Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar World Heritage Site

Official name

Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar | UNESCO

Country

India | Map

Continent

Asia

Location

25.1366° Lat, 85.4438° Lon | Map

Code

1502

Time Zone

Asia/Kolkata (IST, +0530)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2016. The Nalanda Mahavihara site is in the State of Bihar, in north-eastern India. It comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE. It includes stupas , shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal. Nalanda stands out as the most ancient university of the Indian Subcontinent. It engaged in the organized transmission of knowledge over an uninterrupted period of 800 years. The historical development of the site testifies to the development of Buddhism into a religion and the flourishing of monastic and educational traditions.