India, April 13 -- Bharat is not only a modern nation-state. It is a civilisation with the most ancient, eternal and timeless history and a continuum of cultural ethos that encompasses all walks of life.

Ancient Bharat's educational eminence was epitomised by Takshashila and Nalanda. Takshashila, flourishing from the sixth century BCE at the crossroads of Persian, Greek and Central Asian trade routes, offered instruction in Vedic studies, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, law, philosophy and political science. UNESCO recognises it as a World Heritage Site for its role as a pedagogical centre. Nalanda elevated this model to institutional grandeur. Its vast complex of monasteries, Stupas and libraries housed hundreds of thousands of manusc...