The University of Nalanda c17.82

c17.82

The area of the University must have extended on its east to the village of Burgaon, as the whole village appears to be situated on a huge mound and numerous images of the Buddhist pantheon lie scattered about, in fields, under trees and on the roadside of the village. How far it spread on the west it is difficult to say, for there are numerous mounds very near monastery No. 1 and Stūpa-site No. 3, which still remain unearthed. This would still extend the area by half a mile or so. But, after these mounds, crossing the fields and at a distance of about a mile and a half, there is a huge statue of Buddha, a photograph of which appears on another page.¹ The statue, itself stands on a high mound, which is covered over by numerous remains of ancient pottery. This is suggestive of the fact that the mound contains under its womb remnants of some old building dating far back to Nālandā’s times. The statue, also, must have been there from the time of its first inception, as its very size makes it almost immovable. Possibly, then, Nālandā of ancient times might have extended to this village also.