Worlds Oldest and First University: Takshila University

An institution providing higher education and specially research which awards academic degrees in various subjects fields and departments is basically known as University. Universities provides higher education i.e. undergraduate and postgraduate education. University is meant to be a place of community of scholars and teachers.

The process of discovering and inventing different things, gaining of knowledge, and research on various aspects of world and life has an history from the creation of mankind and this world. This process is continued and advancement is increasing with passage of time and this will continue.

The process of gaining knowledge, inventing and research need great work and facilities.

An education institute typically provides all the facilities and academia related to a specific field of research.

History tells us a long list of educational institutes which served quality education and research and these institutions are base of every knowledge, invention and research which are we studying and watching in this world nowadays.

But many people are unaware of the first and oldest university which was the base of this concept. The university was “Takshila university”.

Takshila university

Yes, the oldest and first university of the world was Takshila university. In early 700 B.C., there existed the oldest and first University at Takshashila(Now known as Taxila) , located in the northwest region of Bharat( Now Pakistan).

It was known as a center of learning at least several centuries before Christ, and continued to attract students from around the ancient world until its destruction in the 5th century CE.

Taxila was at that time known as Takshashila, flourished from 600 BC to 500 AD, in the kingdom of Gandhar. At this university, 68 subjects were taught and the minimum entry age was 16. It was a internationally recognized institute. It had maximum of 10,500 students including those from Babylon, Greece, Syria, and China. Experienced masters taught the vedas, languages, grammar, philosophy, medicine, surgery, archery, politics, warfare, astronomy, accounts, commerce, documentation, music, dance and other performing arts, futurology, the occult and mystical sciences, complex mathematical calculations. The community of teachers and scholars at the university included Kautilya, Panini, Jivak and Vishnu Sharma.

This institute was specialized in the field of medicine. It had about 300 lecture halls, labs, 3 buildings, huge library, observatory for astronomical research.

Currently, Taxila is among the most educationally advanced city of Pakistan. There are many internationally recognized universities like University of Engineering and Technology, COMSATS wah campus, HITEC University.