Nalanda was one of the first universities in the world, founded in the 5th Century BC, and visited by the Buddha during his lifetime.

Though the Buddha visited Nalanda several times during his lifetime, this famous centre of Buddhist learning shot to fame much later, during 5th-12th centuries AD. when it developed into the greatest ancient centre of Buddhist learning. Students from China and Korea, Sri Lanka and Indonesia and from all the regions of India came to Nalanda to study. At its peak, in the 7th century AD, Nalanda accommodated over 10,000 students and over 2,000 teachers.

Destroyed by Turkish Muslim invaders in 1193, when the students and teachers were massacred and the massive university library was burnt down, currently all that remains are the extensive ruins, spread over an area of 14 hectares.