Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University in Bihar's Rajgir on Wednesday. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and other dignitaries were present at the event. While addressing the event, PM Modi praised ancient Nalanda University, saying the new Internationa University will reintroduce the soft power of India.
The emergence of the new Nalanda University shows that books can be burnt but not knowledge, he said referring to the attack on the ancient University by the invaders in the 12th century. Invaders had burnt the rich libraries of the University.
" I am happy that I got the opportunity to visit Nalanda within 10 days after swearing in as PM for the 3rd time...Nalanda is not just a name, it is an identity and respect. Nalanda is a value and mantra...fire can burn books but it can't destroy knowledge," the PM added.
Ambassadors of 17 nations, along with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar attended the inauguration event in Rajgir.
The University which has a historical link was built under the Nalanda University Act, 2010. The Act provided for implementing a decision arrived at the second East Asia Summit held in the Philippines in 2007 for the establishment of the university.
Here is the list of major facilities at the campus:
- The Campus has two academic blocks with 40 classrooms having a total seating capacity of around 1900.
- The Campus is a ‘Net Zero’ Green Campus.
- It has two auditoriums having a capacity of 300 seats each.
- It has a student hostel with a capacity of around 550 students.
- It also has various other facilities including an International Centre, an Amphitheatre that can accommodate up to 2000 individuals, a faculty Club and a sports Complex among others.
- It is Self-Sustainable with solar plant, domestic and drinking water treatment plant, water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, 100 acres of water bodies, and many other environment-friendly facilities.
Nalanda University was originally established in the fifth century
Nalanda University, established in the fifth century attracting students from all over the world, flourished for 800 years before it was destroyed by invaders in the 12th century.
The new campus of the university is close to the site of the ancient ruins of Nalanda. The new university started functioning in 2014 from a makeshift location with 14 students. Construction work on the university started in 2017.
The university, apart from India, has participation from 17 other nations -- Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Mauritius, Myanmar, and Vietnam. These countries have signed MoUs in support of the university.
The university offers 137 scholarships to international students. The international students enrolled in the Post Graduate programmes for the academic years 2022-24, 2023-25 and for PhD programme in 2023-27 include students from Argentina, Liberia, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Turkiye, Uganda, USA, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
Nalanda University has six schools, including the School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy & Comparative Religions, the School of Historical Studies, the School of Ecology and Environmental Studies, the School of Sustainable Development and Management.
(With PTI inputs)
