Nalanda University Ruins: World’s Most Ancient University

The famed Nalanda University ruins are located close to the village of “Bada Gaon” in the southeast of Patna, the capital of the Indian state of Bihar. The world’s oldest university’s ruins are located here, 62 kilometres from Bodhgaya and 90 kilometres south of Patna.

The root of the phrase Nalanda—The Knowledge Giver—combines the Sanskrit words “Nalum,” which represents the lotus flower—a symbol of knowledge—and “Da,” which means “giver.” In its simplest form, this phrase describes the storied international university located in the current state of Bihar in eastern India.