An influence that outlasted the buildings
The monastery of Nalanda ceased to function by the thirteenth century, yet its name remained powerful. Teachers, texts and methods associated with Nalanda travelled across Asia and were absorbed into living traditions. The clearest case is Tibet, and a more recent chapter is the founding of a new university in Bihar that deliberately borrows the name.
Nalanda and Tibetan Buddhism
Texts and teachers
When Buddhism reached Tibet in the seventh to ninth centuries, Tibetan rulers and translators looked to India for teachings. Many of the Indian authors translated into Tibetan were linked, by tradition and often by evidence, with Nalanda. Santarakshita, an Indian abbot, is said to have been invited to Tibet in the eighth century by the king Trisong Detsen, and his student Kamalashila is also connected to the story of how Indian Buddhism took root there. The monastery of Samye, built in this period, is traditionally described as modelled on an Indian monastery, which some sources identify as Odantapuri; accounts differ.
Later, from the tenth to twelfth centuries, a second wave of translation brought more works and teachers. The scholar Atisha, linked to Vikramshila rather than Nalanda, belongs to this period and shows how closely the Bihar monasteries were connected.
The “Nalanda tradition” in Tibetan study
Tibetan monastic colleges often describe their curriculum as inheriting the Nalanda tradition. In practice this means a focus on certain Indian treatises, such as works by Nagarjuna, Asanga, Dignaga, Dharmakirti and Santideva, studied with commentaries. Tibetan teachers sometimes refer to seventeen great masters of Nalanda as a way of naming central authors. Lists differ by lineage, so there is no single canonical set.
Debate, a central study method at many Tibetan monasteries, is often traced back to Indian practice. Visitors to places such as the Sera Monastery debate courtyard may see this method in action. It is fair to say Tibetan monastic education carries on methods with Indian roots, but it also developed in distinctive ways, and the different Tibetan Buddhist schools each emphasise their own texts and approaches.
Beyond Tibet
Nalanda’s influence is not limited to Tibet. Chinese pilgrims such as Xuanzang carried texts home, and Yijing’s records shaped East Asian awareness of monastic rules. Korean and Japanese traditions also trace some of their philosophical ideas to Indian sources studied at Nalanda, though the transmission was usually indirect. This is part of the larger story told in our piece on the northern transmission of Buddhism.
The modern Nalanda University
In the early 2000s, ideas for reviving Nalanda as a modern centre of learning began to gain support, including from governments across Asia. The Indian parliament passed the Nalanda University Act in 2010. The institution began teaching in 2014, at first from temporary premises in the Rajgir area. A permanent campus near the ancient site was formally inaugurated in 2024.
A few points are worth keeping in mind:
- The modern university is a secular, state-supported institution, not a monastery, and it is separate from the ancient one in law and in organisation.
- It draws on a regional partnership that includes several Asian countries, and describes interests in fields such as history, ecology and international relations. Check current official information for its programmes.
- It does not occupy the ancient ruins, which remain under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India. The new campus sits some distance away.
Opinions differ on how well a modern institution can continue an ancient name. Some see it as a fitting tribute, others as a new project with a borrowed title. Either way, the use of the name shows how strongly Nalanda still stands for open scholarship.
Visiting with the legacy in mind
Pilgrims often pair a visit to the ruins with time in Rajgir, the Buddhist sites of Bihar and Tibetan temples in nearby Bodh Gaya. Our overview of ancient Nalanda gives the background, and the article on the Nalanda ruins covers what to see. Check current official sources for access, as rules and opening times change, and follow local customs at temples.