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Nalanda Declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO

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Nalanda Declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO IBC Newsletter N VOLUME I y ISSUE 1 y DECEMBER 2016 COUNCIL OF PATRONS Nalanda declared World His Holiness Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara Sangharaja Supreme Patriarch, Thailand His Holiness Phra Achan Maha Phong Heritage Site by UNESCO Sangharaja ĐƟŶŐWƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ >ĂŽƵĚĚŚŝƐƚ&ĞůůŽǁƐŚŝƉKƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƟŽŶ͕>ĂŽƐ His Holiness Thich Pho Tue ^ƵƉƌĞŵĞWĂƚƌŝĂƌĐŚ͕EĂƟŽŶĂůsŝĞƚŶĂŵƵĚĚŚŝƐƚ ^ĂŶŐŚĂ͕sŝĞƚŶĂŵ His Holiness Samdech Preah Agga Maha Sangharajadhikari Te Vong The Great Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia His Holiness Dr Bhaddanta Kumarabhivamsa Sangharaja ŚĂŝƌŵĂŶ͕^ƚĂƚĞ^ĂŶŐŚĂDĂŚĂŶĂLJĂŬ ŽŵŵŝƩĞĞ͕DLJĂŶŵĂƌ His Holiness Aggamaha Pandita Davuldena Gnanissara Mahanayaka Thero ^ƵƉƌĞŵĞWƌĞůĂƚĞ͕ŵĂƌĂƉƵƌĂDĂŚĂŶŝŬĂLJĂ͕ ^ƌŝ>ĂŶŬĂ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzing Gyatso His Holiness Jinje-Beopwon 13th^ƵƉƌĞŵĞWĂƚƌŝĂƌĐŚ͕:ŽŐLJĞKƌĚĞƌŽĨ<ŽƌĞĂŶ ƵĚĚŚŝƐŵ͕^ŽƵƚŚ<ŽƌĞĂ His Eminence Khamba Lama Damba Ayushev ^ƵƉƌĞŵĞ,ĞĂĚŽĨZƵƐƐŝĂŶƵĚĚŚŝƐƚƐ͕ ƵƌLJĂƚZĞƉƵďůŝĐ͕ZƵƐƐŝĂŶ&ĞĚĞƌĂƟŽŶ His Holiness Sanghanayaka Sudhananda Mahathero WƌĞƐŝĚĞŶƚ͕ĂŶŐůĂĚĞƐŚŽƵĚĚŚĂ<ƌŝƐƟWƌĂĐŚĂƌ Excavated site of Nalanda, Bihar ^ĂŶŐŚĂĂŶĚ>ŽƌĚďďŽƚ͕ŚĂƌŵĂƌĂũŝŬĂ ƵĚĚŚŝƐƚDŽŶĂƐƚĞƌLJ͕ĂŶŐůĂĚĞƐŚ His Eminence Rev. Khamba Lama Gabju alanda Mahavihara, one of the oldest under the kingdom of Magadha but was Choijamts Demberel study centres in India, was declared destroyed in 1193 AD during the invasion ^ƵƉƌĞŵĞ,ĞĂĚŽĨDŽŶŐŽůŝĂŶƵĚĚŚŝƐƚƐ͕ N DŽŶŐŽůŝĂ a World Heritage Site, by the UNESCO, of Turkish army led by its commander in July 2016. Bakhtiar Khilji (as cited by UNESCO). “Nalanda stands out as the most ancient The site was abandoned since its TRIBUTE university of the Indian Subcontinent. It destruction. The remains of the university engaged in the organized transmission of were recovered by The Archaeological KING OF THAILAND knowledge over an uninterrupted period Survey of India (ASI) that started an IBC pays rich tributes to of 800 years. The historical development excavation of the site in 1915. It includes His Majesty King Bhumibol ϐ 11 monasteries and six brick temples Adulyadej of Thailand, one of the longest- of Buddhism into a religion and the spread across an area of 12 hectares. Many reigning monarchs in history who died ϐ sculptures, coins, seals, and inscriptions on October 13, 2016 at the age of 88. traditions,” UNESCO said on its website. have also been recovered from the site. IBC shares the grief of the people of Nalanda was an important center of Situated about 98 km. away from Thailand. The Buddhist fraternity has lost Buddhist higher learning between 5th to Patna, the state capital of Bihar, Nalanda an eminent patron and a devout Buddhist. 1200 AD with scholars from many regions is considered as one of the prominent The recent IBC Executive Committee of the world, including China, Tibet, Korea, Buddhist monasteries in ancient India. meeting adopted a condolence resolution. and Central Asia gathering here for acquir- See Nalanda: Insatiable in Ǥ ϐ Offering on Page 2 Nalanda: Insatiable in Offering n recent years, efforts are being made this university has mentioned about many monasteries graduated from the times Ito revive the legacy of ancient Nalanda temples and stupas to mark the presence of the Buddha into permanent brick University. Ever since translations of 7th CE of the Buddha at Nalanda. Korean monk- structures. Excavations suggest that the Chinese monk scholar Xuanzang’s (Hieun scholar Hwui-Lun (7th CE) mentions about ϐ Hsang) travelogues became available in the presence of a huge stupa in Nalanda to at Nalanda by the Gupta king, Kumaragupta the mid-1800s, his detailed descriptions mark the Mulgandhakuti (the place of the (Sri-Sakraditya) a fact also corroborated painted a beautiful picture of Nalanda Buddha’s hut). Xuanzang and I-Tsing (7th by Xuanzang and Hwui Lun. According to University. This has generated curiosity century) have also made references to this Xuanzang’s documented visit in the mid 7th and led to the discovery and subsequent stupa. Xuanzang mentions another stupa century CE, the University here in Nalanda excavations of Nalanda which have south of that, which contained the shaven was already 700 years old. Most likely for complimented Xuanzang’s description. hair and nails of the Buddha from the vassa many centuries there existed a temporary Literary and archaeological evidence period. The devotees who paid padakksina makeshift monastery and later a brick suggest that the remains of ancient (circumambulation) to this stupa were monastery was built by the Gupta king, Sri- Nalanda University was truly one of its kind cured of their ailments. Remains of these Sakraditya (5th CE) that was followed by as a center of learning and practice of the stupas may still be seen at Nalanda. the subsequent Gupta kings, Buddhagupta, true teachings of the Buddha which lasted At the time of the Buddha, the sangha Tathagatagupta, Baladitya and Vajra, who around a millennia (5th CE to 13th CE). It is (community of Buddhist monks and nuns) are credited with following a pattern for truly a sacred and historical legacy of the stayed in temporary dwellings made the planned development of the Nalanda world, which got UNESCO World Heritage up of bamboo, wood or mud dwellings. University. The plan broadly consisted Status (WHS) in 2016. With the passage of time and spread of a monastery row to lodge venerable According to 7th CE Chinese monk of the Dharma (the teachings of the monks and scholars and a parallel cetiya scholar Xuanzang (Hieun Hstang), who Buddha) new circumstances necessitated (temple) row over the sacred traces of the visited Nalanda University in 638CE, permanent brick structures and Buddhist Buddha, for offering prayers. One of the Buddha led the life of Bodhisattva in one of his previous births, and reigned as king of Nalanda. Out of compassion and pity for the people, he would always relieve them from their sufferings. Hence, the place Nalanda came to acquire its name, which meant ‘Insatiable in Offering.’ The site of the ancient Nalanda University was originally an Amra garden (mango grove). Xuanzang mentioned that ϐ site and offered it to the Buddha (6th BCE). The Buddha used to stay there during his sojourn to Nalanda. According to Pali sources (ancient Buddhist literature), the Buddha stayed at Nalanda on many occasion and gave some very important sermons. Pali texts also mention that the Buddha and the Mahavira (founder of Jainism) were contemporaries and had many disciples in Nalanda. Lord Mahavira spent 14 Vassa (rainy season retreats) in Nalanda and had many conversations with the Buddha through his disciples. Nalanda is also fortunate that on his last journey (Mahaparinirvana journey) from Griddhakuta (Vulture’s peak) to Kusinagara, Buddha made a brief stay here. Many monk scholars who studied at Aerial view of the excavated remains of ancient Nalanda University, only 10 per cent of the original site 2 V IBC Newsletter major revelations of the excavations was Santaraksita, an eminent acharya (teacher) when things improved. that all subsequent structures were raised from Nalanda University, to propagate During this time, Nalanda University either by encasing the old one or over the Buddhism in Tibet. In recognition for his received patronage from the Magadha debris of the previous, following the same work, he was conferred the honorable king, King Buddhasena, who ruled from original ground plan. title of ‘Acarya Bodhisattva’ by the Tibetan Vajrasana, and patronage also from lay These permanent brick monasteries followers. Later two more acharya-s, Brahmin, Jayasena, from Odantapuri (now shaped art and architecture as the walls of Kamalasila and Padmasambhava, were Bihar Sharif). Jayasena, the lay-supporter monasteries and temples became canvases also invited by the king of Tibet. According of Guru Rahula-Sri-Bhadra, was summoned to display stories related to the Buddha. ǡ ϐ and detained by the Turkusha-s stationed The evolution of Buddhist iconography bon demons and made them protectors at Odantapuri for supporting the monk was a result of interaction by monks with of the Dharma. For his contributions to community of Nalanda. From prison he the local culture. Art and architecture Tibetan Buddhism, Padmasambhava is managed to pass a message to Guru Rahula- were then carried to different lands by remembered as Guru Rinpoche meaning Sri-Bhadra. On receipt of the Brahmana’s the visiting monk-scholars and pilgrims. the ‘Precious Master.’ Many teachers from message, the entire monk community All studies suggest that the monasteries Nalanda University became well known in ϐǡ ͻͲǦǦ of Magadha, in general, and Nalanda, in Tibet. They were later known to establish Rahula-Sri-Bhadra who declined. After particular, played an important role in great academic credentials in Tibet and many request from Dharmaswamin, the development and dissemination of ϐ ǦǦ ϐ ϐǤ art and iconography. Brick monasteries, widely through their works. It was because Dharmaswamin took the guru on his as permanent structures and places of shoulders and carried a small basket of learning also led to a paradigm shift as was The Buddha would sugar, some rice and his favourite books. seen in the organizing, systematizing, and They hid at the temple of Jnananatha, just a institutionalizing the Dharma and Sangha always relieve the short distance southwest of Nalanda. While and its interaction with community. people from their they were hiding, about three hundred In the eighth century, the 37th king Turushka soldiers suddenly appeared of Tibet, Khri-sron-lde-tsan, invited sufferings. Hence,
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