MUNDGOD:For about 700 years from the 5th century, students from all over the world studied at the famous Nalanda University, one of the greatest Indian centres of higher learning.
Today, the Gaden Jangtse Monastery in Mundgod, known as the Tibet of Karnataka, is all set to follow the Nalanda way of teaching.
Located in Uttara Kannada district, the monastery will become the first in India and Nepal to adapt pedagogical methods from the ancient university, whose ruins stand to this day in Bihar.
Of the 16,000 Tibetan people living in Mundgod, about 7,000 are monks or lamas. Surrounded by lush green fields, the Tibetan settlement is visited by Buddhist scholars from all over the world.
The Mundgod monastery is already a centre of higher studies in Buddhism, and scholars say Nalanda is therefore a good model to emulate.
Tsering, secretary of the Gaden Jangtse Monastery, says young lamas will soon study the new syllabus.
“The Nalanda way is more about a guru teaching in the oral tradition. These monks will take the method forward when they are posted to monasteries in India and abroad. Lamas from Bhutan, Nepal and the Himalayan regions of India come here for studies,” he told Express.
Carpets and Stuff
The monastery is also a place for arts and crafts. Tibetan-style carpets and wall hangings are made at a workshop here.
Besides Tibetan women, women from the town work at the workshop and earn some money. This is among the few monasteries in India where even local people reap benefits. As the monasteries are 5-6 km from the centre of the town, many youths run jeeps and autos. Tourists from Goa, Hubballi and Dharwad come visiting every weekend.
Rigorous Life
Visitors to the monastery are often welcomed by young monks who lead a disciplined life. At the monastery, the day begins at 5 am. Monks carry out rituals under the instructions of senior monks till 11 am.
The monks recite from the Buddhist scriptures in the afternoon and join evening prayers. All important days on the Tibetan calender are observed at this monastery.
Untapped Tourism Potential
The Tourism Department has not fully realised the potential of promoting the town as a tourist destination. Uttara Kannada gets thousands of tourists. The department has put up some signboards, but otherwise, has done little to promote Mundgod. Traffic plies regulary between Mundgod and the monastery. However, when tourists arrive at Mundgod, no board gives them any information about the monastery. “The monastery needs to be popularised,” said Amrut Joshi, a social activist from Hubballi. The government must ensure Mundgod is equipped to welcome bigger numbers of visitors, he said.
What Nalanda Taught
All students at Nalanda studied Buddhist texts of its two schools: Hinayana and Mayayana. The curriculum also included the vedas, logic, grammar, philology, medicine, Samkhya, law, astronomy, and city-planning.
Nalanda was inspired by the formal, oral tradition of Vedic learning then in practice. The university, established in the 5th century, flourished under the patronage of enlightened kings, and was a much sought-after centre of higher education till the 9th century. It attracted scholars and students from Tibet, China, Korea, and Central Asia. It was laid waste in the early 13th century by a Muslim king.