3 Ancient Universities Of India

When talking about the ancient universities of India, Nalanda is the first name that strikes the mind. However, the glorious history of India couldn't have been made by a single educational institution. Hence, in this WrytUp we shall see the Top 3 Ancient Universities of India besides Nalanda.

Takshashila

The Taxila University was located in the Northwest Frontier kingdom of India, Gandharva. It was established somewhere in the 6th century BCE and was a centre of learning for the people of the entire subcontinent and even the foreigners such as Greeks, Chinese, etc. Widely regarded as a holy place by the Hindus and the Buddhists, the university was well taken care of by the kings of the region according to the Greek Historians. The city of Taxila was located at the doors of Central Asia and India and this was the reason why it was attacked frequently. The attacks also affected the university which had numerous teachers and students. Some of the notable students to have graduated from this university were Bimbisara, Ajatashatru, Mudrarakshasa, Vishnu Gupta, Chandragupta Maurya, etc. The notable teachers at this university were Panini, Chanakya, etc.

Vikramshila

This university was established by the ruler of Pala dynasty, Dharampala who ruled the region from 783 to 820 AD. This university was established due to some issues in the Nalanda University and soon it became a prominent place of learning along with Nalanda. This university was one of the major universities which gave a tough competition to Nalanda, and it had scholars with an excellence in Tantric learnings. Even the teachers at Nalanda couldn't match the level of Vikramshila in this field. Acharya Atisha Dipankara, who was one of the founders of the Tantra traditions of Tibetan Buddhism was a student at this university. This university was burnt to ashes by the Islamic Invader Bakhtiyar Khilji soon after he had destroyed Nalanda.

Somapura

This university was also established by the Pala ruler, Dharampala in 8th century. Unlike Vikramshila, this university was not built to compete with Nalanda or any other university. Instead, it was established to provide access to education to the people of Northeastern region of India. The campus of this university spread over 27 acres and various subjects regarding Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism were taught at this university. This university was one of the largest universities in ancient India and its architecture had influences to as far as Cambodia and Laos. This university was well protected by the indigenous rulers of the land, however at times it was ransacked during Islamic invasions. However once the land fell to the Islamic rulers, they neglected this university and gradually this university was forgotten until the 20th century when this university was excavated.

For the readers who wish to know more about Nalanda, my WrytUp regarding Nalanda is available here.