Nalanda is an ancient centre of learning founded in 427 CE by the Gupta Emperor Kumaragupta. This institution of excellence flourished for about 800 years, from the 5th century CE to the 12th century CE, as a global centre of learning that attracted scholars and students from across Asia and beyond. Historical ties extended to maritime Southeast Asia through a 9th-century Nalanda copper-plate inscription recording a royal endowment from Balaputradevi of the Sailendra dynasty of Suvarnadvipa (Sumatra/Java) for the maintenance of monasteries at Nalanda. The university gained prominence under rulers like Harshavardhana and the Pala dynasty. It was rediscovered in the 19th century by British surveyors, Francis Buchanan Hamilton and Sir Alexander Cunningham.
The idea to revive Nalanda gained momentum in the early 2000s, with support from the Government of India, the Singapore Government, and East Asian Summit leaders. The revival was envisioned as a regional knowledge hub that would promote academic cooperation between India and East Asian countries. The revival of Nalanda’s distinctive knowledge tradition took place following the passage of the Nalanda University Act by the Indian Parliament on 25 November 2010, when a modern international campus was established as ‘an institution of national importance’ near the ancient ruins of Nalanda in Rajgir, Bihar. The main campus, spanning 455 acres, has been conceptualised as an eco-friendly ‘net-zero’ green campus equipped with a self-sustaining solar power plant, water recycling units, and wastewater management systems.
The university has also sought to revive the ancient Indian tradition of scholarly debate and intellectual discourse through ‘Shastrath 2026’ with an emphasis on critical thinking, conceptual clarity, evidence-based reasoning and open inquiry. The exercise encourages participants to question assumptions, examine facts and evidence, assess the credibility and relevance of sources, and arrive at reasoned conclusions without allowing personal or cultural biases to determine the outcome. It also seeks to promote public intellectual engagement through structured academic debate and discourse, drawing on the traditional Guru-Shishya learning system. The discussions were organised according to the classical ‘Purvapaksha’ and ‘Uttara Paksha’ framework, which encourages the presentation of an argument followed by critical examination and response. This approach places reasoned debate and collaborative inquiry at the centre of the learning process.
Nalanda University offers diversified academic programs in fields including Buddhist Studies, Historical Studies, Ecology and Environmental Studies, International Relations and Peace Studies, Languages, Literature and Humanities, Management Studies, among others. It partners with institutions including the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to deploy technology and advance sustainable rural development.
Contributions of Xuanzang and His Contemporaries
Among Nalanda’s most prominent visitors and scholars was Xuanzang (Hsuan Tsang), a seventh-century Chinese Buddhist monk who studied at Nalanda for about five years and brought important Buddhist scriptures and scholarly knowledge back to China. Xuanzang recorded how students and scholars engaged in rigorous study of the Vedas, Sanskrit grammar, medicine, Samkhya, logic and philosophy alongside Mahayana Buddhist philosophy.
Nalanda was a place where teaching and research encouraged sustained intellectual debate and enquiry. Scholars examined Samkhya, Nyaya and Mimansa, engaging with different schools of thought in their search for intellectual synthesis. Another Chinese pilgrim, I-Tsing, visited in 670 CE and documented Nalanda’s large student population, which included learners from across Asia, including China, Mongolia, Tibet and Korea. Scholars like Nagarjunam, Aryabhata and Dharmakriti made significant intellectual contributions. The Nalanda region is also spiritually significant, as Buddha and Mahavira are associated with places of meditation and teaching in the surrounding region. The ruins of ancient Nalanda University were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, highlighting its global cultural significance.
Vision and Core Objectives
Nalanda University, as a centre for historical legacy, intellectual exchange and cultural heritage, has an ambitious vision built around three broad objectives. First is the establishment of an international institution for the pursuit of intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies in an ideal ambience. Second is the revival of Nalanda as an integral part of India’s Act East Policy and an important instrument of its educational and cultural outreach, strengthening academic ties with centres of learning in Southeast Asia and the ASEAN region. Third is the creation of a community of learning in which students, scholars, researchers and academicians can work together in the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the idea of the world as one family.
In this context, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s address at the Bihar Legislative Assembly, Patna, on 28 March 2006 bears special meaning. He outlined a vision of Nalanda as a meeting place for scholars from India and abroad, where research could bring together philosophy, science, technology, economics and spirituality while drawing upon both ancient and modern knowledge. He envisaged the university contributing to the creation of a world free from crime, terrorism and war, while placing human values and ethics at the centre of universal development and peace. His vision concluded with the idea that Nalanda should contribute to the creation of enlightened citizens.
Challenges and Opportunities
Nalanda University faces the challenge of attracting top students and faculty to a premier institution located in a relatively remote area, where connectivity remains a concern. First, it is highly imperative that an airport and better rail connectivity be developed in and around Rajgir, so that the best talent can be pooled in and become part of the Nalanda academic community. A second challenge is the limited availability of urban amenities, including quality healthcare, accommodation and recreational facilities, which can affect the attractiveness of the location for students and faculty. A third challenge relates to institutional clarity, particularly regarding the extent to which Nalanda University should be treated within the same regulatory and ranking frameworks that apply to other Indian universities. Finally, Nalanda, because of its reputation and historical legacy, has to balance its civilizational ethos with the advanced educational technologies and academic practices of the contemporary university system.
Despite these challenges, the Nalanda experiment can become an important model for developing a truly global institution with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. New areas including environmental sustainability, artificial intelligence and machine learning, culture, media and governance, public policy and global studies, area studies and conflict resolution could add depth to the university’s existing strengths in international relations, peace studies, historical archives, heritage studies and Buddhist Studies.
Under India’s New Education Policy, NEP-2020, Nalanda University can act as a magnet for other high-profile universities in Southeast Asia and East Asia interested in establishing academic partnerships, research centres or satellite campuses in and around Rajgir. Similarly, Nalanda can expand its international presence through partnerships and branch campuses in other Asian countries, while encouraging scholarly interaction with researchers and higher education experts from societies with rich civilizational histories.
For encouraging scholarship and recognising the contributions of research scholars and students, more awards may be instituted in addition to those that are already in place, including the Nalanda Shastrath Samman awards. To promote excellence in intellectual discourse, the Centre for Bay of Bengal Studies at Nalanda University can expand its knowledge-sharing activities through newsletters such as Tarini: Sailing Across the Bay of Bengal and Arthasetu: Pathways to Prosperity. These platforms can provide intellectual space for students and scholars while contributing to greater cooperation in coastal communities, local governance, entrepreneurship and innovation across the littoral states of the Bay of Bengal.
Future Directions
In an address delivered on 19 June 2024 at the inaugural event for the new campus in Rajgir, Bihar, PM Modi made a fervent call for the revival of an ancient global centre of learning. Emphasising the significance of the revival of Nalanda, PM Modi described the university as more than an educational institution, linking it to India’s civilizational heritage and its contemporary journey of revival and growth. As he said, ‘Nalanda is not just a name. Nalanda is an identity, an honour, a value, a mantra, a pride and a saga.’
Perhaps Nalanda can draw more extensively on its traditional academic practices, including Shastrath, or formal intellectual discourse and debate, while connecting these methods with contemporary approaches to learning, research and innovation. Greater academic engagement with universities and research institutions across Southeast Asia, East Asia and the wider Global South could give this ancient institution a renewed international role.
Nalanda’s revival can therefore be viewed as more than the reconstruction of an ancient seat of learning. It can serve as an instrument of India’s educational diplomacy, cultural outreach and engagement with the wider Asian region. Its historical legacy provides the foundation, while contemporary scholarship, technology and international collaboration can shape its future.
The writer is a former Director of Research, Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi.
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