Top 10 Most Important Universities of Ancient India
Buddhist monasteries also known as mahaviharas, are the important centres of learning in India, even site for higher learning in ancient India.
The school in Pushpagiri, Takshashila, Nalanda and Vikramashila were notable centre of learning,Takshashila was best known for Chanakya and
Charaka.
Nalanda University, Bihar
Nalanda Buddhist monastery and an ancient Mahavihara is located in the ancient kingdom of Magadha, Bihar and a UNESCO World Heritage Site of India. Nalanda University was an important centre of learning and said to know that the site was visited by both Mahavira and the Buddha.
The ruins of Nalanda Mahavihara is a popular tourist destination in Bihar and one of the important stop on the Buddhist tourism circuit in India along with nearby Rajgir and Bodh Gaya. Telhara was another site of a Buddhist monastery in ancient India, located in the Nalanda district of Bihar close to Nalanda University.
Vikramashila University, Bihar
Vikramashila University by the Pala emperor was one of the second most important centres of learning in India, after Nalanda. It was one of the largest Buddhist universities of ancient India and also a major centres of Buddhism in the Indian Subcontinent.
Pushpagiri University, Odisha
Pushpagiri Vihara in Jajpur district of Odisha house ruins of stupas, ancient Buddhist mahavihara and an important Buddhist site in ancient India. The ancient centre of learning is a popular Buddhist attractions of tourism in Odisha and easily accessible from Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.
Ratnagiri University, Odisha
Ratnagiri ruined mahavihara is today part of the Buddhist tourism sites of Odisha along with other Buddhist sites in the area Pushpagiri, Lalitagiri and Udayagiri. It was an important site for pilgrimage and Odisha has stronghold of Buddhism in India along with Bengal and North-East India.
Udayagiri and Lalitgiri are two major Buddhist complex in the state of Odisha and part of the Puspagiri University, Together known as Diamond Triangle of Odisha. Excavations done by the Archaeological Survey of India shows that it was a large Buddhist complex with statues of Buddha, stone well and many terracotta temples.
Valabhi University, Gujarat
Vallabhi was an important centre of Buddhist learning, located in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat and was the capital of the Maitraka empire.
The ancient university was a rival to Nalanda and today a proposal to revive.
Odantapuri University, Bihar
Odantapuri Buddhist Mahavihara of Bihar was also established by the Pala Emperor, Along with Nalanda and Odantapuri is second oldest of India’s Mahaviharas. Odantapura or Uddandapura was one of the five great mahaviharas of Ancient India.
Somapura University, Bangladesh
Somapura Mahavihara in Naogaon District of Bangladesh is one of the most important Buddhist viharas in the Indian Subcontinent. The structure host traditional Buddhist stupa in the centre and was the largest of the mahaviharas.
Jagaddala University, Bangladesh
Jagaddala Mahavihara Buddhist monastery is also today present at north Bengal in Bangladesh, The place is listed as tentative site for UNESCO World Heritage sites and one of the five great Mahaviharas in India along with Vikramashila, Nalanda, Somapura and Odantapura.
Takshashila University, Pakistan
Takshashila University site is today located in Pakistan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and also a top tourist destination in Pakistan. Taxila was a great seat of Buddhist learning in ancient India under Ashoka and Gupta Empire.
Chanakya and Charaka were two most famous person of Ancient India, Chanakya was an ancient Indian teacher traditionally identified as Kautilya and Charaka was Indian father of medicine, Ayurveda system of medicine in Ancient India.
Sharada Peeth was a temple universities of the Indian subcontinent and ancient centre of learning, Located in Administered Kashmir and
one of the eighteen Maha Shakti Peethas in India also a popular sites of pilgrimage for Kashmiri Pandits along with Amarnath Temple and Martand Sun Temple.
Bikrampur University, Bangladesh
Bikrampur Vihara in Bangladesh was one of the best known Vihara of the ancient India, Today part of the Munshiganj District. The ancient Buddhist vihara was the center of Buddhist education during Pala Empire.
Nagarjunakonda along with historic site of Amaravati Stupa are also several Buddhist site located in southern Indian also it was largest Buddhist centre in South India. There are more centre of Buddhist learning in India inclduing Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Manyakheta in Karnataka, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Jetavanaramaya in Sri Lanka.
