Who destroyed Nalanda University- Brahmins or Bakhtiyar Khilji?

Written by - Inquisitive

Nalanda University, located in the heart of Ancient India, was a light of knowledge and scholarship, beloved by scholars worldwide. Nalanda, founded in the fifth century CE in the kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar), was a monument to India's great educational tradition. This esteemed institution was more than just a university; it was a symbol of the era's intellectual energy, attracting students from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia, and Turkey.

 

Nalanda was a magnificent residential institution erected by the Guptas in the sixth century on a huge plot of land in Rajgir, Bihar. Archaeological evidence indicates that it was a Buddhist center. Its culture of free discussion and logic drew students and experts from all over. The institution was financed by Kings, but with the arrival of the Pala and Sena dynasties, patronage was lessened and eventually shifted to new universities, mainly Odantapuri and Vikramshila.

However, in the 12th century, a tragic calamity destroyed the institution, plunging the region into academic darkness. The flames that devoured Nalanda's huge library, which housed innumerable scrolls and writings, are frequently interpreted as a sign of the greater demise of ancient Indian Knowledge systems.

For years, historians and researchers have wondered who was responsible for this awful loss. Several ideas have been presented, ranging from foreign invasions to internal collapse. Among these interpretations, the most widely recognized one blames the damage on Turkish military general Bakhtiyar Khilji. However, even this commonly accepted view is surrounded by mystery and debate.

In this blog, we will try to solve the riddle surrounding the burning of Nalanda University. We will investigate the university's glorious past, and the disastrous incident that led to its collapse, and critically assess the different ideas surrounding this historical conundrum. 

 

 📌WHY IN NEWS

On June 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the new Nalanda University campus in front of ambassadors from numerous nations, including Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Emperor Ashoka dispatched preachers to the majority of these nations, who used them to propagate Buddhism. 

PM Modi inaugurating Nalanda University

 

In 2006, former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam proposed the notion of bringing Nalanda back to life as a preeminent international university. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the Bihar Assembly later endorsed it. 

During the inaugural event, Modi stated that in the twelfth century, foreign invaders set fire to the university. He was merely repeating the widely held belief that it had been burned by Mahmud Ghori's courtier, Bakhtiyar Khilji.

 

 📌 THE BURNING QUESTION

The burning question upon which the whole blog is based is who devastated Nalanda University? The vox populi is that it was burnt by a Muslim invader Bakhtiyar Khilji in the twelfth century. However, we would like to dive deep and see whether the vox populi is also supported by the evidence or it is just a lie told to millions.

Bakhtiyar Khilji

 

The impression that Muslim invaders burned Nalanda University adds to the other 'social common sense' that those Muslim invaders destroyed Hindu temples and promoted Islam via force.

While it is commonly credited to Khilji, particularly after the advent of the British, no original source mentions it. Khilji's principal purpose was looting and plundering. En route from Ayodhya to Bengal, he assaulted Kila-i-Bihar, mistaking it for a wealthy fortress. However, Nalanda was not on this path. In truth, it was rather far away, and Khilji saw no need to assault a university.

Most primary sources on the history of that time do not mention Khilji visiting Nalanda. Professor D.N. Jha, a prominent historian of ancient Indian history, provides an excellent summary of a relevant section of the book History of Buddhism in India by Tibetan monk Taranath, in his essay Responding to a Communalist. "During the consecration ceremony of the Temple built by Kakutsiddha at Nalendra (Nalanda), the young naughty Shamans threw slops at tirthika beggars... Angered by this, one of them went to arrange a livelihood and the other sat in a deep pit and engaged himself in 'Surya Sadhana'... He performed a sacrifice and scattered the charm ashes all around which resulted in the miraculous fire."

Chapter 20 of the History of Buddhism

According to D.R. Patil's The Antiquarian Remains in Bihar, the History of Indian Logic is related to the actual fight between Buddhist and Brahmanical mendicants. The latter worshipped the Sun god, offered a sacrifice, and threw the living ambers and ashes from the sacrificial pit into Buddhist monasteries. This is what caused the burning of the large collection of books at the time.

We can also not ignore the fact that this was a time when attacks on Buddhism were on the rise as a result of Brahmanism's comeback. All reliable sources point to the fact that Brahmins burnt the library as revenge. Bringing Khilji fits into the general Islamophobic propaganda against Muslims and, at the same time, hides the true story of the persecution of Buddhists during that period.

So to sum it up, according to all reputable sources, Brahmins burned the library as a form of vengeance. Including Khilji contributes to the overall Islamophobic propaganda against Muslims while concealing the genuine story of Buddhist persecution during that time period.

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