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Education in Ancient India c7.s2: Benares

Education in Ancient India c7.s2

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Benares

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² See Altekar, *Benares : Past and present*, for original sources of this section.

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Early History. In early Vedic literature Benares does not figure either as a centre of pilgrimage or as a centre of learning. This is but natural, for it took centuries for the Vedic religion to penetrate to eastern United Provinces, Bihar and Bengal. The people of Benares accepted the new religion rather reluctantly and for a long time³ their loyalty to it was by no means unswerving. In the Upanishadic period however Benares became a centre of Aryan religion and culture. One of its kings, Ajātaśatru, figures as a philosopher in the Upanishads, anxious to emulate the example of king Janaka of Mithilā as a patron of learning. For a long time, however, Taxila was a more famous centre of learning than Benares. Kings of Benares itself used to send their sons to far-off Taxila, and many of the teachers of this city that figure in the Jātakas are seen to be past students of the Taxila University.¹ In the course of time, however, they began to attract scholars from far and wide (Jā. Nos. 480 and 438).

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³ King Dhritarāṣṭra of Benares is known to have given up sacrificial fires because his horse of the Aśvamedha sacrifice was carried away by the Bharata king Śatānīka Satrājit. *Ś. Br.*, XIII. 5. 4. 19.

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¹ Cf. तक्कसिलं गत्वा सब्बसिप्पाणि उग्गहित्वा वाराणसीय दिसापामोक्खो आचारियो हुत्वा पंचमाणवकसतानि सिप्पं वाचेति। No. 150. See also No. 30.

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Benares as a Centre of Buddhist Learning: In the 7th century B. C., Benares was probably the most famous centre of education in eastern India; that seems to have been one of the reasons for its being selected by the Buddha as the place for the first promulgation of his gospel. With the imperial patronage under Aśoka, the Sarnath monastery on the outskirts of Benares must have become a famous centre of learning. It went on continuously prospering; in the 7th century A.D., it possessed resplendant and beautiful buildings with tiers of balconies and rows of halls.² Unfortunately Yuan Chwang does not state anything about the educational activity of the Sarnath monastery, but there can be no doubt that it must have emulated the glorious example of neighbouring Nālandā. It had 1500 monk-students. There is ample evidence to show that it continued to be a flourishing centre of Buddhist learning and pilgrimage down to the 12th century A. D.³

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² Watters, II, p. 48.

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³ Kumāradevī, the Buddhist wife of the Hindu king Govindachandra, had given an endowment to the establishment in the latter half of the 12th century A. D. Excavations also show that the establishment continued to flourish down to c. 1200 A. D.

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Benares as a Centre of Hindu Learning: We do not possess much detailed information about Benares as a centre of Hindu learning during the first millennium of the Christian era. Only one Purāṇa casually observes that Benares will be a famons centre of scholarship;¹ the rest are content merely with describing its sanctity as a holy place. Nor have we so far found any inscriptions recording grants given to any educational institute at Benares. In spite of the example of neighbouring Nālandā, Hindu Benares does not seem to have organised any public educational institution. Its learned Brahmanas continued to promote individually the cause of education in the traditional manner. Their fame, however, was gradually reaching all the corners of India. Scholars and philosophers like Śaṅkarāchārya found it necessary to repair to the city to get their new theories recognised and published. In the 11th century A.D. Benares and Kashmir were the most famous centres of learning in India.² We may well presume that most of the learned donees of the Gahadwal grants were conducting efficient Sanskrit schools and colleges in the 12th century A.D.

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¹ Bhavishya Pu., Brahmakhaṇḍa, Chap. 51. 2-3.

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² The exodus of learned families from the Punjab was responsible for an increase in the scholarly population of both Kashmir and Kāśī towards the beginning of the 11th century.

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Benares Under Muslim Rule: When Benares passed under the Muslim rule in *c.* 1200 A. D., hundreds of its temples were razed to the ground by Kutb-ud-din Aibak. The iconoclastic and proselyting zeal of the new rulers drove away a number of learned Brahmana families to south India. We hear very little of any literary or educational activity of Benares during the period 1200 to 1500 A. D.

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When however the Deccan also gradually passed under the Muslim rule, scholars in India seem to have made up their mind once more to repair to holy Benares and make it a centre of Hindu learning and scholarship by their united effort in spite of the Muslim rule prevailing there. A number of scholarly families from Maharashtra and Karnatak repaired to Benares in the 16th century and their descendants continued to dominate Benares scholarship for about three centuries. It is important to note that some Muslim rulers also like Akbar, Shah Jahan and Dara Shikoh extended their patronage to some of the famous scholars of Benares. The same was done by a few of their Hindu feudatories in the United Provinces and Central India. Royal patronage during this period however was on the whole more an exception than a rule; if the lamp of learning was kept burning at Benares in medieval times, the credit must on the whole be given to the great love of religion and scholarship of Benares Brahmanas. Education however continued to be imparted not in public institutions but through private teachers. While describing Benares as a centre of learning during the 17th century A.D, Bernier says, ‘Benares is a kind of University, but it has no college or regular classes as in our Universities; but it resembles rather the school of the ancients, the masters being spread over the different parts of the town in private houses......Some teachers have four and some six disciples; the most eminent may have twelve or fifteen, but this is the largest number.’¹

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¹ Travels in India p. 341.

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Literary Activity :—The literary activity of Benares was very remarkable during this period. A number of works on sacred law (Dharmaśāstra), grammar, poetics, logic and philosophy were composed by Benares scholars in medieval times. If put together, they would be equal to the work done by any other five centres of learning in India. This would give some idea of the literary and educational pre-eminence of Benares during the medieval period.

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