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The total area of excavation is 14 hectares. All the edifices are of red brick
and the gardens beautiful. The buildings are divided by a central walkway that
goes south to north, the monasteries or ‘Viharas’ are to the east of
this central alley and the temples of 'Chaiyas' to the west.
The Vihara I is perhaps the most interesting one with its cells on two steps
lead upto what must have been a dais for the gurus, the teachers, to address
the students. A small chapel still retains a half-broken statue of Lord Buddha.
The enormous pyramidal mass of the temple No. 3 is impressive and from its top
one commands a splendid view of the entire area. It is surrounded by smaller
stupas, many of which are studded with small and big statues of Lord Buddha in
various poses.
The Nalanda Archaeological Museum :
Just opposite to the entrance to the ruins of the university, it has a small
but beautiful collection of undamaged statues of Lord Buddha that were found
during excarvation in the area.
Two enormous terracotta jars of the first century stand intact behind the museum
in a shaded enclosure. The collection includes copperplates and stone inscriptions,
coins, pottery and samples of burnt rice (12"' century AD).
