Pre-Buddhist India: A Political, Administrative, Economic, Social and Geographical Survey of Ancient India Based Mainly on the Jataka Stories c6.s2.82

c6.s2.82

Before we leave this subject, we must also note another institution which, in a way, promoted the spread of education. We mean those FOREST-SEATS. forest-seats where religious teachers, mainly drawn from the class of ex-students of Takkasilā, having renounced the world, imparted instruction to numerous disciples in the traditional learning of the age. These hermitages also served as schools of higher philosophical speculation and religious training. Some of the boldest speculations in Indian philosophy naturally emanated from these sylvan and solitary retreats, away from the haunts of men. Generally these were set up in the Himalayas.³ Sometimes however the bands of ascetics would establish themselves near the centres of population, and would have facilities for attracting recruits.⁴ Setaketu is said to have been originally a senior pupil at a Benares school. He then went to Takkasilā for education in the arts, on completion of which he wandered through the country learning all practical arts, and at last came across a group of 500 ascetics in a village, who after ordaining him taught him all their arts, texts and practices (*sippamantācaraṇam*).⁵