The research-driven University founded in November 2010 under a special Act of the Indian Parliament is supported by the participating countries of the East Asia Summit, and Intergovernmental Memorandums of Understanding to that effect have been signed by 17 countries. The educational institution has been designated as an “institution of national importance” by the Indian Parliament.
INSPIRED BY ACADEMIC BRILLIANCE
Nalanda was a renowned centre of education in Asia for about 800 years. The thriving residential institution had over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers from Asia as well as Greece. As per records, Xuanzang, a Chinese scholar, studied at the University for approximately 15 years. Taking its cue from the academic excellence and global vision of its historic predecessor, Nalanda University is committed to setting global standards of academic excellence and research and enabling capacity building across all areas of higher education.
RECOVERING THE LOST GLORY
Nalanda University is envisioned as a symbol of this new Asian Renaissance. It is evolving as a creative hub to serve as a crossroad for future generations. The university was demolished towards the end of the 12th century. It is claimed to have been destroyed around the same time as the major universities of Western Europe emerged, signalling a shift in knowledge from the East to the West. Nalanda University strives to re-establish the long-forgotten links and collaborations that prevailed in the Asian region before the commencement of historical circumstances that led to their implosion.
STRONG BACKING
The Member States of the East Asia Summit have pledged their support for Nalanda University. It was Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s speech at the Bihar State Legislative Assembly in March 2006 that marked the first step toward restoring the ancient citadel of learning. At the same time, the Singapore government presented the Indian Government with the ‘Nalanda Proposal’ suggesting the re-establishment of Nalanda as an Asian centre of learning. The proposal gathered steam as more member states pledged their support to the University at the fourth EA Summit in October 2009, thereby initiating Nalanda’s revival process.
The Nalanda University Act 2010 was finally passed in both the Houses of the Indian Parliament. In order to house its campus, the University acquired 450 acres of land at the base of the Rajgir Hills, 12 kilometres from the University’s ancient site. The reincarnation of Nalanda University has been marked by high-level cooperation between Bihar and the Central Government.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Its first academic session began on September 1, 2014. The University enrolled 710 regular students from 2014 to 2020. Intensive infrastructure work at Nalanda University started in the year 2017 and has taken shape in the last four years. According to reports, the University’s new campus has been reconstructed in the same pattern as that of the ancient Nalanda University of the 12th century. Many international students from the US, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh are currently enrolled at the university.
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
As Nalanda University’s campus is emerging as one of the largest Net Zero campuses in the world, in 2021, the University was honoured with the prestigious Quality Achievement Award-2021 by the European Society for Quality Research (ESQR), applauding its commitment to the principle of sustainability. Additionally, the competition Success Review Magazine awarded Nalanda University for “Excellence in Education.”
