Paper Details

A rich and varied tradition of education was developed in ancient India through colleges including Gurukuls, Ashramas, Buddhist Viharas, Jain learning centres, temple-based schools and higher education centres like Takshashila, Nalanda, Vallabhi, Vikramashila, Odantapuri and Jagaddala. These were not only the institutions of instruction, but also the centres of conserving, cultivating and transmitting traditions of knowledge in the fields of religion, philosophy, grammar, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, logic, ethics, arts, architecture, statecraft and social life. The paper is a historical analysis of educational institutions in ancient India particularly in terms of their structure, curriculum, teaching methods, function of the institution and contribution to Indian Knowledge Systems. The research is premised on secondary sources and is descriptive, qualitative and historical. It claims that ancient Indian pedagogy was value-based, teacher-centred, residential, oral, dialogic and practice-based. Simultaneously, the paper notes critically that the access to education was not that even and highly depended on caste, gender, class, region, and religious affiliation. The paper concludes that ancient Indian educational institutions have valuable insights to offer to contemporary education, particularly in terms of holistic education, development of ethical character, teacher-student relationships, interdisciplinary education, and respect of native knowledge traditions.

Ancient India, educational institutions, Gurukul, Nalanda, Takshashila, Indian Knowledge Systems, knowledge traditions, Buddhist Vihara, ancient education