The University of Nalanda c9.15

c9.15

The early history of the place bears sufficient testimony to its claim to be a rich and prosperous city. Various Buddhist texts tell us that the place in the days of Buddha was a prosperous village.³ To take but one illustration. It is stated that Lepa, one of the citizens of Nālandā, was prosperous, famous, rich and had large houses, beds, seats, vehicles and chariots, abounding in riches, gold and silver, possessed of useful and necessary things, owning many male and female slaves, cows, buffaloes, and sheep.⁴ Even the Great Buddha had partaken of Lepa's hospitality. Lepa offered his rich bathing halls to the Enlightened Śākya prince, who gladly accepted them and delivered a long discourse which had the effect of converting him to Buddhism. Sūtrakṛtaṅga also tells us that Nālandā contained many hundreds of buildings.¹