History and Legacy of the Nalanda Buddhist University Library

The organization of the Nalanda Buddhist University Library (5—12 centuries) is a unique phenomenon in the history of librarianship. The relevance of the topic is due to the growing interest in the intangible cultural heritage of South Asia, as well as the need to understand the historical models of libraries in the light of modern challenges to the preservation and organization of knowledge.

The novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive reconstruction of Nalanda’s library practice based on both written sources (including the pilgrimage travelogues of Xuanzang and Yijing) and archaeological data. The institutional structure of the library and the thematic and linguistic diversity of its collections are examined. These collections included fundamental Buddhist texts such as the sutras, vinaya, and abhidharma, as well as works on secular sciences: medicine, logic, astronomy and mathematics, grammar and linguistics, Hindu philosophy, rhetoric, poetics and fine arts, law, and political science. These texts were written in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, and, in the later period, also in Tibetan, Chinese, and some forms of Central Asian languages. The combination of these factors allows us to conclude that the library was encyclopedic in nature, providing instruction in all areas of the Indian intellectual tradition and a high level of intellectual work within the university. The material carriers and storage forms of books are described, as well as the mechanisms for copying and annotating, including as a means of transmitting and disseminating texts. The library’s role as a central hub in the information transfer mechanism is highlighted.

Particular attention is given to the destruction of the library at the end of the 12th century and its consequences for Buddhist culture and Buddhology. The destruction of Nalanda University and its library by fire during military operations marked the collapse of Buddhist education in India and the disruption of intellectual connections between distant Buddhist centers. With the library’s destruction, the Sanskrit originals of many works were lost, surviving only in Tibetan and Chinese translations, created in part thanks to the previous work of the Nalanda University library.

The influence of Nalanda on Buddhist centers in Tibet, China, and Southeast Asia is analyzed, and the significance of its legacy for modern library science and cultural policy is assessed. Nalanda represents the archetype of a universal library capable of uniting academic and spiritual knowledge.

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