A 90 km from Patna , the capital of the mythical state of Bihar, is Nalanda , a city that was a religious powerhouse irradiation and is currently uninhabited.
The State of Bihar is located to the east, in the fertile plains of the Ganges , and his name is linked to the origin of various religions such as Jainism and Buddhism itself, as it is said that here the Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya , in what is now modern Gaya .
But in Nalanda was one of the most famous universities of ancient India, whose walls scholars taught Tibetan Buddhism, originated here but also other forms of Buddhism, including Mahayana and Theravada.
The University was built between the V and XII; owned residential units to house up to ten thousand students, the excavations have revealed conference rooms, meditation centers, bedrooms and stairs. Thousand teachers who came from different parts of Asia, among whom were eminent as Nagarjuna , philosopher Mahayana ; Dinnage , founder of the school of logic, and the wise Brahmin Dharmpala ; Kumargupt of the dynasty Gupta , established a school here Fine Arts and the emperor Harshwardhana made several donations.
Today is an Archaeological Museum where you can see statues and other exceptional items of the University, to two miles of these ancient ruins is now the Nav Nalanda Mahavihar , modern institute which houses several Buddhist manuscripts and whose mission is to preserve the traditions of ancient Nalanda University.
The total area covers 14hs excavation, which contain numerous "stupas, monasteries, cells or rooms on all four sides of a central courtyard, classrooms and auditoriums, houses a beautiful memory structure of Hieun Tsiang , a traveler V century that gave a beautiful description of the University .
Near the excavations are also a lake and an ancient temple of the sun which is still visited and adored by people from the nearby town of Silao, located between Nalanda and Rajgir, but also in this small town is prepared Khaja , a popular candy is the specialty of the villa.
Near the ruins of the former University of lifting the new temple of Jaisalmer , a beautiful stone building that houses statues of Lord Mahavira and Gautam Gandharva , his first disciple, born in Nalanda.