ADMISSIONS The entire application process for admissions is paperless and online in keeping with the University’s commitment to sustainability. Students can visit www.nalandauniv.edu.in/admissions/ for filling up the Application Form or accessing details about eligibility, admission process, fee, scholarships etc. NALANDA’S ACADEMIC MISSION INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH BASED MASTER’S PROBLEM FOCUSED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING NEW KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM VIBRANT ACADEMIC & INTELLECTUAL FABRIC CAFETERIA MODEL “upcoming campus of Nalanda University” NALANDA UNIVERSITY #201 Ashoka Estate Rajgir, District: Nalanda 24, Barakhamba Road Bihar, India - 803 116 New Delhi, India – 110 001 Tel. +91-6112-255330 Tel. +91-11-23358131/32 From The Desk of Vice Chancellor ight hundred years after the destruction of ancient Nalanda The focus is on building key University, the former President of India, Late Dr. A.P.J. Abdul international partnerships to support/ Kalam, while addressing the Bihar State Legislative Assembly promote excellence in education and research collaborations to produce in March 2006 stressed on the need for reviving the historically leaders, entrepreneurs and thought-leaders of the future. At Nalanda, Erenowned Nalanda University by re-establishing it. The State Government our objective is to develop a global tapestry of value-systems, build of Bihar under the leadership of Shri Nitish Kumar endorsed and helped universal peace and encourage innovative research through the vast initiate the narrative of Nalanda. domains of Indian-Asian wisdom and knowledge space. The combination of new knowledge systems with ancient ones along with future research The revival of Nalanda University was marked by a high degree of requirements will enable capacity building not only for ‘Member States’ co-operation between the State of Bihar and the Government of India. but also to the larger world to contribute to “the promotion of regional Uniquely, this avant-garde international university comes under the peace and harmony”. No other University in the world has perhaps, such Ministry of External Affairs (GoI) unlike all other Central Universities a lofty goal. in India that are with the Ministry of Human Resources Development (GoI). The present Government with its proactive Act East Policy is Presently, I am engaged in creating innovative academic structures, dedicated to the task of rebuilding this historical institution. Through but also introducing a slew of globally relevant programs keeping with the affirmative initiatives by our visionary Prime Minister Shri Narendra the University’s mandate and with the support of the Governing Board. Modi ji and External Affairs Minister Madam Sushma Swaraj ji, Nalanda The effort is also to build administrative systems to support the growth is foreseen as a symbol of Asian Renaissance and resurgence. The and progress of the University and initiating an archival resource centre overriding goal of Nalanda, as defined by the Minister of External Affairs, and library of the caliber of the ‘Dharmaganja’ of the ancient Nalanda. is to serve as a ‘bridge and foundation’ in linking India with the world through knowledge. The credit of adding to this renascent vision, by the A University is where wise, knowledgeable people offer their magnanimous allocation of land to house the new international Nalanda intellectual hospitality, their wealth of learning to others, and earn in University, uniquely goes to Shri Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar. return the knowledge from other worlds, this is the fundamental telos of knowledge (‘Vidya daan’). For centuries Nalanda was a beacon which The hallmark of this ‘Sui Generis’ Nalanda is its linkages. For the attracted scholars from all over Asia as a patron of knowledge and An first time, in any international parlance, a collaborative venture of this became a symbol of inter, intra - Asian wisdom and interaction. It shall International stature or with this mandate is established. It is therefore noteworthy, now embark on a similar journey, on an expanded scale in the Asia-Pacific that to reinforce the university’s global character, an inter-governmental with Ocean countries joining in. If the world’s future lies in achieving a University Memorandum of Understanding came into force at the 8th East Asia multipolar system, it is necessary that an institution such as Nalanda Summit in October 2013, with 16 countries signing the MoU which charts the course of new knowledge system for the 21st Century. under Ministry of underscored their commitment to rebuild Nalanda University as a seat External Affairs of knowledge. Prof Sunaina Singh Vice Chancellor 2 3 Governing Board Dr. Vijay Bhatkar Prof. Sunaina Singh Smt. Preeti Saran Shri Kewal Kumar Sharma Chancellor, Vice Chancellor, Secretary (East) Secretary, MHRD Nalanda University and Chairman Nalanda University and Vice President Ministry of External Affairs, (Representative from the Ministry of Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Indian Council for Cultural Relations Govt. of India HRD, Govt. of India) Representatives from Member Countries Shri N. K. Singh Prof. Wang Bangwei Mr. Peter Varghese H. E Mr. Southam Prof. Prapod A. Former Member Director, Chancellor, Sakonhninhom Former Dean of the Upper House of the Institute of Oriental Studies and The University of Ambassador Chulalongkorn University Indian Parliament Oriental Literature Research Center, Queensland, Australia the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Peking University Renowned Representatives Academician or from Govt. Educationist of Bihar Prof. Lokesh Chandra Prof. Arvind Panagariya Prof. Arvind Sharma Shri Anjani Kumar Singh Shri Chanchal Kumar Former President, Former Vice Chairman, Birks Professor Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary Indian Council for Niti Ayog of Comparative Religion McGill Govt. of Bihar to Chief Minister, Govt. of Bihar Cultural Relations University, Montreal, Canada 4 5 ESTABLISHMENT OF NALANDA UNIVERSITY ancient Magadh Empire which flourished under kings from the writings of pilgrim monks from East Asia Following the inspired speech of the then President fourth Summit held in October 2009, at Hua Hin, such as Shakraditya and Kumara Gupta and later such as Xuanzang and Yijing who travelled to the of India, Dr. A.P.J. Kalam at the Bihar State Thailand, members supported the establishment under Harshavardhana, the Emperor of Kannauj. Mahavihara in the 7th century. These travelers Assembly mooting the idea of reviving the ancient of the Nalanda University and encouraged At that time highly formalized methods of Vedic also helped save some of the learning from the Nalanda University and the State’s enthusiasm to regional networking and collaboration between the learning were in vogue providing the inspiration for ancient Nalanda University when they carried back take it forward, the Government of India decided University and existing centres of excellence in East the establishment of large teaching institutions such a few texts to translate into their native languages. to share the proposal of reviving the ancient Asia. Today there are 17 countries from around the as Taxila, Nalanda, and Vikramashila (230 km east Nalanda eventually lost all its written texts and Nalanda University with the leaders of the East globe, supporting the cause of this revival plan. of Nalanda). These ancient seats of learning existed studies centuries later when it was ransacked and Asia Summit (‘EAS’). The proposal was first shared Nalanda University was established following the predating the Al Azhar of Cairo (972 CE), Bologna destroyed by an army of the Mamluk Dynasty of with the sixteen member States of the EAS at the passage of the Nalanda University Act 2010 in of Italy (1088 CE) and the Oxford of Great Britain the Delhi Sultanate under Bakhtiyar Khilji in the Cebu Summit in Philippines in January 2007. The both the Houses of the Indian Parliament. The (1167 CE) which came to be known as Universities 12th Century. While some sources note that the Member States welcomed the regional initiative academic operations at the University started from in the West. The curriculum at Nalanda included Mahavihara continued to function in a makeshift for the revival of Nalanda University. At the September 2014. subjects such as the Vedas, logic, Sanskrit grammar, fashion for a while longer, it was eventually medicine and Samkhya apart from Buddhist studies. abandoned and forgotten until the 19th century Legendary teachers such as Nagarjuna, Dharmakriti when the site was excavated. THE LEGACY OF NALANDA and Shilabhadra taught here. It was in the year 2006 that the then President of Since ancient times Bihar, the genesis of which is associated with this land and where ever such At its peak, the school attracted scholars and India APJ Abdul Kalam proposed the idea of reviving ‘Vihara’, has been hailed as a land of ‘Knowledge luminaries traversed seeds of knowledge sprouted students from near and far with some travelling all the Nalanda University on the floor of the Bihar and Enlightenment’. The seminal stalwarts like and flourished. The ancient Nalanda was a centre the way from Tibet, China, Korea, and Central Asia. Assembly in a speech. Buddha, Mahavira, Chanakya and Aryabhatta were of learning as far back as the 5th century in the Today, much of our knowledge of Nalanda comes The Central government stepped in to setup the University and in the year 2010 it came to be established by an Act of the Parliament of India. While the East Asia Summit lent support in varied form, the Government