Emperor Kumar Gupta established the Nalanda University in the fifth century AD.
Due to its renowned international reputation, students from across the globe used to come to study here.
Invader Bakhityar Khilji demolished the monastery towards the end of the 12th century. He killed all the monks and burned down the renowned library as well.
Two major reasons are cited for Bakhtiyar Khilji taking such radical measures and burning down the library, destroying over 9 million manuscripts.
It is said that Khilji was on the hunt for the Quran which was present at the Nalanda library. However, he was unsuccessful in his quest and the frustration caused him to set fire to the library.
The second reason behind Khilji burning down the library is believed to be the fact that he wanted to eradicate the core teachings of Buddhism and Ayurveda.