Writing some 60 years after Bakhtiyar Khilji’s campaign through Bihar, the historian Minhaj al-Siraj Juzjani, recorded in his Tabakat-iNasiri how Bakhtiyar’s forces captured a ‘fortress’ and “acquired great booty.” He adds, “The greater number of the inhabitants of that place were Brahmans, and all those Brahmans had their heads shaven; and they were all slain. There were a great number of books there. … It was found that the whole of that fortress and city was a college, and in [their] tongue,

Question

Bright Tutorials · Accepted Answer

The first clue that the passage mentions is that “the greater number of the inhabitants of that place were Brahmans, and all those Brahmans had their heads shaven”. Given that Nälanda was an enormous, world-renowned Buddhist monastery and university, and Buddhist monks shave their heads as part of their monastic vows, these individuals referred to as “Brahmans” were in reality Buddhist monks and scholars.
The term “Brahman” may have been used loosely by the foreign historian to refer to Hindu or religious scholars/priests in general, mistakenly applying it to the shaven-headed Buddhist monks who were the primary residents and victims of the attack.
Secondly “There were a great number of books in the place.” Nalanda Mahavihara was famous for its vast library and collections of manuscripts. These clues clearly point to the fact that the “fortress” mentioned was actually Nalanda University (Nalanda Mahavihara).

Turning Tides 11th and 12th Centuries — Question 4