Further centres include Telhara in Bihar^[39] (probably older than Nalanda^[40]), Kanchipuram, in Tamil Nadu, Manyakheta, in Karnataka, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh Nagarjunakonda, in Andhra Pradesh, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh (eighth century to modern times),Abhayagiri Vihāra, and Jetavanaramaya, in Sri Lanka.

 

Nalanda[edit]

Nalanda University ruins

Nalanda (Sanskrit: नालंंदा) was an ancient Mahavihara, a revered university which served as a renowned centre of learning, in the ancient kingdom of Magadha (modern-day Bihar) in India.^[14] The university of Nalanda obtained significant fame, prestige and relevance during ancient times, and rose to legendary status due to its contribution to the emergence of India as a great power around the fourth century.^[15] The site is located about 95 kilometres (59 mi) southeast of Patna, and was one of the greatest centres of learning in the world from the fifth century CE to c. 1200 CE.^[16] Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[17][18]

Mithila University[edit]

University of Mithila was famous for Nyaya Sutra and logical Sciences. It was gradually started from the philosophical conferences held by Janaka, the king of Mithila at his court. These philosophical conferences led to the formation of a seat of learning and this seat of learning converted into the university of Mithila.

Valabhi University[edit]

The Valabhi University was an important centre of Buddhist learning and championed the cause of Hinayana Buddhism between 600 CE and 1200 CE. Valabhi was the capital of the Maitraka empire during the period 480-775 CE. It was an important port for international trade located in Saurashtra, present day it is called Vallabhipur located in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat in western India, identical with the old state of Vala. For some time, the university was considered to be a rival to Nalanda, in Bihar, in the field of education. In September 2017, the Indian central government started to consider a proposal to revive the ancient university's all things even the university.^[19]

  Important ancient institutions of learning in ancient India are Takshashila, Kashmir Smast, Nalanda, Valabhi University, Sharada Peeth, Pushpagiri Vihara, Odantapuri University, Vikramashila, Somapura Mahavihara, Bikrampur Vihara, Jagaddala Mahavihara.

Takshashila[edit]

The University of ancient Taxila was a renowned Brahmanical and later Buddhist ancient institute of higher-learning located in the city of Taxila as well. According to scattered references that were only fixed a millennium later, it may have dated back to at least the fifth century BC.^[1] Some scholars date Takshashila's existence back to the sixth century BC.^[2] The school consisted of several monasteries without large dormitories or lecture halls where the religious instruction was most likely still provided on an individualistic basis.^[1]

Ruins of University of Taxila

Takshashila is described in some detail in later Jātaka tales, written in Sri Lanka around the fifth century AD.^[3]

It became a noted centre of learning at least several centuries BC, and continued to attract students until the destruction of the city in the fifth century AD.

Important Teachers[edit]

Important teachers that are said to be teaching at university of Taxila include;

• Pāṇini, the great 5th century BCE Indian grammarian^[4]
• Chanakya, the influential Prime Minister of the founder of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta Maurya, is also said to have been teaching at Taxila.^[5]
• Kumāralāta, according to the 3rd century Chinese Buddhist monk and traveller Yuan Chwang, Kumāralāta, the founder of Sautrāntika school.^[6]
• Vasubandhu, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism is said to be teaching there. His famous pupil includes Dharmakirti and Dignaga.^[7]

Important Students[edit]

Important pupil from ancient University of Taxila includes;

• King Pasenadi of Kosala, a close friend of the Buddha.
• Jivaka, court doctor at Rajagriha and personal doctor of the Buddha.^[8]
• Charaka, the Indian "father of medicine" and one of the leading authorities in Ayurveda, is also said to have studied at Taxila, and practiced there.^[9][10]
• Chandragupta Maurya, Buddhist literature states that Chandragupta Maurya, the future founder of the Mauryan Empire, though born near Patna (Bihar) in Magadha, was taken by Chanakya for his training and education to Taxila, and had him educated there in "all the sciences and arts" of the period, including military sciences. There he studied for eight years. The Greek and Hindu texts also state that Kautilya (Chanakya) was a native of the northwest Indian subcontinent, and Chandragupta was his resident student for eight years.^[11] These accounts match Plutarch's assertion that Alexander the Great met with the young Chandragupta while campaigning in the Punjab.^[12][13]

List of Founders of Indian Universities

Year	University Name	Name of Founder	Location
1818	Serampore College	William Carey, Joshua Marshman, and William Ward	West Bengal
1847/1949	Indian Institute of Technology (Thomason College of Civil Engineering)	University of Mumbai	Roorkee
1857	University of Mumbai University of Madras University of Calcutta	Sir Charles Wood’s	Mumbai Chennai Kolkatta
1875	Aligarh Muslim University	Syed Ahmad Khan	Uttar Pradesh
1875	Allahabad University (Oxford of East)	Sir William Muir	Uttar Pradesh
1880	Deccan Education Society	Vishnushastri Chiplunkar, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak	Pune
1881	St Stephen’s College	Rev. Samuel Scott Allnet	Delhi
1882	Panjab University, Chandigarh		Chandigarh
1885	Fergusson College	Bal Gangadhar Tilak	Pune
1887	Nizam College	Syed Hussain Bilgrami	Hyderabad
1900	Christian Medical College	Dr. Ida Sophia Scudder	Vellore
1909	Indian Institute of Science	Jamsetji Tata	Bengaluru
1916	Benaras Hindu University	Madan Mohan Malaviya	Varanasi
1916	University of Mysore	His Highness Shri Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar – IV	Mysore
1917	Patna University	JG Jennings	Patna
1918	Dakshin Hindi Prachar Sabha	Mahatma Gandhi	Chennai
1918	Osmania University	Mir Osman Ali Khan Akbar Hydari	Hyderabad
1920	Jamia Millia Islamia	Mohammad Ali Jouhar Hakim Ajmal Khan	Delhi
1921	Vishwa Bharti University	Rabindranath Tagore	Kolkata
1921	Kashi Vidyapeeth	Bhagwan Das, Shiv Prasad Gupta	Varanasi
1921	University of Lucknow	Raja Sir Mohammad Ali Mohammad Khan	Lucknow
1925	Loyola College	Francis Bertram	Chennai
1927	Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University (Agra University)	Prof. G. Ram Reddy.	Agra
1929	Annamalai University	Rajah Sir S. R. M. Annamalai Chettiar	Chidambaram
1931	Indian Statistical Institute	Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis	Kolkata
1936	Kalakshetra	Rukmini Devi Arundale	Chennai
1938	Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan	K.M. Munshi	–
1944	Bhartiya Jnanpith	Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain Shanti Rama Jain	–
1945	Tata Institute of Fundamental Research	Homi J Bhabha and J.R.D. Tata	Mumbai
1948	Miranda House	Maurice Guiyer	New Delhi
1949	Delhi School of Economics	V.K.R Varadaraja Rao	Delhi