Before its acquisition by the East India Company, Nawada was ruled by the nearly independent Rajas of Hisua who belonged to the Mayi clan. After its acquisition, Nawada was in great disorder until 1845, when it became the headquarters of the newly created subdivision. The elements of disorder resurfaced again during the Mutiny of 1857, when Nawada was over run by marauding parties. The local offices were destroyed, but Government records were saved by the native officials who hid them in a cave on a neighboring hill. These are the only available public records dating back to an era before 1857 in the district. Two miles to the north, there is a Jain temple standing in the middle of a large tank to the west of the public road, but the city itself contains no important buildings and has little historical interest. The city contains one of the two Satyagraha ashrams in the country established by Gandhi ji. It was also the birthplace and workplace of Indrabhuti Gautama, the Chief disciple of Lord Mahavir in Jainism. The modern town is only 40 kilometers from Nalanda University, the oldest university in the world.