Taxila (Takshashila) University

1. Introduction and Historical Background

What was Taxila?
Taxila (known as Takshashila in ancient Sanskrit) holds the distinction of being arguably the world’s first university. While modern universities have large buildings and central offices, Taxila was different. It was a “University Town”—an entire city dedicated to education.

Origin of the Name:

• According to the Indian epic Ramayana, the city was founded by Bharata (the younger brother of Lord Rama). He named the city after his son, Taksha, who was appointed as its ruler.
• The word “Takshashila” roughly translates to “The City of Cut Stone” or “The Rock of Taksha.”

Location and Geography:

• Today, the ruins of this great city are located in the Rawalpindi district of Pakistan, about 35 km from Islamabad.
• In ancient times, it was the capital of the Gandhara Kingdom.
• Strategic Importance: Taxila was located at a very special place where three great trade routes met. It was the gateway to India. Because of this, travelers, traders, and scholars from Greece, Persia, China, and Babylon constantly visited the city. This made Taxila a “cosmopolitan” city where cultures mixed freely.

Time Period:
It existed as a center of learning from approximately 600 BC to 500 AD. This means it flourished for over a thousand years!

2. The Campus and Organization

Not a Walled University:
Unlike the famous Nalanda University (which came much later and had huge walls, libraries, and hostels), Taxila had no boundary walls. It was not a single building.

• The “university” consisted of hundreds of small schools spread across the city.
• Each school was the home of a famous Guru (Teacher).
• A single teacher would have 20 to 25 students living with him.

No Central Authority:

• There was no Vice-Chancellor, no Principal, and no Government Education Board.
• Each teacher was supreme. They decided their own syllabus. This freedom allowed teachers to specialize in their subjects without interference. If a teacher was famous, students flocked to his house; if he was not good, he would have no students.

3. Admission Process and Student Life

Age Limit:
Education in ancient India usually began with the Upanayana ceremony at home. However, for higher education at Taxila, the minimum age for admission was 16 years. This was because the subjects taught here were difficult and required maturity.

The Journey:
Students traveled long distances to reach Taxila. Ancient Buddhist texts (the Jataka Tales) tell stories of students walking for months from faraway places like Varanasi (Kashi), Rajagriha, Mithila, and Ujjain. The journey was dangerous, passing through forests and crossing rivers, showing their dedication to learning.

Equality in Education:
Once a student entered the teacher’s house, social status disappeared.

• Princes and Commoners: A prince from Varanasi might be studying next to a poor Brahmin’s son.
• Lifestyle: All students lived a simple, hard life. They slept on mats on the floor and ate simple vegetarian food. Even the son of a King was expected to do household chores like fetching water or collecting firewood for the Guru.

Fees (Guru Dakshina):
There was a flexible fee structure to ensure no talent was wasted:

1. The Rich: Princes and wealthy merchants paid 1,000 gold coins (Karshapanas) upfront. This covered their lodging and food for the entire course.
2. The Poor (Dhammantevasika): Poor students who could not pay money were admitted as “working students.” They served the teacher by doing daily work during the day and studied at night.
3. The Promise: Some students were allowed to study for free on the promise that they would pay the teacher once they finished their education and started earning money.

4. Curriculum: The Subjects Taught

Taxila was unique because it did not just teach religion. It was famous for secular (non-religious) and vocational (job-oriented) education. It offered more than 60 courses.

A. The Vedas (Religious Knowledge):
The primary subject was the study of the three Vedas (Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda) along with philosophy and grammar.

B. The 18 Silpas (Arts and Skills):
For students who wanted to work in the world, there were 18 practical subjects, including:

• Medicine and Surgery: The most famous department of Taxila.
• Archery (Dhanurvidya): Military training for princes.
• Astronomy and Astrology: Studying the stars and planets.
• Agriculture and Commerce: Farming and trade methods.
• Snake Charming: How to handle venomous snakes.
• Magic and Occult Sciences: Mystical arts.
• Music and Dance: Fine arts.

C. Law and Politics:
Future Kings and Ministers went there to learn how to govern a country, how to collect taxes, and how to manage spies.

5. Method of Teaching and Examinations

Oral Tradition:
Paper and printing presses did not exist. Knowledge was passed down verbally.

• The teacher would recite the lesson.
• The students would repeat it until they memorized it perfectly.
• Discussion and debates were a major part of learning. Students were encouraged to ask questions.

Practical Training:
Taxila was famous for its “hands-on” approach.

• If you studied Medicine, you didn’t just read about herbs. You had to go into the forest, identify the plant, pick it, grind it, and make the medicine yourself.
• If you studied Archery, you practiced shooting real arrows every day.

The Examination System:
There were no written exams, no report cards, and no fixed duration for a course.

• A course usually lasted 5 to 8 years.
• However, a student could not leave until the teacher said, “You are ready.”

Story of the Medical Exam:
There is a famous story about Jivaka, a medical student. When his course was ending, his teacher gave him a practical exam. The teacher gave him a spade and said:

“Go around the city of Taxila for a distance of one Yojana (approx 8-10 miles). Look for any plant that cannot be used as a medicine and bring it to me.”

Jivaka searched for days. He examined every grass, root, and flower. He came back empty-handed and sad. He told the teacher, “Master, I could not find a single plant that does not have some medicinal use.”
The teacher smiled and said, “You have passed. You now know the true value of nature.”

6. Famous Alumni (Students of Taxila)

The greatness of a university is known by the students it produces. Taxila produced men who changed the history of India.

1. Chanakya (Kautilya):
   • Perhaps the most famous personality associated with Taxila. He was a student there and later became a head teacher (Acharya) of Political Science.
   • He wrote the Arthashastra (a great book on economics and politics) while living in Taxila.
   • It was here that he met Chandragupta and planned the overthrow of the Nanda dynasty.
2. Chandragupta Maurya:
   • The first Emperor of unified India. As a young boy, he was taken to Taxila by Chanakya.
   • He studied military science and the arts of war here for 8 years, which helped him defeat the Greeks and the Nandas.
3. Panini:
   • He was a great linguist. He wrote the Ashtadhyayi, the book that standardized Sanskrit grammar. His rules of grammar are so perfect that they are still used today by computer scientists for Natural Language Processing (NLP).
4. Charaka:
   • A grand physician who wrote the Charaka Samhita, one of the foundational texts of Ayurveda.
5. Jivaka (Komarabhacca):
   • He became the most famous doctor of the Buddha’s time. He performed complex surgeries (even brain surgery, according to legends) and was the personal physician of King Bimbisara and Lord Buddha.

7. Influence of Buddhism

In the beginning, Taxila was a center of Brahmanical (Hindu) education. However, as Buddhism spread across India, Taxila adapted.

• Impact of Ashoka: When Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism, he built many Stupas and Monasteries in Taxila.
• The Dharmarajika Stupa: This was a famous structure built by Ashoka in Taxila to house the relics of the Buddha.
• Mahayana Buddhism: In later centuries, Taxila became a center for Mahayana Buddhism. Scholars from Tibet and China visited to collect Buddhist scriptures.

It is interesting to note that in Taxila, Vedas were taught in one house, and Buddhist philosophy in the next. There was harmony between different beliefs.

8. Decline and Destruction

Why does this great university not exist today?
Unlike Nalanda, which met a sudden and violent end by fire, Taxila’s decline was slow but painful.

1. Geographical Vulnerability: Being at the gateway of India (North-West frontier), Taxila was always the first city to face foreign invaders.
2. Successive Invasions: The Greeks, the Scythians, and the Kushans invaded Taxila. While they respected the culture, the constant political instability weakened the education system.
3. The Hun Invasion (The Final Blow): In the 5th Century AD, the Huns (a barbaric tribe from Central Asia) invaded India. Under their leader Toramana, they ruthlessly destroyed the city of Taxila. They burned the monasteries and killed the scholars.
4. Abandonment: By the 7th Century AD, when the Chinese traveler Xuanzang (Hsuan Tsang) visited Taxila, he found it in ruins. He wrote that the great halls were empty and the spirit of learning was gone.

9. Conclusion

Taxila (Takshashila) was more than just a school; it was the intellectual capital of ancient India.

• It proved that 2,500 years ago, India had an education system that was organized, practical, and open to all castes and classes.
• It gave the world the concepts of structured grammar (Panini), organized politics (Chanakya), and holistic medicine (Ayurveda).

Today, Taxila is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruined walls and stupas stand silently, reminding Indian students of a time when the whole world came to India to learn. It teaches us that knowledge is the greatest wealth, and a true teacher (Guru) is the pillar of society.

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