Rajgir: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday visited the ruins of ancient Nalanda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins of ancient Nalanda include archaeological remains of a monastery and educational institution. It includes stupas, temples, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important artifacts made of plaster, stone and metal. Nalanda is the oldest university in the Indian subcontinent.
The Prime Minister will inaugurate the new campus of Nalanda University here today. Extensive security arrangements have been made in view of the Prime Minister’s visit to Nalanda. Gautami Bhattacharya, Superintendent Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Patna Circle, briefed the Prime Minister about the ancient ruins.
“This is a very special day for our education sector. Today the new campus of Nalanda University will be inaugurated in Rajgir. Nalanda has a deep connection with our glorious past. This university will definitely prove to be very helpful in meeting the educational needs of the youth,” Modi wrote in a post on social media platform ‘X’ in the morning before his Nalanda visit. The new campus of the university is close to the site of the ancient ruins of Nalanda. The campus was established through the Nalanda University Act, 2010.
The act provided for the establishment of the university to implement a decision taken at the Second East Asia Summit held in the Philippines in 2007. Nalanda University, founded in the 5th century, has attracted students from all over the world.
According to experts, the ancient university flourished for 800 years before it was destroyed by invaders in the 12th century. The new university began functioning in 2014 at a temporary location with 14 students. Construction work on the university began in 2017.
Apart from India, 17 other countries participate in this university – Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Mauritius, Myanmar, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand.
These countries have signed MoUs in support of the University. The University offers 137 scholarships to international students. International students enrolled for Masters courses for the academic years 2022-24, 2023-25 and PhD courses for 2023-27 include students from Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, USA, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
The university has six study centres including the School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religion; the School of Historical Studies; the School of Ecology and Environmental Studies; and the School of Sustainable Development and Management.