Nalanda Buddhist Academy

Timeline

1. 427–500Nalanda · BiharWith Gupta support, Nalanda grew from an early monastery into a grand Buddhist academy with systematic teaching of sutra, vinaya, and abhidharma and a monastic governance system.
2. c. 630–670Nalanda · BiharKing Harsha was a major patron; the monastery's monks numbered in the thousands. Xuanzang studied there for five years and praised its library and debates, and Yijing later also studied there, forming an academic hub linking South and East Asia.
3. c. 680–700Nalanda · BiharAfter the collapse of Harsha's empire Nalanda continued to operate, but political fragmentation in North India weakened patronage; the monastery still received Dharma-seekers from the late 7th to early 8th century, foreshadowing its later decline.