Arrange the following ancient centres of learning in chronological order of…

CONCEPT

A chronology compares the earliest generally accepted founding or institutional period of each centre, not its later peak, rebuilding, or decline.

BCE dates come before CE dates; within CE, smaller century numbers come earlier.

APPLICATION

1. Takshashila: its historic learning tradition is placed in the first millennium BCE, making it the earliest here.

2. Pushpagiri: its conventional early phase is placed before the fifth-century CE institutional phase of Nalanda.

3. Nalanda: the organized monastic university flourished from about the fifth century CE.

4. Vikramshila: Dharmapala established it in the eighth century CE.

5. Navadwip: it developed as a major centre of learning in the eleventh century CE.

CROSS-CHECK

• The sequence Takshashila, Vikramshila, Nalanda, Pushpagiri, Navadwip places the eighth-century Vikramshila before earlier CE centres.

• The sequence Navadwip, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Pushpagiri, Takshashila runs from a late medieval centre toward the earliest centre.

• The sequence Vikramshila, Pushpagiri, Takshashila, Navadwip, Nalanda places an eighth-century centre before the BCE-era Takshashila.

RESULT

Therefore, the chronological order is Takshashila → Pushpagiri → Nalanda → Vikramshila → Navadwip.