In 1860, on the basis of Huan Tsang’s directions, Alexander Cunningham identified the mounds near the village of Burgaon to be the ruins of the Nalanda University. For 700 years the ruins had been a source of building material for the local area.

The University of Nalanda had been built under the patronage of King Kumara Gupta around 410 CE. It is said to have flourished and grown to world renown from the 6th to the 9th century CE under the influence of the Gupta age. At its peak it accommodated 10,000 students from far away lands and 2,000 teachers.

After the death of the last Pala ruler, it lost royal patronage and went on a slow decline. In 1193 Muhammad Khilji burned it down with all its manuscripts after his capture of nearby Bihar Sharif.

Distance from Maksudpur: 60 km