Question

Which one of the following places was not the centre of learning during early medieval period?
1. Nalanda
2. Vikramshila
3. Taxila
4. Uddantapur

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Taxila

The correct answer is Taxila.

• Taxila is considered to be the ancient world's first international university.
• It is considered to be founded in the 10th century BCE and abandoned by the 5th century CE.
• In the 5th century A.D. when Fa-Hien visited Taxila there was no sign of any educational centre.
• Panini, the famous Sanskrit grammarian, Kautilya (Chanakya) and Charaka, the famous physician of ancient India, and Chandragupta Maurya were the products of this university. It gained its importance again during the reign of Kanishka.

• Nalanda is the name of an ancient centre of higher learning in Bihar, India. 
• It was a Buddhist centre of learning from 427 to 1197 CE.
• Some buildings were constructed by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka the Great which is an indication of an early establishment of the Buddhist learning centre Nalanda.
• The Vikramshila University was discovered by Dharmapala, the ruler of the Pala dynasty of Bengal towards the late eighth century.
• It was one such epitome of learning and education that attracted scholars from many parts of India as well as other countries.
• Uddantapur was founded in the 7th century CE by Gopala, the first ruler of the Pala dynasty. It served as a model and inspiration for Tibetan Buddhists.
• According to the Tibetan records, there were about 12,000 students at Uddantapur.