Takshashila : The world’s first known University.

About 2,800 yrs ago, there existed a giant University at Takshashila, in the north-western region of India (in today’s Pakistan).

According to the Ramayana, King Bharata founded the town in the name of his son, Taksha.

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The site initially began to develop as a loosely connected group of buildings where learned persons resided, worked and taught.
Over the years, additional buildings were added; rulers made donations & more scholars migrated there. Gradually a large campus developed.

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Which became a celebrated seat of learning in the ancient world.

Not only Indians but also students from as far as Babylonia, Greece, Syria, Arabia, Phoenicia and China came to study.

68 different streams of knowledge were on the syllabus.

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A wide range of subjects were taught by experienced masters: Vedas, Language, Grammar, Philosophy, Medicine, Surgery, Archery, Politics, Warfare, Astronomy, Astrology, Accounts, Commerce, Futurology, Documentation, Occult, Music, Dance, etc.
The minimum entrance age was 16
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And there were 10,500 students.

The panel of masters included renowned names like Kautilya (the author of the “Arthashastra”), Panini ( the codifier of Sanskrit into today’s form), Jivak (medicine) & Vishnu Sharma (author and compiler of the Panchtantra).

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@LostTemple7

When Alexander’s armies came to the Punjab in the fourth century B.C., Takshashila had already developed a reputation as an important seat of learning. Thus on his return Alexander took many scholars from there with him to Greece.
Takshashila had to face the brunt of attacks.
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