Taksha (the shortened moniker for TakshaShila) Institute was named after “Taksha’s Cut-Rock (or ‘Stele’) City” in ancient northern India, the site of the ancient world’s supposed first international university (c. 800 BCE – 550 CE). It was described as the wealthiest city of that time, in India. The designation “Taksha” symbolizes the abiding ideals of solid and deep-rooted respect for teachers, unfettered freedom of thought, learning of different streams of knowledge, excellence in education, and extraordinary discipline, that prevailed at the ancient University. Some scholars date Takshashila’s existence back to the 8th century BCE. It was known as a center of learning at least several centuries before Christ, and continued to attract students from around the ancient world until its destruction in the 5th century CE. At ancient Takshashila University, 10,500 students (two out of three applicants rejected) came from within India and outside (Babylonia-now Iraq, Greece, Egypt, Syria, A...