Valabhi University

The University of Valabhi was an important centre of Buddhist learning and championed the
cause of Hinayana Buddhism between 600 CE and 1200 CE. Valabhiwas the capital of
the Maitraka empire during the period 480-775 CE. It was an important port for international
trade located in Saurashtra, present day it is called Vallabhipur located in Bhavnagar district
of Gujarat in western India, identical with the old state of Vala. For some time, the university was
considered to be a rival toNalanda, in Bihar, in the field of education.

Curriculum
Though Valabhi is known to have championed the cause of Hinayana Buddhism, it was neither
exclusive nor insular. Brahmanical sciences were also taught here along with the doctrines of
Buddhism. References have been found to Brahmanic students who came to learn at this
university from the Gangetic plains. Apart from religious sciences, courses offered include:
1. Nti (Political Science, Statesmanship)
2. Vrt (Business, Agriculture)
3. Administration
4. Theology
5. Law
6. Economics and Accountancy
Students graduating from Valabhi were usually employed by kings to assist in the government of
their kingdoms.

Fame and influence

The prominence of Valabhi was known over the whole of Northern
India. Kathasaritsagara narrates the story of a Brahmana, who was determined that he would
rather send his son to Valabhi, than to Nalanda or Banaras. Gunamati and Sthiramati were two of
its Panditas; very little is known about the other famous teachers and scholars who lived here. It
is quite certain that a stamp of approval of doctrines preached by various scholars by the Panditas
of Valabhi, who were of authority, was valued highly in learned assemblies of many kingdoms.
Valabhi was visited by Xuanzang, a Chinese pilgrim, in the 7th century and by Yijing towards

the end of the century. Yijing described the university as at par with the Buddhist monastic
center Nalanda.
Administration and finance
When Hiuen Tsiang (also known as Xuanzang) visited the university in the middle of the 7th
century, there were more than 6000 monks studying in the place. A 100 monastries were
provided for their accommodation. The citizens of Valabhi, many of whom were rich and
generous, made available the funds necessary for running the institution. The Maitraka kings,
who ruled over the country, acted as patrons to the university. They provided enormous grants for
the working of the institution and equipping its libraries.

Decline and end

In 775 CE, the patron kings succumbed to an attack by the Arabs. This gave the university a
temporary set-back. Even afterwards, the work of the university continued incessantly, as the
successors of the Maitraka dynasty continued to patronize it with bountiful donations. The defeat
of its patron kings had definitely led way to the slow death of all its educational activities in the
12th century.

Somapura Mahavira

Through the 17th century it was an important intellectual centre that was occupied alternately
by Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus. Clues to its various inhabitants are found on artwork contained
within the Somapura Mahaviras thick outer walls.
Each side of the monastery measures some 900 feet (270 metres) in length and is composed of
monks cells; the structure holds more than 170 such cells and 92 altars of worship. Within the
walls is a courtyard containing the remains of a traditional Buddhist stupa. Evidence of other
sacred objects and shrines is found throughout, including the Jain chaturmukhar structure, which
displays the artistic and religious influences of the monasterys three main residential groups:
images of Jain deities abound on its main walls, and Buddhist terra-cotta artwork and sacred
Hindu sculptures are found on its base walls.

Somapura Mahavira was one of the few Buddhist monasteries to survive the Muslim invasion of
South Asia. The historic and cultural value of the immense quadrangular structure was first
recognized by the British scholar Buckman Hamilton, who studied its remains in the early 19th
century. More than a century later, in 1919, Somapura Mahavira was proclaimed a protected
archaeological site, and excavations were begun four years later. In 1985 the monastery was
designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.