As early as 700 BC, when most of Europe was still in the dark age, there existed a great university at Takshashila, located in the ancient kingdom of Gandhara, in northwest region of India (now in Pakistan). This ancient seat of learning, imparted education in numerous disciplines and was known world wide for its quality education, fame and glory.
It has been suggested that at its height, Takshshila also known as Taxila exerted a sort of "intellectual suzerainty" over other centers of learning in India and its primary concern was not with elementary, but higher education. Not only Indians but also students from as far as Babylonia, Greece, Syria, Arabia, Phoenicia and China came to study here.
Historically, the origin of Taxila as a city goes back to 1000 BC. Some ruins at Taxila date to the time of the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC, followed successively by Mauryan Empire, Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian, and Kushan Empire periods. 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 and more scholars migrated there. Gradually a large campus developed, which became a celebrated seat of learning in the ancient world.
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 and there were as many as 10,500 students.
No external authorities like kings or local leaders subjected the scholastic activities at Taxila to their control. Each teacher formed his own institution, enjoying complete autonomy in work, teaching as many students as he liked and teaching subjects he liked without conforming to any centralized syllabus.
Study terminated when the teacher was satisfied with the student's level of achievement. In general, specialization in a subject took around eight years, though this could be lengthened or shortened in accordance with the intellectual abilities and dedication of the student in question. Knowledge was considered too sacred to be bartered for money, and hence any stipulation that fees ought to be paid was vigorously condemned.
Financial support came from the society at large, as well as from rich merchants and wealthy parents. Students arriving at Taxila usually had completed their primary education at home (until the age of eight), and their secondary education in the Ashrams (between the ages of eight and twelve), and therefore came to Taxila chiefly to reach the ends of knowledge in specific disciplines.
Taxila had great influence on Hindu culture and the Sanskrit language. It is perhaps best known for its association with Chanakya, also known as Kautilya or Vishnu Gupta, the master strategist and economist who guided and assisted Chandragupta Maurya in the founding of the Mauryan Empire. Chanakya's Arthashastra (The knowledge of Economics) is said to have been composed in Taxila. The famed Ayurvedic physician Charaka also studied and later taught at Taxila. Panini, the grammarian who codified the rules that would define Classical Sanskrit, was also the part of the learned community at Taxila.
The institution is significant in Buddhist tradition since it is believed that the Mahayana branch of Buddhism took shape there. Jivaka, the court physician of the Magadha Emperor Bimbisara who once cured the Buddha, and the Buddhism-supporting ruler of Kosala, Prasenjit, are some important personalities mentioned in Pali texts who studied at Taxila.
When Alexander’s armies came to north western India in the fourth century BC, 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.
Being near the north-west frontier of India, Takshashila had to face the brunt of attacks and invasions from the north and the west. Thus the Persians, Greeks, Parthians, Shakas and Kushanas laid their destructive marks on this institution. The final blow, however, came from the Huns (also the destroyers of the Roman Empire) who in 450 AD, razed the institution. When the Chinese traveller Huen T’sang (603-664 AD) visited Takshashila, the town had lost all its former grandeur and international character.
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