RAS question
Consider the following statements about ancient Indian universities: I. Takshashila (Taxila) was located in the present-day Punjab region of Pakistan and was a major center of learning before the Common Era. II. Nalanda University was founded by Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Correct answer: (A) I only.
Only Statement I is correct: Taxila was in present-day Punjab, Pakistan and was a major centre of learning before the Common Era, while Nalanda was not founded by Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.
Explanation
Taxila fits Statement I. Ancient Taxila, corresponding to modern Taxila in Punjab, Pakistan, was an early university that flourished from the 6th century BCE and taught Vedic studies, medicine, arts and statecraft. Britannica describes Taxila as an ancient city in Pakistan; Buddhist literature also records it as the capital of Gandhara and a major centre of learning. Statement II is incorrect in both chronology and attribution. Nalanda is associated with the Gupta period, around the 5th century CE, and Kumaragupta I is often credited with its foundation, not Ashoka. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre nomination for Nalanda supports the same chronology: it describes Nalanda as a major Mahavihara by the 5th century CE and says its expansion from the 5th to the 7th century took place under Gupta and later Gupta patronage. Therefore, only Statement I is correct.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Option B accepts Statement II alone, but Nalanda is treated here as a Gupta-period institution of about the 5th century CE, not an Ashokan foundation of the 3rd century BCE.
- (C) Option C is wrong because it combines a correct Taxila statement with the incorrect claim that Ashoka founded Nalanda University in the 3rd century BCE.
- (D) Option D rejects both statements, but Statement I is correct because Taxila was in present-day Punjab, Pakistan and had already flourished as a centre of learning before the Common Era.
Concept
This tests the chronology of ancient Indian centres of learning, especially the distinction between early north-western Taxila and Gupta-era Nalanda. RAS often uses such paired statements to check whether candidates can separate location, period and patronage instead of remembering famous names loosely.