The village Nalanda in the district of Patna has a very hoary history recalling the days of Mahavira and Buddha. Nalanda is 55 miles south-east of Patna and seven miles north of Rajgir, the ancient Rajagriha. Nalanda is now served by a branch section of the Eastern Railway from Bakhtiarpur station on the Howrah-Mughalsarai route. Nalanda is also well connected by an all-weather road with Patna via Bakhtiarpur and several passenger buses run daily from Patna to Rajgir via Nalanda and back.

A number of taxis are also available at Bakhtiarpur railway station, which is at a distance of 25 miles from Nalanda. Ekkas and rickshaws are available at Nalanda. There is an Inspection Bungalow and some dharamshala.3 at Nalanda. The visitors can also stay at Rajgir, only seven miles away, where a large number of rests houses, dormitories, dharmashalas, besides private houses are available on rent.

A large number of ancient Buddhist establishments, stupas, chaityas, temples and monastery sites have been excavated and they show that this was one of the most important Buddhist centres of worship and culture.Regarding the historicity of Nalanda, we read in Jaina texts that Mahavira Vardhamana spent as many as fourteen rainy seasons in Nalanda.

Pali Buddhist literature, too, has ample references to Nalanda, which used to be visited by Lord Buddha. During the days of Mahavira and Buddha, Nalanda was apparently a very prosperous temple city, a great place of pilgrimage and the site of a celebrated university.It is said that Asoka gave offerings to the chaitya of Sariputra at Nalanda and erected a temple there. Tara- nath mentions this and also that Nagarjuna, the famous Mahayana philosopher of the second century A.D., studied at Nalanda. Nagarjuna later became the high-priest there.

Suvishnu, a Brahmanacontemporary of Nagarjuna, was supposed to have built 108 temples at Nalanda to prevent the decline of both the Hinayana and the Mahayana schools of Buddhism.Aryadeva, a philosopher of the Madhyamika School of Buddhism (Fourth Century A.D.), Asanga, a Buddhist philosopher of the Yogachara school (Fifth Century A.D.) and Vasubandhu (brother of Asanga) were actively associated with Nalanda.The excavations at Nalanda, according to the archaeologists, do not, however, reveal anything substantial to suggest the occupation of the site before the Guptas.