GS1 PYQ (Mains Answer Writing): Taxila and Nalanda Universities | History for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated a number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss. (UPSC GS1 2014)

Ans:

• Strategic location: Taxila's position on the routes linking the Indian subcontinent with Central Asia made it an important centre for exchange of ideas, attracting foreign travellers, merchants and some scholars; this geographical advantage contributed significantly to its fame.
• Nature of teaching: Taxila was largely associated with instruction in Vedic literature and practical arts such as archery and hunting, indicating a focus on specialised and vocational training rather than the wide range of organised scholarly disciplines seen at later institutions.
• Disciplinary breadth: In contrast, Nalanda covered institutionalised disciplines like astronomy, mathematics, politics and other sciences; this broader, systematic curriculum is closer to the modern concept of a university.
• Geographical reach of students: Nalanda attracted students from a wide international circuit - including Korea, China, Japan, Tibet, Persia and regions to the west - whereas Taxila's student body appears to have been drawn mainly from neighbouring janapadas and nearby areas, showing a more limited reach.
• Institutional features: Nalanda possessed well-defined features of a residential university - large dormitories, separate classrooms, meditation rooms and an extensive library - which match modern expectations of a university; such comprehensive facilities are not attested for Taxila.
• Patronage and endowment: Nalanda's maintenance from the revenues of a large endowment (traditionally a hundred villages) gave it financial autonomy and continuity, while Taxila depended more directly on royal patronage, a factor that limited its institutional permanence in a university sense.
• Conclusion: While Taxila was an important and ancient seat of learning with regional influence and distinguished scholars, its limited disciplinary range, lesser residential and institutional infrastructure, narrower student base and dependence on royal patronage mean that it does not fit the modern idea of a university as closely as Nalanda does.

Topics covered - Buddhism and Jainism, Chinese Travellers, Mauryan Empire