the Palas were Buddhists, and they poured enormous resources into Nalanda, turning it into arguably the world's first great residential university. Lucas: We're talking about a campus that covered over 14 hectares — that's about 35 acres — with eight separate compounds, ten temples, meditation halls, and multiple libraries housed in three multi-story buildings. Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who studied there in the 7th century, described it as having 'the soaring height of the towers and the rooms being lost in the vapors of the morning.' Luna: Wait — Xuanzang was there before the Palas took over, right? Lucas: Exactly right. Xuanzang visited around the 630s, during the reign of King Harsha, before the Pala dynasty even began. But his account gives us a baseline. At that time, Nalanda already had about 10,000 students and 1,500 teachers. They studied the Vedas, logic, grammar, medicine, astronomy, and of course Buddhist philosophy — both Hinayana and Mahayana schools. Lucas: Now, the Palas came to power around 750 CE, and they took Nalanda to a whole new level. King Dharmapala, who reigned from roughly 770 to 810, was a major patron. He established new monasteries, funded scholarships, and even founded another university at Vikramashila, which became Nalanda's sister institution. Luna: So Bengal's Buddhist kings were essentially running a network of international universities. Lucas: Precisely. And it was genuinely international. Students came from Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia. The curriculum was rigorous — they had entrance exams, and only about 20% of applicants were admitted. The library, known as Dharmaganja or 'Treasury of Truth,' had three buildings: Ratnasagara, Ratnodadhi, and Ratnaranjaka. One of them, Ratnodadhi, was nine stories high. Lucas: Now, this is where the Bengal connection deepens. The Palas were not just patrons — they were active participants in the intellectual life. King Dharmapala himself was a scholar. And the university's fame attracted scholars from Bengal who taught there, like the logician Dharmakirti, though he was a bit earlier, and later the great teacher Shantarakshita, who helped bring Buddhism to Tibet. Luna: I've heard that Nalanda's library was so vast that when it was destroyed, the flames burned for months. Is that true? Lucas: That's the legend, and it's one of those stories that's hard to verify but impossible to ignore. The destruction came in the early 1190s, when Bakhtiyar Khilji, a Turkic general under the Delhi Sultanate, invaded the region. He was a commander of qutb ud din Aibak, and he swept through Bihar and Bengal with a relatively small force of about 10,000 cavalry. Lucas: According to the 17th-century historian minhaj i siraj, writing in the tabaqat i nasiri, Bakhtiyar attacked the fortified monastery of Nalanda — which he described as a 'college' or 'madrasa' — and seized its treasures. The monks who resisted were killed. Then the libraries were set on fire. Minhaj says the flames consumed 'countless books' and that the smoke rose for days. Luna: But the 'burned for months' part — is that later embroidery? Lucas: Probably. The original source doesn't say months. But the scale was staggering. Estimates of the library's holdings range from a few hundred thousand to several million manuscripts, mostly on palm leaves and birch bark. The loss was catastrophic, not just for Buddhism but for world history. Countless texts on medicine, astronomy, philosophy, and literature were lost forever. Lucas: And it wasn't just Nalanda. The same wave of destruction hit other Pala-era monasteries: Odantapuri, Vikramashila, Sompura Mahavihara — that last one is in present-day Bangladesh, in the Naogaon district. So Bengal's own Buddhist heritage was systematically dismantled. Luna: I remember from the Sena episode that the Senas were Hindu, and they came after the Palas. So there was already a shift away from Buddhism before the Turks arrived. Lucas: Exactly. The Sena dynasty, which rose in the 12th century, were staunchly Hindu and promoted a revival of Brahminical traditions. They didn't destroy Buddhist institutions the way Bakhtiyar did, but they withdrew state patronage. So by the time Bakhtiyar arrived, Nalanda was already in decline, with fewer students and resources. Lucas: Still, the destruction was a rupture. For centuries, Nalanda had been a beacon of knowledge. Tibetan texts, for instance, record that many of their own Buddhist scriptures were first brought from Nalanda. The great translator Rinchen Zangpo, who lived a century before the invasion, studied there. The loss was felt across Asia. Luna: And yet, somehow, the ruins survived. They were rediscovered in the 19th century by British archaeologists. Now it's a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lucas: Right. Today, you can walk through the excavated remains — the monasteries, the stupas, the meditation cells. It's a haunting place. And there's a modern Nalanda University nearby, revived in 2010 as an international institution, though it's still small. Lucas: But what I find fascinating is the way the memory of Nalanda persisted even after its fall. In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Nalanda is still revered as the source of their lineage. The Dalai Lama has often spoken of it. And for Bengal, it's a reminder that this region was once at the center of the world's intellectual life. Luna: It makes you wonder what we've lost. Not just the books, but the living tradition of debate and inquiry. Lucas: That's exactly the kind of thing that keeps me thinking about history. And it's why a show like this exists — to keep these stories alive. If you've been following along with us on these journeys through Bengal's past, you know this is ad-free and listener-supported. We keep it that way because of people who chip in at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to make sure these conversations continue. Luna: Yeah, every little bit helps. And it's nice knowing the show stays independent. Lucas: Exactly. So, back to Nalanda — one more detail I love. The university had a system of debate that was highly formalized. Students would argue points of logic and philosophy in the courtyards, and the losers would have to carry their mats and leave. It was like a medieval version of a thesis defense, but with higher stakes. Luna: Sounds terrifying. But probably effective. Lucas: It produced some of the sharpest minds in Asia. And it's a legacy that Bengal can rightfully claim as part of its own story. Thanks for coming along on this one, Luna. Luna: Always a pleasure. Next time, maybe we trace what happened to the survivors — the monks who fled to Nepal and Tibet. Lucas: Now that is an episode I'd love to do.