Buddhist monastic centre, often spoken of as a university, in northern Bihar state, India.
Though it is traditionally dated to the time of the Buddha (6th5th centuries BC), archaeological excavations date its foundations to the 5th century AD. It housed a population of several thousand teachers and students. Topics studied included logic, grammar, astronomy, and medicine. The Chinese pilgrims Xuanzang and Yijing provided vivid accounts of Nalanda in the late 7th century. Nalanda continued to flourish through the 12th century and became a centre of religious sculpture. It was probably sacked during Muslim raids 0441; 1200 and never recovered.