Ancient Indian Education (Brahmanical and Buddhist) c32.s1.6

c32.s1.6

**Later Endowments: Construction of six storied Monasteries.** This original endowment was the precursor of a continuous series of endowments through the centuries by a succession of sovereigns. The endowments took the form of buildings as well as lands from which came the wherewithal for the maintenance of the University. Hiuen Tsang thus mentions six monasteries as having been built by as many kings and these constituted the Nālandā establishment in his time. These six kings¹ were Śakrāditya, his son and successor Buddhagupta, Tathāgatagupta, Bālāditya, his son and successor Vajra, and an unnamed king of Mid-India. The King of Mid-India may be taken to be Harsha. He built a *vihāra* of brass at Nālandā [*Life*, p. 159], a high wall round the buildings, and a *saṁghārāma*, besides making provision for feeding forty monks daily [Watters' *Yuan Chwang*, i, 216, 218; ii, 170]. He was free for all this benefaction after disposing of that great enemy of himself and Buddhism, Śaśāṅka, King of Gauḍa [as suggested by H. Heras in *JBORS.*, xiv 15]. At the formal opening of the monastery built by Bālāditya, "Brethren from all quarters were present by invitation of the king" (ib.). Of these six monasteries, the oldest, the Śakrāditya monastery, was probably not in a fit condition to be used as residence for monks at the time of Hiuen Tsang's visit, because he refers to the custom of forty Brethren being daily sent from another monastery to take their food there so as to keep up the memory of the establishment and of its generous founder. The University area was marked off by a lofty enclosing wall being built with one gate.² The gate opened into the great college, from which were separated eight other halls, standing in the middle of the Saṁghārāma [*Life*, p. 111]. The buildings, all storied ones, were majestic in their size and height, with richly adorned towers, fairy-like turrets appearing like pointed hill-tops, and observatories lost in the mists of the morning. Even the upper rooms towered above the clouds, and from their windows one could see the winds and clouds producing ever new forms, and from the soaring eaves the sunset splendours and the moonlit glories. This observation of Hiuon Tsang is corroborated by the Nālandā Stone Inscription of Yaśovarman of the eighth century A.D., stating how the row of monasteries (*vihārāvalī*) had their series of summits (*śikhara-śreṇī*) licking (*avalehi*) the clouds (*ambudhara*). Down below, the grounds were variegated by deep, translucent ponds bearing on their bosom the blue lotus intermingled with Kanaka flower of deep red colour, while at intervals the Āmra groves spread over all their shade. The massive external grandeur of the buildings contrasted with the delicate artistic beauty of their interior. "All the outside courts, in which are the priests' chambers, are of four stages. The stages have dragon-projections, and coloured eaves, pearl-red pillars, carved and ornamented, richly adorned balustrades, while the roofs are covered with tiles that reflect the light in a thousand shades. These things add to the beauty of the scene. The Saṁghārāmas of India are counted by myriads, but this is the most remarkable for grandeur and height" (ib.). Hiuon Tsang also remarks: "In this establishment, the work of a succession of sovereigns, the sculpture was perfect and really beautiful" [Watters, ii, 165]. He also saw an image of Buddha in the Śakrāditya monastery [ib.]. I-tsing saw eight halls and 300 apartments in the whole monastery (p. 154).