Whenever we talk about Nalanda, our mind gets sculpted in scripts, knowledge, maroon colors and images of monks singing bhajans and mantras. Knowledge, which is pervading in the universe and meditating in God Buddha. Founded in the fifth century, the city got its name from a Sanskrit word 'Nalanda'. If this word is broken into two parts, then it means 'the giver of knowledge'. Prove your name as true, Nalanda was indisputably the main center of education in ancient India. The rich past of Nalanda can be confirmed by the fact that people from other places, besides Tibet, China, Turkey, Greece and Persia (Iran), came to acquire knowledge. It is one of the world's first residential universities. There were a time of 2000 teachers and 10000 students who came here to study here. Nalanda got place in the map of the world when Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang came here in the seventh century. He not only wrote about this unique and extraordinary education system adopted by thousands of Buddhist monks, but they also took some texts with them which were later translated into Chinese. Located 90 km away from Bihar's capital Patna, Nalanda is considered an amazing example of architecture. It has been well protected by Nalanda tourism. Made of red bricks, this complex is spread over 14 hectares. There are temples, orchards, hall, lakes and gardens to take care of. The library here is located in a nine-storey building where the scriptures and texts have been written with great effort and have been preserved. However, Nalanda lost its sanctity when the invaders from the west had destroyed here. This institution was dropped and it was set on fire. It is said that the library continued to burn for three consecutive months. Today, Nalanda tourism is doing great care by taking care of the remains and ruins of the world's oldest university. It still stands with its glorious history.
Tourist places in and around Nalanda :
Apart from the remains of Nalanda University there is a lot to see here. The Tomb of Bihar Sharif, where annual ures are celebrated on the dargah of Malik Ibrahim Baya. You can also see the Nalanda Museum and Nav Nalanda Mahavihara. There is Sun Temple in Bargaon, located 2 km away and it is famous for Chhath Puja. The enthusiasm of people during Chhath Puja is similar to a feast for the photographer. The festival of Chhath is celebrated twice a year, during March-April and October-November. In the year 1951 an international center was established for Buddhist studies. Each year, Bihar State Tourism Department is organizing a colorful cultural festival from 24th to 26th October, where artists perform classical and folktales. The observers of art must purchase handmade beautiful Madhubani paintings.
How to reach Nalanda :
Nalanda is well connected by all the main places by railways, roads and airways.
Weather:
It's the same as the other cities of the plains. Summer is hot and winters are cold. Nalanda has three types of winter, summer monsoon.