प्राचीन भारत में शिक्षा (डॉ. ए.एस. अल्तेकर - गुरुकुल एवं बौद्ध विहार शिक्षण इतिहास)

IV] EDUCATIONAL ORGANISATION AND FINANCE 77
such hostels existed at Nālandā, Salotgi and Vikramaśilā.
In these hostels, there were common messes run by
the authorities through servants appointed for the purpose.
Students' rooms were sometimes provided with a stone
bench to sleep upon and nitches for keeping lamps and
other sundry things; this arrangement prevailed at
Nālandā as will become clear by a visit to its excavations.
In some places, arrangements were also made to offer
free clothing and medicines; some institutions like that
at Nālandā in northern India and Malkapuram in south-
ern India used to maintain hospitals for the needs of
the 'sick students'². In some places like Salotgi, light
also was supplied to students out of special endowments
received for the purpose. In Bengal, till quite recent
times, teachers of tols or Sanskrit schools used to collect
subscriptions from well-to-do people in their districts
and build small unpretentious mud houses for the resi-
dence of students reading under them. It is quite possible
that the same practice may have prevailed in ancient
times in those localities which were carrying on the work
of education in their own humble way, but had not
become famous centres of education like Nālandā or
Ennāyiram. These boarding houses were under the
direct control and management of the teachers under
whom the students were working. When however teachers
were unable to make such arrangements, students had
to shift for themselves. Rich students would often hire
their own houses.³ Poor students would often stay in
temple out-houses and subsist by begging⁴.

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1 See Chap. VI.
2 S. I. E. R. for 1917. pp. 122-4.
3 Jātaka No. 456
4 This arrangement prevailed in Vijayanagara.