The ancient Nalanda University was situated at Badgaon village of Patna district in Bihar.

• The university was divided into seven huge halls or say rooms or sections.
• There were 300 rooms for delivering lectures.
• Special monasteries were built so that students could stay in the university.
• Many villages were donated to the university so that it could survive, teach maximum students and flourish.
• Whatever the university earned from the donation of these villages it used to spend it for the free food and clothing facilities for the students.
• The area where the books were kept was known as ‘dharmgunj’.
• During 5th to 11th century BC, Nalanda was a very reputed center of learning.
• Nalanda gave more importance to Buddhism and Jainism.
• Mahavir Swami had performed fourteen chaturmas in Nalanda. Hence, this ancient university also became an important pilgrimage centre for Jains.
• In the 5th century Kumar Gupta built a monastery here. Since then fame of Nalanda increased more.
• The university had a collection of thousands of precious manuscripts.
• The university had the best of education as well as books.
• Such was the glory of Nalanda that its students were considered the ideal students of India.
• Nalanda was a pious place of Indian culture.
• Students from various parts of the country as well as world used to come here for study and research.
• The great traveller Huen-Tsang came from China to study at Nalanda in 7th century.
• While returning he took 657 books from the university.
• Today, the great university exists only in ruins. But amidst the ruins, one can visualize the glorious culture of India.