| Temples & Legends Of Bihar |
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| Temples & Legends
Of India |
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NALANDA |
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| After Hiuen
Tsang as many as 11 Chinese and Korean travelers had visited Nalanda. Another pilgrim who
stayed at Nalanda for a considerable time was Tsang. He mentions that there were more than
3,000 monks at the Nalanda monastery and that they were supported by more than 200
villages gifted by kings. The older monks helped the younger ones. A basic knowledge of
the Tripitakas was the minimum qualification required of all the monks who came to learn.
They were subjected to a severe test before they could be admitted for a course of study.
He also mentions about the strict rules of discipline that the monks were observing
and that there daily life was regulated by a water clock.
The Pala emperors, who held East India from the 8th to the 12th Century A.D., had also
been very sympathetic to Nalanda and they were known to have established a number of other
monasteries in Bihar and other Provinces. One of these was Vikramasila, which is generally
identified with Patherghatta in Bhagalpur district. The Odantapuri monastery established
by the Palas is said to be atthe site of the modern town of Bihar in Patna districting
only five miles from Nalanda. |
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