NALANDA UNIVERSITY (Syllabus GS Paper 1 – Art and Culture)

Context: Recently, the Prime Minister of India inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University.

Nalanda University

• Location: Situated in Rajgir, Bihar, spans 455 acres, approximately 100 km from Patna. It neighbors the ancient Buddhist monastery, renowned for its historical significance in learning.
• Founded by: Kumar gupta of the Gupta dynasty in Bihar in the early 5th century.
• The current site of Nalanda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Proposed by: President APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006, the revival aimed to restore Nalanda's past glory through an international educational initiative, culminating in the establishment of Nalanda University under the Nalanda University Act of 2010.
• Centre of Research and Learning: Founded in 2014, Nalanda University began with two schools and a small faculty. 

oIt has since expanded to encompass five schools offering diverse disciplines, including Buddhist Studies, Management, and International Relations.

oBy 2022, 90% of the campus construction was completed, housing 800 students from 31 countries.

Nalanda Mahavira

• Meaning: Mahavira in Sanskrit/Pali means ‘great monastery’.
• Active Period: Nalanda Mahavira was active from the fifth to thirteenth century CE.
• Description: The chronicles of seventh century Chinese traveller Hsuan Tsang provide the most detailed description of ancient Nalanda. Hsuan Tsang estimated that at the time of his visit, the monastery housed 10,000 students, 2,000 teachers, and a large retinue of servants.