The Gupta period is known for the great importance that was give to education. The Guptas founded and patronized several universities of higher learning. The universities had such a high standard of education, that India soon became a centre for learning, and students from across the world came to study in these universities. Some of the prominent ones of the period were Nalanda (which being a large one offered a variety of courses), Takshila (the oldest one, it specialized in medicine), Vallabi (religious learning, law and medicine amongst others), Ujjain (astronomy), Ajanta (art, architecture and painting) and Sarnath (study of the Buddhist religion). We shall take a closer look at two of these universities, Nalanda and Takshila.
Nalanda: This university was established during the reign of the Guptas and became a major centre of learning. Nalanda covered a vast area of about 1280 square meters. The central college building had eight large halls and about three hundred apartments attached to it. There were good library facilities. Nalanda had excellent infrastructure which included a great complex of hostels, lecture halls etc. Nalanda had a student community of about nine thousand and a teaching community of about one thousand. This gave the university the amazing 1:9 teacher to student ratio which speaks volumes of the quality of education
