Nalanda

Speak of Nalanda and the mind conjures up images of monks in maroon coloured robes, of chants and hymns, of scripts and knowledge, which was cosmic in nature and the meditating buddha. Founded in the 5th century AD, the city is said to have got its name from the Sanskrit word 'Nalanda', which if broken in two, means 'giver of knowledge'. True to its name, the university of Nalanda was undisputedly the epicentre of learning in ancient india. The rich past of Nalanda can be ascertained by the fact that scholars from Tibet, China, Turkey, Greece and Persia and students from far and wide came here to seek knowledge. It enjoys the stature of one of the first residential universities in the world. It was home to 2000 teachers and 10,000 student from all over the world, who studied here. Nalanda shone on the world map after the Chinese traveler Hieun Tsang came here in the 7th century. He not only wrote elaborately about its unique and exceptional education system followed by thousands of monk, but he also took with him texts, which were later translated in Chinese. A UNESCO Heritage site.