The Royal Patrons of the University of Nalanda
By Rev. H. Heras, S.J., M.A.
Journal of the Bihar and Orissa Research Society, PART I.
Vol. XIV 1928 pp. 1-23
p. 1
The authors of ancient, Indian history speak at
length of the famous Buddhist University of Nalanda,
mention the six kings referred to by Hiuen Tsiang in
connection with the university, even quote the words
themselves of the Chinese pilgrim; but they have
never tried to identify the founder and the patrons
of that great institution of learning. For there is
no doubt that the names of those kings as given by
Hiuen Tsiang are, at least, partly unknown.
1. The Founder
The first four kings mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang
are the following:-
Sakraditya.
Buddhagupta-raja.
Tathagatagupta-raja.
Baladitya-raja.(1)
The fourth of these kings seems to be the same
Baladitya-raja spoken of by the Chinese pilgrim in
connection mith the Huna
_______________________________
1. Beal, Records of the Western World, 11p. 168.
p. 2
King Mihirakula. He is said there to have "profoundly
honoured the law of Buddha,"(1) while in the history
of Nalanda he is supposed to have entered the sangha
as we shall see later on, Now Baladitya-raja, the
defeater of Mihirakula, has already been identified
with Narasimha Gupta, one of the later imperial
Ouptas, whose coins bear the title of Baladitya.(2)
Hence one of the royal patrons of Nalanda is
undoubtedly Narasimha Gupta.
Now the above four kings seem to have succeeded
each other according to Hiuen Tsiang. This succession
is expressly mentioned in the case of Buddhagupta and
Baladitya. Moreover Hiuen Tsiang clearly says that
Buddhagupta, besides being the successor of
Sakraditya, was also his son. Now supposing that
Tathagatagupta was also the immediate successor of
Buddhagupta, as the author of the Life of Hiuen
Tsiang says,(3) we may present the two following
lists, the names of which correspond to each other
parallelly:
Sakraditya ... Kumara Gupta I.
Buddhagupta-raja ... Skanda Gupta.
Tathagatagupta-raja ... Pura Gupta.
Baladitya-raja ... Narasimha Gupta.
These four identifications may also be confirmed
as follows;
First. Skanda Gupta was the son and successor of
Kumara Gupta I,(4) just as Buddhagupta-raja is said
by Hiuen Tsiang to be the son and successor of
Sakraditya. Hiuen Tsiang does not say that
Tathagatagupta-raja was the son of Buddhagupta-raja.
As a matter of fact Pura Gupta was not the son of
Skanda Gupta, but his brother.(5) Hiuen Tsiang does
not say anything either about the succession between
Buddhagupta-
__________________________
1. Ibid., I,p.168.
2. Allan, Gupta Coins, p. LV Cf. Heras, The Final
Defeat of Mihirakuka, I.H.Q., III, p.12
3. Hwni Li, Life of Hiuen Tsiang, p. 117.
4. Bhitari inscription of Skandagupta, Fleet, Gupta
Inscriptions, p. 55, 1.5 and 6.
5. Bhitari seal of Kumara Gupta II, Ind. Ant. XIX,
225, i. e.
p. 3
raja and Tathagatagupta-raja. Indeed, it seems to be
a mere coincidence that modern scholars do not agree
as regards the succession of the two kings Skanda
Gupta and Pura Gupta; though I am inclined to believe
that Pura Gupta succeeded Skanda Gupta, or perhaps
reigned contemporarily with him in another province
of the empire.(l) As regards the last two kings,
Hiuen Tsiang expressly says that Baladitya-raja
succeeded to the empire after Tathagatagupta-raja,
just as Narasimha Gupta, succeeded his father Pura
Gupta.(2)
Second, Professor Samaddar, in order to calculate
the date of the foundation of Nalanda, gives
twenty-five years of reign on an average to the four
kings mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang.(3) We know that
Baladitya-raja was contemporary of Mihirakula whose
reign began in 502.(4) Taking also this year as the
initial year of the reign of Baladitya and following
the calculation of Professor Samaddar, we reach the
year 427 as the initial year of Sakraditya's reign.
This date comes very near the earliest known date of
Kumaragupta I, that is 415-6, of the Bilsad
inscription.(5) Accordingly the foundation of Nalanda
took place round 427. In fact Fa-hien, who passed
through Nalanda in the early years of the fifth
century, did not see the university as yet.(6)
Third. Hiuen Tsiang does not seem to give the
original names of the Gupta Kings, but their titles,
or perhaps some names taken in a later period. Thus
Baladitya is one of the titles of Narasimha Gupta, we
read in his coins.(7) Thus Sakraditya also sounds as
a title of Kumara Gupta I. Now the latter's coins
bear witness of his having used the title of
Mahendraditya.(8) Now Mahendra is the same as Sakra,
two
________________________
1. Cf. Hwui Li, Life of Hiuen Tsiang, p. 117.
2. Bhitari seal of Kumara Gupta II, 1. C.
3. Samaddar, The Glories of Magadha, p. 135 (Second
edition).
4. Cf. Pathak, New Ligit on Gupta Era and Mihirakula,
R. G. Bhandarkar Commemoration Volume, p.217.
5. Fleet, Gupta Inscriptions, p. 43.
6. Giles, Travels of Fa-hien, p. 49.
7. Allan, Gupta Coins, p. LV. 8. Ibid, p. xliii.
p. 4
different names of the god Indra. Hence Sakraditya is
the same title of Kumaragupta I referred to in his
coins.
Fourth. As regards the other two names
Buddhagupta-raja and Tathagatagupta-raja both reveal
the leanings of these two monarchs towards Buddhism.
Were Skanda Gupta and Pura Gupta so inclined to the
Buddbist faith? History does not say anything of the
former in connection with Buddhism. As regards the
latter our information is quite convincing.
Paramartha in his life of Vasubandhu, the great
Buddhist scholar of the fifth century, says that
King Vikramaditya became the patron of Buddhism
through the influence of Vasubandbu, and even sent
his wife and his crown prince Baladitya to study
under him.(l) Now this Vikramaditya, father of
Baladitya, cannot be other than Pura Gupta, one of
whose coins bears the reverse legend Sri-Vikramah.(2)
Hence it is not a matter of surprise to see him
mentioned under the name of Tathagatagupta-raja, by
the Chinese pilgrim.
Through the identification of these four kings
mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang we are made aware that
Kumara Gupta I was the founder of the Nalanda
University, a fact of great importance in ancient
Indian history. Let us now examine the possibility
and probability of such an event.
The foundation of the university of Nalanda
undoubtedly took glace in a period of glory for the
civil power that undertook such an enterprise. Now
the reigns of Chandra Gupta II and Kumara Gupta I (if
we prescind of the last years of the latter) mark the
climax of the Gupta power. The country was well and
peacefully administered, as Fa-hien informs us;
literature and art were passing through an epoch of
uncontroverted renaissance; Kumara Gupta I himself
had defeated his enemies, according to the Gadhwa and
Bilsa inscriptions,(3) and even had performed the
asvamedha sacrifice(4)
__________________________
1. Takahasu, Study of Paramartha's Life of
Vasu-bandhu, J.R.A.S., 1905, p.44
2. Allan, o. c., p. li.
3. Fleet, o. c., p.li, 1. 1, and P.44, 1, 6.
4. Allan, o. c., p.xliii.
p. 5
a privilege reserved only to Samudra Gupta and to
Kumara Gupta I among the Gupta emperors.
But the foundation of Nalanda by Kumara Gupta I
was besides probable. He was the sort of a man to
commence such a centre of learning. His father
Chandra Gupta II Vikramaditya, is supposed to be the
patron of the nine gems of Sanskrit literature that
flourished at Ujjain, one of whom was the great poet
Kalidasa.(1) His grandfather Samudra Gupta was
himself a poet and a musician, as the lyrist type of
his coins show,(2) and he is said to have "put to
shame Kasyapa the preceptor of Indra, the lord of the
gods, and Tamburu and Narada and others, by his sharp
and polished intellect and choral skill and musical
accomplishments;" and to have "established his title
of king of poets by various poetical
compositions."(3) Kumara Gupta I seems to have
inherited from his ancestors this liking for
literature and learning. The poet Vamana in his
Kavyalankarasutravrtti says that he was "the patron
of eminent men of letters."(4) Mr. K.B. Pathak sees
in this phrase an allusion to Vasubandhu.(5) I do not
deny that Vasubandhu may be, and even perhaps must
be, counted among these "men of letters" patronized
by Kumara Gupta I; but I think that the phrase may be
more properly applied to all those men of letters who
established their chairs at Nalanada by the service
and munificence of Kumara Gupta. Indeed a founder of
a university may rightly be called "patron of men of
letters."
Kumarra Gupta I is undoubtedly the founder of the
university of Nalanda. Now the history of the
foundation is, prescinding of the legendary portion,
narrated by Hiuen Tsiang as follows:--
"A former king of this country named Sakraditya
(Kumara Gupta I) respected and esteemed the (system
of the) one Vehicle,
_______________________
1. Cf. Edgerton, Vikrama's Adventures, 1, p. LXVI.
2. Cf. Allen, o. c., pl. V.
3. Allahabad inscription of Samudra Gupta, Fleet,
o.c. p.14-15, 1. 27.
4. Cf. Pathak, Kumara Gupta the Patron of Vasubandhu,
J.B.B.R.A.S., XXIII.p. 185.
5. Ibid.
p. 6
and honoured very highly the three treasures. Having
selected by augury a lucky spot he built this
sanghardma."(1)
The Chinese pilgrim does not say that Kumara
Gupta was a Buddhist, but says only that he
"respected and esteemed" the law of Buddha and
"honoured very highly" the Buddha, the dharma and the
sangha. In fact he seems to have been a Vaienava(2).
But such respect and esteem for Buddhism is not &
strange thing in a Hindu monarch. One of his
inscriptions commemorates the erection of a seated
image of Buddha by the Bhiksu Buddhamitra.(3)
What was the sangharama built by Kumara Gupta I
is, I think, not difficult to say. The university
was, as we shall see later on, destroyed several
times, and the original buildings of Kumara Gupta do
not likely exist at all. Yet we may rightly guess
that this first building occupied the place and
surroundings of the big central stupa, that enshrines
several other stupas underneath. That seems to be the
holiest place of the whole university and is perhaps
the "lucky spot" spoken of by Hiuen Tsiang. A
sangharama seems to have contained several buildings,
for The Life of Hiuen Tsiang says that the pilgrim
"went to the college of Baladitya-raja and took up
his residence in the dwelling of Buddhabhadra having
four stories."(4) Moreover we cannot doubt that
Kumara Gupta gave some endowments to the university,
as some of the other kings mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang
also did after him, so that the students being
supplied with everything should not require to ask
for anything. Thus the university could be called
from the beginning of its existence Nalanda, i.e. "
charity without intermission."(5) As a matter of fact
I-Tsing records the fact that the lands possessed
by the university, that contained more than 200
villages, had been bestowed upon the institution "by
kings of many
_____________________________
1. Beal, o.c., II., p.168.
2. Gadhwa inscription of Kumara Gupta I, Fleet, o,
c., p. 41, 1 1.
3. Fleet, o.c., p.47. Hwui Li, Life of Hiuen Tsiang,
p.109.
4. Cf. Beal, o.c., II, p.167 Hwui Li, o. c., p. 110.
p. 7
generafions."(1) Among these kings of many
generations, it will not be fair to deny a place to
the founder of the university.
2. Skanda Gupta
Of this king Hiuen Tsiang says
"Buddhagupta-raja...... continued to labour at the
excellent undertaking of his father. To the south of
this he built another sangharama."(2)
Accordingly Skanda Gupta continued the policy of
his father towards the university. His patronage was
specially shown in the fact that he built another
sangharama to the south of that erected by his
father. Such enlargement of the university was most
likely carried out by Skanda Gupta after his
victorious return from the west where he had crushed
the power of the Hunas, then for the first time
invading the plains of Aryavarta.(3)
3. Pura Gupta
Pura Gupta is said by Hiuen Tsiang to have
"vigorously practised the former rules (of his
ancestors), and he built east from this another
sangharama."(4) These words of the Chinese pilgrim
point out two facts: first, the building of another
college east of the one built by his brother; second,
a more vigorous patronage policy in favour of the
university, probably by granting privileges and
endowments to the institution. We have already
mentioned the fact of Pura Gupta's great devotion to
Vasubandhu. It is not strange therefore that, either
on his own accord or perhaps influenced by
Vasubandhu, Pura Gupta should favour the institution
even more than his deceased brother.
4. Narasimha Gupta
Hitherto the famous university had not aparently
suffered as yet any attack of any enemy. But by this
time the Gupta Emperors had already lost their
paramount sovereignty and had
______________________
1. I-Tsing, A Record of the Buddhist Religion, p.65
(Trans. by Takakasu).
2. Beal, o.c., II, p.1668.
3. Bhit inscription of Skanda Gupta, Fleet, o.c.,
p.55, 1.10.
4. Beal, o.c., I, P.169.
p. 8
become feudatories of his foreign enemies the
Hunas.(1) The latter's king Mihirakula, whose capital
seems to have been somewhere in Malwa, issued a
decree during Narasimha Gupta's reign, by which he
declared his purpose "to destroy all the (Buddhist)
priests through the five Indies, to overthrow the law
of Buddha, and leave nothing remaining."(2)
The greatest number of Bhiksus undoubtedly
resided in the kingdom of Narasimha Gupta. So this
king, a fervent disciple of Vasubandhu, and who is
said by the Chinese pilgrim to have "profoundly
honoured the law of Buddha," as soon as news of the
persecution begun by Mihirakula reached his ears "he
strictly guarded the frontiers of his kingdom and
refused to pay tribute.''(3) This was a declaration
of war on the part of the Gupta sovereign. The Huna
king accepted the challenge, entered the kingdom of
Magadha and pursued Narasimha Gupta till the bay of
Bengal.(4) In the course of this campaign Mihirakula
at the head of his army had to pass very near the
university of Nalanda, for he first undoubtedly
marched on Pataliputra, and only when he realised
that the Gupta sovereign had fled towards the sea
then he continued his march till the bay of Bengal.
This inroad of the Huna army was bound to be fatal to
the kingdom of Magadha and specially to the Buddhist
religion then protected and patronized by the Gupta
monarchs. Mihirakula, beyond doubt, in his hatred of
Buddhism destroyed all its buildings that he found in
his way, and killed all its priests-- cruelties which
he was shortly afterwards to repeat in his exile of
Kashmir.(5) Nalanda University was not far from the
capital, Pataliputra, and its fame had also reached
Mihirakula's ears. The buildings of Nalanda were then
____________________
1. Ibid., I. p.168.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid, p.168-169.
5. Cf. Rajatarangini, I, p.19-21 (Trans. by Dutt).
p. 9
probably destroyed for the frst time, and its priests
and students dispersed and perhaps kiiled.(1)
But Mihirakula was finally defeated by the Gupta
army and exiled to Kashmir by the victor.(2) After
this Narasimha Gupta, the great patron of Buddhism,
could not Permit that such an important institution
of learning should perish. Hiuen Tsiang tells us that
he built another sangharama on the northeast side
of the one built by his father.(3) This sangharama
was still called "the college of Baladitya-raja" in
the time of Hiuen Tsiang.(4) Moreover he constructed
a great vihara 300 feet high. "With respect to its
magnificence," says Hiuen Tsiang, "its dimensions,
and the statue of Buddha placed in it, it resembles
the great vihara built under the Bodhi tree."(5) But
besides the building of the sangharama and the vihara
Nalanda undoubtedly owed to Narasimha Gupta the
restoration of the whole university after the
destruction of the Huna King. The new sangharama
mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang was only an enlargement of
the university; but the old buildings were partly
reconstructed or newly built over the ruins of the
former ones. This has been evidently proved in the
course of the excavations. They have shown that some
of the monasteries and other buildings have been
erected on the ruins of earlier ones.(6) Moreover in
the time of Harsa-vardhana the main hall built by
Kumara-Gupta I was still existing, either in its
primitive form or partially reconstructed;(7) this
shows that after the destruction of the university
the pristine plot was not abandoned.
After this work of restoration was done and after
the new sangharama and vihara were finished,
Narasimha Gupla decided
________________________________
1. Heras, A Note on the Excavations at Nalanda and
its History, J.B.B.R.A.S., II, N. S., p. 215-216.
2. Beal, o. c., I, P. 16-1171.
3. Ibid, II, P.168.
4. Hwui Li, o.c., p.109.
5. Beal, o.c., p. 173-774.
6. A.S.I. Report, 1923-24, p.70.
7. Beal, o.c., II, p.170.
p. 10
to commemorate the event with a great assembly. Hiuen
Tsiang says that he "invited common folk and men of
religion without distinction." The meeting of this
assembly was a great succese; 10,000 priests flocked
to Nalanda from every corner of India and even two
monks came from far-off China.(l)
Narasimha Gupta, on seeing the faith of these
two foreign monks coming to the great celebrations at
Nalanda from so distant a country, "was filled with
gladness," says the biographer of Hiuen Tsiang.(2)
This gladness seems to have been the effect of a
great spiritual consolation, for the Chinese pilgrim
himself says that "the king then was affected by a
profound faith."(3) The result of this faith and
gladness was that Narasimha Gupta resigned the crown
and entered the sangha as a monk. We cannot doubt
these two facts; Hiuen Tsiang records that "he gave
up his country and became a recluse,"(4) while his
biographer states even more explicitly that "he gave
up his royal estate and became a recluse."(5)
We know of only one episode of the life of
Narasimha Gupta in the sangha. The Chinese pilgrim
relates that "he (before being fully ordained) placed
himself as the lowest of the priests, but his heart
was always uneasy and ill at rest. 'Formerly (he
said) I was a king, and the highest among the
honourable; but now I have become a recluse, I am
degraded to the bottom of the priesthood'." The poor
ex-king, though living within the walls of his
vihara, was still wishing to be the recipient of the
wordly honours which he had been accustomed to in
former days. He consequently manifested his grievance
to the superiors of the sangha. If was consequently
resolved in order to please the royal disciple that
those monks who had not yet received the full orders
should be classed not according to the number of
years they had been lay disciples, but according to
their natural
_______________________________
1. Beal, o.c., II, p.169.
2. Hwui Li, o.c., p. 111.
3. Beal, 1.c.
4. Ibid.
5. Hwui Li, 1. c.
p. 11
years of life till the time of receiving full
ordination. Narasimha seems to have been pleased with
the decision. The only thing he could not stand was
to be the last of the whole community. According to
this change in the monastic customs, he had all the
young monks behind --as he was then an old man--and
his ambition was satisfied. "This sangharama,'' adds
the Chinese pilgrim," is the only one in which this
law exists."(1)
We do not know whether Narasimba Gupta was
finally fully ordained.
5. Kumara Gupta II
After narrating Narasimha's life in the sangha,
Hiuen Tsiang adds: "The king's son, called Vajra,
came to the throne in succession." According to the
Bhitari seal of Kumara Gupta II, the latter was the
son and successor of Nsrasimha Gupta(2) Hence Vajra,
whose name I cannot satisfactorily explain, must be
Kumara Gupta II. Narasimha, when retiring to the
sangha, resigned the crown in his favour. He is said
to be "possessed of a heart firm in the faith.''(3)
This phrase seems to point out his decided Buddhist
religion. But his own Bhitari seal seems to
contradict this statement, for he is said to be "the
most dev out worshipper of the Divine One."(4) This
phrase refers sometimes to Visnu and sometimes to
Siva.(6) Buddha himself is called "the Divine One''
in the Mankuwar inscription of Kumara Gupta I.(6) But
the Bhitari inscription uses this expression
apparently in a Vaisnava sense when speaking of
Chandra Gupta II.(7) May we accept two different
meanings of the same expression in the same
inscription?
Whatever his religion may be, it is a fact
recorded by Hiuen Tsiang that "he again built on the
west side of the convent a sangharama.(8)
________________________________
1. Beal, l.c.
2. Ind. Ant., XIX. p. 225, 1. 6-7.
3. Beal, o.c., II, p.170.
4. Ind. Ant., XIX, p.225, 1.7.
5. Cf. Fleet, o.c., p.38, 40, 41, 49, 51, 54, 123,
217, etc.
6. Ibid., p.47.
7. Ind. Ant., XIX, p.225, 1. 3.
8. Beal, 1. c.
p. 12
6. Other Kings
" A long succession of kings," says Hiuen Tsiang,
"continued the work of building, using all the skill
of the sculptor, till the whole is truly marvellous
to behold."(l) are most likely some of the later
Gupta kings mentioned in the Apshad inscription of
Adityasena.(2)
The appearance of the university after all these
sangharamas and buildings had been constructed is
said to have been "truly marvellous" by the Chinese
pilgrim. Indeed his biographer writes a fine
description of the university, like a bird's-eye
view, which is worth quoting as showing what the
university looked like during the first half of the
seventh century A.D., after all those kings had
embellished its monasteries and decorated its towers
and observatories. Hwui Li's description is to the
following effect:-
"The richly adorned towers, and the fairy-like
turrets, like pointed hill-tops, are congregated
together. The observatories seem to be lost in the
vapours of the morning, and the upper rooms tower
above the clouds. From the windows one may see how
the winds and the clouds produce new forms, and above
the soaring eaves the conjunctions of the sun and
moon may be observed. And then we may add how the
deep translucent ponds, bear on their surface the
blue lotus, intermingled with the Kie-ni (Kanaka)
flower, of deep red colour, and at intervals the Amra
groves spread over all, their shade. All the outside
courts, in which are the priests' chambers, are of
four stages. The stages have dragon projections and
coloured eaves, the pearl-red pillars, carved and
ornamented, the richly adorned balustrades, and the
roofs covered with tiles that reflect the light in a
thousand shades, these things add to the beauty of
the scene."(3)
____________________________
1. Ibid. This phrase we read after the allusion to
Harsha must refer to the kings prior to him; for the
Chinese pilgrim himself was at Nalanda during
Harsha's time. Hence he cannot speak of Harsha's
successors.
2. Fleet, o.c., p.206.
3. Hwui Li, o.c., p.111-112.
p. 13
During this period there occurred in Magadha
several wars, which by the natural havoc consequent
on any war, may also have been destructive at
Nalanda. The above-mentioned Apshad inscription of
Adityasena mentions two defeats inflicted on king
Isanavarman, the first by one Kumara Gupta (probably
the same Kumara Gupta II) and the seoond by Damodara
Gupta; while Isanavarman himself had previously
defeated the Hunas. Then Mahasena Gupta won a victory
over Susthivarman.(1) The Haraha inscription of
Isanavaraman also refers to the victories of this
monarch over the lord of the Andhras "who had
thousands of threefold rutting elephants," over the
Sulikas "who had an army of countless galloping
horses, " and over the Gaudas "living on the
seashore."(2) A partial destruction of Nalanda caused
by these wars (some of which were evidently fought in
the territory of Magadha) may well have taken place.
7. Harsha-vardhana
Vajra, i.e. Kumara Gupta II, seems to be the last
king of the Gupta family mentioned by Hiuen Tsiang in
connection with the university of Nalanda. Moreover
not even other kings of the same kingdom of Magadha,
but belonging to other dynasties, are referred to by
the Chinese pilgrim. But he adds the name of a king
of another kingdom to this list of patrons of the
university of Nalanda. After having mentioned Vajra
and his doings, he says: "After this a king of
Central India."(3)
This king of Central India, that appears after
the extinction of the Gupta family before the arrival
of Hiuen Tsiang in India, cannot be other than
Harsa-vardhana of Kanauj. The same Hiuen Tsiang refer
clearly to him in other two passages of his account
in connection with the university. That this monarch
had positive and openly declared leanings towards
Buddhism is clear from other passages of Hiuen
Tsiang's travels. When we read for instance Hiuen
Tsiang's account of the assembly of Kanauj convoked
by Harsa for propagating the
______________________
1. Flreet, o.c., p.206.
2. Ep. 1nd., XlV, P. 120.
3. Beal, o.c., II, p.170.
p. 14
doctrines of Mahayana, we cannot doubt that the great
emperor had accepted in his heart the faith of
Buddha.(1)
The first dealings of Harsa with Nalanda seem, so
it appears, to be connected with a double tragedy of
his family. His sister Rajyasri had been married to
the Maukhari king Grahavarman.(2) This king, some
years later, had been defeated and killed by king
Deva Gupta of Malwa and after his death Rajyasri had
been cast into prison by the victor. Harsa's brother,
Rajya-vardhana, then the king at Thanesar, could not
stand this affront on his family, marched against
Deva Gupta and defeated him.(3) But it happened just
at this moment that Sasanka, king of Gauda in Eastern
Bengal, entered Magadha as a friend of
Rajya-vardhana, but in secret alliance with the Malwa
king. Accordingly Sasanka trencherously murdered
Rajya-vardhana.(4) It was most likely on this
occasion that he besides destroyed the sacred places
of Buddhism, as related by Hiuen Tsiang: " Lately
Sasanka-raja" says he,''when he was overthrowing and
destroying the law of Buddha, forth with came to the
place where that stone is for the purpose of
destroying the sacred marks (Buddha's foot-prints).
Having broken it into pieces, it came whole again,
and the ornamental figures as before; then he flung
it into the river Ganges."(5) "In later times," the
same Hiuen Tsiang goes on to say, '' Sasanka-raja,
being a believer in heresy, slandered the religion of
Buddha and through envy destroyed the convents and
cut down the Bodhi tree (at Buddha Gaya), digging it
up to the very springs of the earth; but yet be did
not get to the bottom of the roots. Then he burnt it
with fire and sprinkled it with the juice of
sugar-cane, desiring to destroy them entirely, and
not leave a trace of it behind."(6) Such was
Sasanka's hatred towards Buddhism.
--------------------
1. Cf. Ibid., I. p. 217-221.
2. Harsha Charita, p. 156.
3. Ibid., p. 173-176. Cf. Mukerji, Harsha, p. 53.
4. (Ibid., p. 171-78; Beal, o. c. p.210.
5. Beal, o.c., II, p.91.
Ibid., p.118.
p. 15
Hence we cannot imagine this kin going from the
Ganges to Gaya and passing so near Nalanda, the
greatest centre of Buddhism in those days, without
leaving there the effects of his bigotry. That most
likely was a new occasion on which the buildings of
Nalanda were razed to the ground and its inhabitants
murdered or dispersed.(l)
On hearing of the murder of his brother, Harsa
resolved at once to march against the treacherous
king of Gauda, and both the Harsa Charita and Hiuen
Tsiang agreed as to the colossal success of Harsa's
efforts.(2) After having driven Sasanka to Bengal we
cannot doubt that Harsa, the enthusiastic disciple of
Mahayana Buddhism, restored the university of Nalanda
to its pristine grandeur, just as Purnavarma repaired
the damages caused by Sasanka at Buddh Gaya.(3)
But this was not all. Harsa, called by Hiuen
Tsiang "a king of Central India," "built to the north
of this a great sangharama."(4) The Chinese pilgrim
seems to indicate that the sangharama built by Harsa
was greater than those built by other kings in the
precincts of the university, for this is the only one
called ''great" by him.
Hiuen Tsiang mentions another building due also
to the devotion and munificence of Harsa. "To the
south of this," says he, " is a vihara of brass built
by Siladitya-raja."(5) It is well known that
Siladitya-raja is the name given Harsa by the Chinese
pilgrim, a title which is also confirmed by numis-
matics.(6) This vihara was still under construction
at the time of Hiuen Tsiang's stay at the university.
"Although it is not yet finished," he adds, "yet its
intended measurement, when finished, will be hundred
feet."(7) But Hiuen Tsiang's
__________________________
1 Cf. Heres, A Note on the Excavations of Nalanda,
J.B.B.R.A.S. II.N.S., p.217.
2 Harsha Charita, p. 187; Beal, o.c., I. p. 213.
3 Beal, o.c., II, p. 118.
4 Ibid., p, 170.
5 Ibid., p, 179.
6 Mookerji, Harsha, frontispiece.
7 Beal, l.c.
p. 16
biographer, who wrote some years later, seems to have
received some more information about this building
after its completion. In fact Hwui Li says that "it
was renowned through all countries." The vihara,
according to Hwui Li's information, was not made all
of brass, but only " covered with brass plates."(1)
Indeed the appearance of the building was
"magnificent and admirable." In fact the Hinayana
monks of Orissa envied the Mahayana monks of Nalanda
so rich and gorgeous a building."
Moreover in the time of Hiuen Tsiang Harsa had
the purpose of dedicating an image of Buddha " in the
hall of the monarch who first began the
sangharama."(3) This seems to be an allusion to the
first sangharama built by Kumara Gupta I.
Finally Harsa's patronage is also shown by the
numerous endowments be granted to the university. "
The king of the country," says Hwui Li, "respects and
honours the priests, and has remitted the revenues of
about 100 villages for the endowment of the convent.
Two hundred householders in these villages, day by
day, contribute several piculs of ordinary rice,
several hundred catties in weight of butter and
milk." The biographer here draws a consequence that
discloses the great importance of these endowments of
Harsa. " Hence the students here, being so abundantly
supplied, do not require to ask for the four
requisites (clothing, food, bedding and medicine).
This is the source of the perfection of their
studies, to which they have arrived."(4)
Hiuen Tsiang himself also informs us that when
Harsa decided to erect an image of Buddha in the
singharama of Kumara Gupta, he said too: "I will feed
forty priests of the congregation every day to show
my gratitude to the founder."(5)
___________________
1 Hwui Li, o.c., p. 159.
2 Ibid.
3 Beal, o.c., II, p. 170. By the words "the King"
Hiuen Tsiang evidently refers to the then ruling
king, Harsha, called by the former's biographer " the
king of the country." Hwui Li, p. 112.
4 Hwui Li, o.c., p. 112-113.
5 Beal, o.c., II, p.170.
p. 17
These endowments and grants of Harsa were most likely
confirmed by official documents adorned with his
seal. In fact two seals of Harsa have been found in
Nalanda in the course of the excavations.(1)All these
favours and donations of the great emperor were
crowned by the construction of a lofty wall enclosing
all the buildings of the university.(2) His intention
seems to have been to defend the institution of any
other possible hostile inroad.
8. Kings of other Countries
The Chinese pilgrim speaking of a brick vihara of
Nalanda, where an image of Tara Bodhisattva was
venerated, says as follows: --" The kings and
ministers and great people of the neighbouring
countries offer exquisite perfumes and flowers,
holding gem-covered flags and canopies, whilst
instruments of metal and stone resound in turns,
mingled with the harmony of flutes and harps. These
religious assemblies last for seven days."(3)
Who were these kings of the neighbouring
countries in the time of Hiuen Tsiang besides the
great Vardhana? Unfortunately the Chinese pilgrim
does not give any clue for ascertaining this doubt.
Anyhow six were the main kingdoms round Harsa's
empire: the kingdom of the Maukharis, the kingdom of
Gauda in Bengal, the kingdom of Kamarupa in Assam,
the kingdom of Nepal, the kingdom of the Valabhis in
Saurastra and tile kingdom of the Chalukyas in the
Deccan. Let us examine separately the possibility of
the patronage of Nalanda by the kings of these
countries.
(a) The Maukharis.--Some of the Maukharis may
undoubtedly be counted among the patrons of Nalanda.
Two of their seals have also been found at Nalanda
next to the seals of Harsa.(4) Moreover Purnavarma,
whom I consider to be the last
______________________
1 A.S.I., E. C. 1917-8 p.44
1 Beal, l. c.
3 Beal, o. c., II, p. 174 -175.
4 A. S. I., E. C., 1917--8, p.44--5.
p. 18
Maukhari,(l) seems to have had great affection for
Buddha and his doctrines. Hiuen Tsiang tells us that
when hearing of the destruction caused to the Bodhi
tree by the fanaticism of Sasanka, Purnavarma
exclaimed: " The sun of wisdom having set, nothing is
left but the tree of Buddha, and this they now have
destroyed; what source of spiritual life is there
now." "He then," continues Hiuen Tsiang, "cast his
body on the ground overcome with pity; then with the
milk of a thousand cows he again bathed the roots of
the tree, and in a night it once more revived and
grew to the height of some 10 feet. Fearing lest it
should be again cut down, he surrounded it with a
wall of stone 24 feet high.''(2) Such a great
devotion for the law of Buddha surely compelled also
Purnavarma to patronize the Nalanda University,
specially after its destruction by the same Sasanka
who uprooted the Bodhi tree. In fact the same Hiuen
Tsiang mentions a "pavilion of six stages" made at
Nalanda by Purnavarma to enshrine a copper statue of
Buddha 80 feet high.(3)
(b) Gauda in Bengal.--We have seen that its king
Sasanka was a declared enemy of Buddhism. His
relations with Nalanda seem to have been purely
negative and destructive.
(c) Kamarupa in Assam.--The king of Kamarupa
contemporary of Harsa was named Bhaskaravarman. He
was a Brahmana by caste and by faith,(4) but he
respected and was much interested in the law of
Buddha. When he came to know of the existence of a
Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Tsiang, at the Nalanda
University he sent him three different messages
inviting him to his court, till his wish was
satisfied.(5) Later on we see him accompanying
Harsa-vardhana in the great Buddhist assembly of
Kanauj, where Mahayana Buddhism
______________________
1 Ct. Aravamuthan, The Kaveri. The Mautharis and
Sangam Age, p. 111.
2 Beal, l. c., p. 118.
3 Ibid, p. 174.
4 Beal, o.c., ], p. 196.
5 Ibid., p.196-198.
p. 19
was propounded.(1) He must undoubtedly be counted
among the patrons of the Nalanda University. One of
his seals, found at Nalanda next to those of Harsa,
seems to prove the same fact.(2)
(d) Nepal.--Hiuen Tsiang gives some information
about this country and its king. His name was
Amsuvarman, the founder of the Thakuri dynasty. He
"was a descendant of the Licchavis. The Chinese
pilgrim refers to his intellectual abilities and to
his religion. As regards the former he says that he
was distinguished for his learning and ingenuity. He
himself had composed a work on 'sounds'; he esteemed
learning and respected virtue, and his reputation was
spread everywhere" As to his religion Hiuen Tsiang
says as follows: "His mind is well informed, and he
is pure and dignified in character. He has a sincere
faith in the law of Buddha.''(3) In fact one of the
inscriptions of this king, published by Pandit
Bhagvanlal Indraji, shows on the top the wheel of the
law, between two deer, that is a symbol of the first
sermon of Buddha at the Deer Park, Sarnath.(4) The
literary likings of this king and his religious faith
make quite probable that he himself patronized in
some way or other the university of Nalanda,
specially if we consider that he paid homage to
Harsa-vardhana, as the introduction of Sriharsa era
clearly shows, (5) and that he visited Harsa's
kingdom, a fact recorded in the Parvaviya
Vamsavali.(6)
(e) The Valabhis of Saurastra.-According to Hiuen
Tsiang the contemporary Valabhi king was
Dhruvapata.(7) He seems to be king Siladitya VI, who
is also surnamed Dhrubhata or Dhruvabhata, i.e. "the
constant warrior."(8) About his
___________________________
1. Ibid., I, p.217-218
2. J.B.O.R.S., 1919, p. 302; 1920, p. I51.
3. Ibid., II, p.81.
4. Ind. Ant., IX, p. 169.
5. Cf. Ind, Ant., XIX. p. 40-41.
6. Wright, History of Nepal, p. 183.
7. Beal, o.c., 11, p. 267.
8. Ind. Ant., VII., p. 80.
p. 20
religion the Chinese pilgrim says "Quite recently he
has attached himself sincerely to faith in the three
'precious ones' (Buddha. dharma and sangha)." He
moreover describes his character and likings as
follows: " He is of a lively and hasty disposition,
his wisdom and statecraft are shallow. He esteems
virtue and honours the good; he reverences those who
are noted for their wisdom. The great priests who
come from distant regions he practically honours and
respects."(1) This seems to give some probability to
his being one of the benefactors of Nalanda
University.
(f) The Chalukyas of the Deccan.--The
contemporary sovereign of the Deccan was Pulakesin
II, the greatest monarch of the Chalukyan dynasty.
Hiuen Tsiang says that "'his beneficent actions are
felt over a great distance."(2) Nevertheless we are
not aware of his leanings towards Buddhism. Moreover,
himself being an enemy of Harsa, whom ha defeated
near the Narbada,(3) it is not probable that he would
favour the Nalanda University within the boundaries
of his enemy's dominions.
Besides these sovereigns there were in northern
India several petty rajas who had acknowledged the
sovereignity of Harsa. They also perhaps favoured at
times the university of Nalanda. Hiuen Tsiang says
that there were twenty of these kings round Harsa at
the Charity Assembly he witnessed at Prayaga
(Allahabad).(4)
9. A Plan of the University of Nalanda
As a complement of our study about the royal
patrons of Nalanda,a probable plan of the university
at the time of Hiuen Tsiang's visit, and according to
the data furnished
________________
1 Beal, 1. c.
2 Ibid, p. 256.
3 Aihole inscription of Pulakesin II, Ep. Ind., VI,
p.10, l.23.
4 Beal, o. c., I, p. 218. The king of Kamarupa and
the Valabhi king were among the twenty. One of these
twenty also was the king of Nepal mentioned above.
The Parbhatya Vamsavali records his visit to Prayaga.
Cf. Wright, History of Nepal, p.133.
p. 21
by him, will not, I think, be out of place. Certainly
this plan cannot be without errors. The information
is not great and scattered here and there without
giving the distances between buildings and buildings,
excepting in two or three cases. Anyhow this rough
sketch will give a general idea of what that famous
institution was like and will show the munificence of
its royal patrons and benefactors.
1. Sangharama or college built by Kumara Gupta I "on
a lucky spot." (Beal, o. c., p. 168.)
2. To the south of this, sangharama built by Skanda
Gupta. (Ibid.)
3. To the east of this, sangharama built by Purra
Gupta. (Ibid.)
4. On the north-east side, sangharama built by
Narasimha Gupta. (Ibid).
5. On the west side of the convent, I understand, of
the first original monastery, sangharama built by
Kumara Gupta II (p. 170). The Life of Hiuem Tsiang,
p.111, disagrees. Hwui Li says only that this
sangharama was "to the north. " This uncertainty and
the fact that he never saw Nalanda causes me to
prefer Hiuen Tsiang's statement.
6. To the north of this, great sangharama built by
Harsa--vardhana (Beal, o. c., p. 170.) The Life of
Hiuen Tsiang, l.c., says that this sangharama was
built " by the side'' of the one built by Kumara
Gupta II.
7. " On the western side of the sangharama, at no
great distance, is a vihara." (Beal, o. c, p. 172.)
8. "To the south 100 paces or so is a small stupa."
(Ibid.)
9. "On this southern side is a standing figure of
Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.'' (Ibid.)
10. "To the south of this statue is a stupa in which
are remains of Buddha's hair and nails."
(Ibid., 173.)
11. "To the west of this, outside the wall, and by
the side of a tank, is a stupa." (Ibid.)
p. 22
12. Tank. (Vide No. 11.)
13. "To the south-east about 50 paces, within the
walls, is an extraordinary tree, about eight or nine
feet in height, of which the trunk is twofold, "
(Ibid.)
14. "Next to the east there is a great vihara about
200 feet in height." (Ibid.) In the plan I placed
this vihara much towards the east; otherwise there is
no room for the following viharas north of this.
According to this arrangement, the vihara No. 16,
built by Narasimha Gupta, comes in the neighbourhood
of the sangharama built by the same monarch, a fact
that does not look improbable.
15. "After this, to the north 100 paces or so, is a
vihara in which is a figure of Avalokitesvara
Boddhisattva. " (Ibid).
16. "To the north of this vihara is a great vihara,
in height about 300 feet, which was built by
Baladitya- raja." (Natrasimha Gupta) (Ibid.)
17. "To the north-east of this is a stupa. " (Ibid.
p. 174.)
18. "To the north-west is a place where the four
past Buddhas sat down." (Ibid.)
19. "To the south of this is a vihara of brass built
by Siladitya-raja." (Harsa-vardhana) (Ibid.)
Accordingly this vihara built by Harsa is not far
from the great sangharama also built by him.
20. "Next to the eastward two hundred paces or so,
outside the walls, is a figure of Buddha standing
uprigh and made of copper. Its height is about 80
feet. A pavilion of six stages is required to cover
it." (Ibid.) This is the pavilion built by
Purnavarma.
21. "To the north of this statue two or three li, in
a vihara constructed of brick, is a figure of Tara
Bodhisattva. This figure is of great height and its
spiritual appearance very striking." (Ibid.)
p. 23
22. "Within the souhern gate of the wall is a large
well," (Ibid, p. 175.) The phrase of the pilgrim
seems to show that this well was close to the gate. I
had no special reason for putting it on the east side
of the same.
23. "High wall" built round these edifices by
Harsa-vardhana. (Ibid., p, 179.)
24. The only gate to enter the premises of the
university. (Ibid.) Further on Hiuen Tsiaug says that
this gate was " southern." (Ibid., p. 175.) The
following quotation discloses the importance of this
gate. "If men of other quarters desire to enter and
take part in the discussions, the keeper of the gate
proposes some hard questions; many are unable to
answer, and retire. One must have studied deeply both
old and new books before getting admission. Those
students, therefore, who come here as strangers, have
to show their ability by hard discussion, those who
failed compared with those who succeed are as seven
or eight to ten." (Ibid., p. 171.)
The precise extension of the area covered by the
buildings of the university is not said by Hiuen
Tsiang. Anyhow Hwui Li states that this sangharama
(the whole university) " is the most remarkable for
grandeur and height " all over India.(1) He also
states that "the priests belonging to the convent, or
strangers residing therein always reach to the number
of 10,000."(2) Finally I-Tsing, who travelled through
India towards the close of the same century, informs
us: There are eight halls and three hundred
apartments in this monastery."(3) These scanty data
will give some idea of the great extension of the
university of Nalanda.
_________________________
1 Hwui Ll, o. c., p. 112.
2 Ibid.
3 I-Tsing, o.c., p.154.