The 500 years from the 4th Century A.D. to the close of the 8th Century A.D. under the Guptas, Harsha and their successors
is a remarkable period in the history of India. It marks the Glorious Age of Education when the
universities of Nalanda and Valabhi flourished. It also marks the rise of Indian Sciences, Mathematics and Astronomy.
The universities at Nalanda owed their foundation to the generation of the Guptas. It began as a Buddhist Sangha Aashram and at least 8 colleges were built by different patrons including Balaputra of Sumatra. It was built in rows enclosing 5 quadrangles and atleast one of them had four storeys. The
university area was enclosed by a brick wall. It housed several thousand teachers and students who were maintained out of the revenues from more than 100 villages. Because of its fame, Nalanda attracted students from abroad, but the admission test was so strict that only 2-3 out of 10 got admitted in it. More than 1500 teachers discussed over 100 different subjects, daily. These covered the Vedas, Logic, Medicine, Grammar, Philosophy and Astronomy.
The achievements in science were very significant. Aryabhatta in the late 5th Century was the greatest Mathematician of this age. He introduced the concept of Number Zero and the Decimal system. Varamahira was a profound scholar of all the sciences and art. According to contemporaries more than eight branches of Medicinal Sciences including Surgery and Pediatrics were practiced by the physicians.
Buddhism, of course, was one of the most popular religious subjects taught in the universities and Nalanda soon became popular as one of the great centers of Buddhist learning. But all systems of thoughts, religions were taught at the university thus ensuring a spirit of Catholocity (secularism).
Tibetan records throw light on the existence of three libraries in the universities, namely, Ratan Sagar, Ratna Ranjaka and Ratno Dadhi. Some of the famous teachers were Chandra Pala, GunaMati, Sthir Mati, Padma Sambhava, etc. Shila Bhadra from Assam was the Guru of Hiuen Tsang and the Head of the Universities. Some of the kings who made important contributions were Kumara Gupta I, Buddha Gupta, Tathagata Gupta, Baladitya and Harshavardhan.