🔆 Nalanda University – A Legacy of Learning 📍 Context ✅ The Prime Minister inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir, Bihar. ✅ Established under the Nalanda University Act, 2010, near the ancient ruins. 📍 Ancient Nalanda University ✅ Founded by Emperor Kumaragupta I (Gupta Empire) in 427 CE. ✅ Key Patrons – Harshavardhana of Kannauj, Pala dynasty rulers. ✅ Had links with the Shailendra dynasty (Indonesia), which built a monastery there. 📍 Foreign Scholars & Visitors ✅ Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) studied for 5 years (606-647 CE), bringing Buddhist texts to China. ✅ I-Tsing (670 CE) described Nalanda as a leading global university with 2,000 students from China, Mongolia, Tibet, and Korea. 📍 Decline & Rediscovery ✅ Attacked by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji (12th century), ending its 800-year legacy. ✅ Rediscovered in 1812 by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton and identified by Alexander Cunningham (1861). ✅ Today, Nalanda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.