Ruins of Nalanda University

In 1193, the Nalanda University was sacked by the fanatic Bakhtiyar Khilji , a Turk ; this event is seen by scholars as a late milestone in the decline of Buddhism in India . The Persian historian Minhaj-i-Siraj , in his chronicle the Tabaqat-I-Nasiri , reported that thousands of monks were burned alive and thousands beheaded as Khilji tried his best to uproot Buddhismand plant Islam by the sword the burning of the library continued for several months and"smoke from the burning manuscripts hung for days like a dark pall over the low hills."
Nalanda was one of the world's first residential universities, i.e., it had dormitories for students. It is also one of the most famous universities. In its heyday, it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. The university was considered an architectural masterpiece, and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate. Nalanda had eight separate compounds and ten temples, along with many other meditation halls and classrooms. On the grounds were lakes and parks. The library was located in a nine storied building where meticulous copies of texts were produced. The subjects taught at Nalanda University covered every field of learning, and it attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey. During the period of Harsha, the monastery is reported to have owned 200 villages given as grants.
The Tang Dynasty Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang left detailed accounts ofthe university in the 7th century. He described how the regularly laid-out towers, forest of pavilions, harmikas and temples seemed to "soar above the mists in the sky" so that from their cells the monks "might witness the birth of the winds and clouds." The pilgrim states: "An azure pool winds around the monasteries, adorned with the full-blown cups of the blue lotus; the dazzling red flowers of the lovely kanaka hang here and there, and outside groves of mango trees offer the inhabitantstheir dense and protective shade."