Buddhist · India · SITE DOSSIER
Nalanda Mahavihara
A Buddhist monastic and scholastic complex whose remains include temples and stupas.
Near Bihar Sharif · Bihar
Archaeological remains
As documented: 2026-09-28Approximate locality
25.1366°, 85.4426° · not a surveyed footprintHow to read this history
- UNESCO places sack and abandonment in the thirteenth century without naming an attacker. The Bakhtiyar attribution is secondary and requires further original-source study; a single exact destruction year is not established.
- This is a selected chronology, not an exhaustive history. No independent specialist or field verification has been completed.
AI-assisted source review: 2026-09-28. Independent specialist review: not completed.
The recorded chronology
Selected episodes. Rebuilding and later changes are distinguished from damage.
- Destruction · intentional causeOpen this episode on the map ↗
13th century AD · approximate
The complex was sacked and declined; the attribution to Bakhtiyar Khalji is widely repeated but its precise application to Nalanda needs care.
eventAttributed · further checking neededThe complex was sacked and declined; the attribution to Bakhtiyar Khalji is widely repeated but its precise application to Nalanda needs care.
The reference article discusses identification problems and evidence of activity after the supposed destruction. This is not a claim that all Buddhist learning ended in one attack.
- Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar ↗UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
- Nalanda Mahavihara — reference and coordinate trail ↗Wikipedia contributors · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
dateAttributed · further checking needed13th century · approximate
- Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar ↗UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
- Nalanda Mahavihara — reference and coordinate trail ↗Wikipedia contributors · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
actorAttributed · further checking neededMuhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji and his forces
- Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar ↗UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
- Nalanda Mahavihara — reference and coordinate trail ↗Wikipedia contributors · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
Location & last documented condition
Approximate locality marker; the point is not a surveyed historical footprint.
- Nalanda Mahavihara — reference and coordinate trail ↗Wikipedia contributors · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
UNESCO describes excavated monasteries, shrines and stupas.
- Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar ↗UNESCO World Heritage Centre · Historical account · Accessed 2026-09-28
Source context
Explore the complete captured Wikipedia bibliography ↗
References are discovery leads unless marked as consulted.
- Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar ↗ · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Description and outstanding universal value establish monastic/shrine remains and place sack and abandonment in the thirteenth century. They do not identify an attacker.
Discovery: Independent discovery · Access: direct - Nalanda Mahavihara — reference and coordinate trail ↗ · Wikipedia contributors
Article, coordinates and relevant bibliography inspected through web access. Reference trail, not an independent archaeological survey. No article prose reproduced.
Discovery: Independent discovery · Access: direct