Using the chapter and any additional reading, prepare a short note explaining (1) why centres of learning like Nālandā were important; (2) how their destruction may have affected education and culture in India.
Nālandā was a renowned centre of learning with a famous library containing lakhs of manuscripts spread over three multi-storey buildings. It attracted scholars from across Asia, including Chinese pilgrims Yijing and Xuanzang who studied there and carried knowledge back to their countries. It was a residential university for teaching, learning, and intellectual exchange, representing the pinnacle of India's educational traditions.
The destruction by Bakhtiyār Khiljī's forces caused the library to burn for months, destroying invaluable manuscripts. Tibetan scholars fled with some manuscripts, but most knowledge was lost. Three decades later, only one elderly teacher remained with about 70 students. This destruction precipitated the decline of Buddhism in India and ended centuries of scholarly tradition and international intellectual exchange.
Explanation
(1) The chapter describes Nālandā as a major centre with an extensive library and international scholarly presence. (2) The chapter states there is 'a consensus among historians of Buddhism that this destruction of its large centres of learning precipitated the decline of Buddhism in India.'