Buddhist Learning in South Asia

This interdisciplinary study provides a broad analysis of Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra, the Buddhist learning center, during the first millennium AD. Drawing from history, archaeology, and religious studies, the author examines its role both as a religious and educational institution and investigates the impact of nationalist interpretations of the site.

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This interdisciplinary study is the first book to provide a complete survey of Śrī Nālandā Mahāvihāra from the perspective of its educational curricula as well as its religious influence. It provides detailed descriptions of the origin, growth, management, and academic and cultural life of Nālandā, with particular attention to its pedagogy, curriculum, teachers, and students. It also presents an alternative interpretation of nationalist and popular notions about Śrī Nālandā as an international university and proves that it was, at its core, a Buddhist monastery and an institution of Buddhist learning focused on the study and promotion of Buddhism.