MAINS 2014
GS1
10 marks
Taxila university was one of the oldest universities of the world with which were associated a number of renowned learned personalities of different disciplines. Its strategic location caused its fame to flourish, but unlike Nalanda, it is not considered as a university in the modern sense. Discuss.
WRITE IN
7 min
150 words
What the examiner wants
Discuss Taxila's fame, its scholars and location, and why it does not count as a university in the modern sense unlike Nalanda.
DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.
Demand-wise check
- 1Scholars: Panini (grammar), Chanakya/Kautilya, Charaka (medicine, traditionally), Jivaka (physician); subjects included Vedas, archery, medicine, law≈30 words
- 2Location: on Uttarapatha trade route linking Gangetic plains, Central Asia and Persia; meeting point of Persian, Greek, Indian cultures≈30 words
- 3Why not a modern university: no central campus, no admission system, no degrees or fixed syllabus; independent teachers with private pupils≈30 words
- 4Nalanda contrast: residential campus, organised administration, entrance tests by gatekeeper scholars, library (Dharmaganja), royal grants of villages, foreign students (Xuanzang, Yijing)≈30 words
Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.
Answer plan
Taxila's antiquity and scholarsStrategic locationFeatures of its teachingComparison table with NalandaConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Calling Taxila simply 'the first university' without examining the 'modern sense' claim
- Not using Nalanda as the explicit benchmark
Draw this
- Comparison table: Taxila vs Nalanda on structure, admission, curriculum, funding, students
Value addition
- ExampleNalanda was founded under Gupta ruler Kumaragupta I (5th century CE) and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016; Taxila was inscribed in 1980.UNESCO
- SourceJataka stories describe pupils going to Taxila at about 16 to study under individual teachers, paying fees or serving the teacher.Jataka literature
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Akansh Dhull · AIR 3 · Page 23 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 3 ↗Same syllabus reference
- Ajay R Raj · AIR 109 · Page 15 ↗Same syllabus reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
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