Nalanda Mahāvihāra as an Early International University-Like Institution: Knowledge Networks, Institutional Structure, and Civilizational Continuity in Ancient India
Nayan Deep Singh Kanwal, Shalini Verma and Dilip Nandkeolyar
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Abstract:
Nalanda Mahāvihāra (5th to 12th century CE) is an often-overlooked case in the history of international higher education. Based on archaeological evidence, epigraphic records, and the accounts of Xuanzang and Yijing, its institutional structure is examined through a comparative framework. Residential organization, formalized pedagogy, selective admission, disciplinary plurality, and sustained royal patronage indicate a highly organized centre of advanced learning. Its ability to attract students from across Asia and to sustain extensive intellectual exchange reflects a transregional academic culture. Rather than situating Nalanda within a European trajectory, this article argues for its recognition as an independently evolved institutional model. This perspective opens a more plural understanding of global higher education history and highlights the role of premodern knowledge networks.
Keywords:
Archaeology; Global higher education; Knowledge networks; Nalanda Mahāvihāra; Premodern universities; Transregional exchange; University-like institutions; Xuanzang.
Citation: Nayan Deep Singh Kanwal, Shalini Verma and Dilip Nandkeolyar (2026). Nalanda Mahāvihāra as an Early International University-Like Institution: Knowledge Networks, Institutional Structure, and Civilizational Continuity in Ancient India. Horizon J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Res. 8 (1), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2026.v8.n1.id1358.p133
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