PROSPECTUS ACADMIC SESSION 2020-21 Nava Nalanda Mahavihara Deemed to be University (Ministry of Culture, Government of India) Nalanda – 80311, Bihar (INDIA) Website : www.nnm.ac.in 1 Founder Director Bhikkhu Jagdish Kashyap (1908-1976) 2 Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, The First Minister of India receiving the relics of Ven Xuannzang from H.H. Dalai Lama at Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda on 12th January, 1957. 3 XUANZANG MEMORIAL HALL (Jointly inaugurated by dignitaries from India and China on the the 12th February, 2007) 4 Important Contact Numbers 1. Prof. Baidyanath Labh, Vice-Chancellor - +91-8114599899. 2. Prof. Rajesh Ranjan, Professor - +91-8986565577. Dept. of Pali & In-charge Registrar 3. Prof. Ram Nakshatra Prasad, Professor - +91-7004719912. Head, Dept. of Pali. 4. Dr. Dipankar Lama, Associate Professor - +91-9931455583. Head, Dept. of Tibetan Studies, Hostel Superintendent & DSW 5. Dr. Vishawajit Kumar, Associate Professor - +91-9431489954. Dept. of Pali & Hostel Superintendent 6. Dr. Shrikant Singh, Associate Professor - +91-8969795776. Head, Dept. of English & Dean Academics. 7. Dr. Binod Kumar Choudhary, Associate Professor - +91-9570684201. Head, Dept. of Philosophy & Hostel Superintendent. 8. Dr. Hare Krishna Tiwary, Associate Professor - +91-9334337612. Head, Dept. of Hindi 9. Dr. Ruby Kumari, Associate Professor - +91-8864062864. Head, Dept. of Sanskrit, Hostel Superintendent & Controller of Exams. 10. Dr. Chandra Bhushan Mishra, Associate Professor - +91-9430213401. Head, Dept. of Ancient History, Culture & Archaeology 11. Dr. Arun Kumar Yadav, Assistant Professor - +91-8986296294. Dept. of Pali & OSD to Vice-Chancellor. 12. Dr. Lalan Kumar Jha, Assistant Professor - +91-9931361925. Dept. of Pali 13. Dr. Rana Purushottam Kumar Singh, Assistant Professor - +91-8877328782. Dept. of Pali & In-charge Head, Dept. of Buddhist Studies 14. Dr. Dhamma Jyoti, Assistant Professor - +91-8002665999. Dept. of Pali 15. Dr. Buddhadev Bhattacharya, Assistant Professor - +91-9905504667. Dept. of Philosophy & Publication In-charge. 16. Dr. U. Kundala, Assistant Professor - +91-8709075029. Head, Dept. of Chinese & Japanese. 17. Dr. Krishna Kumar Pandey, Library In-charge - +91-9572130267. 18. Dr. Ashok Kumar, Establishment Section - +91-9801260322. 19. Shri Ashok Kumar, Account Section - +91-9835010375. 20. Shri Shashikant Kumar, Account Section - +91-9955235787. 21. Shri Ashish Kumar, Examination Section - +91-9470441826 22. Shri Parveer Kumar, Admission Section - +91-9905471498. 23. Shri Brijnandan Ram, Publication Section - +91-9534703985. ***** 5 Contents 1. About the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara 2. Aims and objectives of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara 3. Departments 4. Getting to Nalanda 5. Programmes of Studies 6. Academic Calendar of Session 2020-21 7. Announcement for Admission 8. Courses offered by the Mahavihara 9. Admission to M.A. Degree Course 10. B.A. Hons. Course in Pali 11. Diploma Course in Pali, Chinese and Tibetan Studies 12. Certificate Courses in Pali, Chinese and Tibetan Studies 13. Reservation/Weightage 14. Admission of Foreign Nationals: 15. Syllabi for the Entrance Tests 16. Fee Structure 17. Library 18. Hostel fees (to be paid at the time of admission to hostel): 19. Merit scholarships 20. Co-curricular activities 21. Prohibition of and Punishments for Ragging 22. Important Days and Festivals 23. Hostel fees (to be paid at the time of admission to hostel) 6 About the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara: The Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda was established by the Government of Bihar in the year 1951 with the object, inter alia, to “promote advance studies and research of high standard in Buddhist learning, and to publish works of permanent value to scholars” and named it as Magadha Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Pali and Allied Languages and Buddhist Learning. It was the cherished dream of His Excellency Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India that the legacy of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara should be carry forward and accordingly he declared that „the ancient seat of Buddhist learning at Nalanda would be revived in order to revive the lost glory and the heritage of ancient Nalanda Mahavihara‟. It was His Excellency, Dr. Rajendra Prasad who laid the foundation stone of the first building of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara on 20th November, 1951. The words engraved upon it in verse form in Pali language are: Asm eva silāsiṁgṁā Nālandā bhānuraṁsio, Udentu lokabhāsāya vigame mārarattiyā. Let the rays of the sun of Nalanda rise from the summit of this rock in order to brighten the vernacular (lokabhāsā in Pali) after the passing away of its nights of darkness (period of its obscurity). In due course of time the rechristening of this Institute was done after an inscribed seal which records: “Srī Nālandā-mahāvihāriyāryabhikṣu-saṅghasya”, „Seal of the Community of Venerable Monks of the Great Monastry at Nalanda‟ was discovered from the excavated site of the ancient Nalanda University. The adjective „Nava‟ or „new‟ in the name of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara was added by its founders which not only signifies the resurrection of ancient Nalanda University but also signifies the revival and reorientation of the academic tradition of the ancient Buddhist Mahavihara on modern scientific lines. It is also pertinent to mention here that the seal adopted for the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is almost modelled after the seal of ancient Nalanda University with the Dharmacakra flanked by two deers dates back to 8th /9th Century AD during the Pala period and had been found during the excavation of the ruins of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara. Being primarily a research Institute, the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is laying special emphasis on the research and publication projects from the day of its very inception. The research projects undertaken by the Mahavihara are of two types - Short-term Projects and Long- term Projects. Guiding the scholars for the award of the doctoral degree, publication of research volumes and monographs by members of the staff and research scholars come under Short-term Projects. The publication of the Pali texts not yet published in Devanāgari script such as the entire Pali Tipiṭaka, Aṭṭhakathā (Commentaries) on the Pali Tipiṭaka, Pali Ṭikā(s) and Anuṭīkā(s) on them and other Pali texts, the work of compilation of the Pali-Hindi Dictionary and authentic Hindi translation of the entire Pali Tipiṭaka, critical decipherment and publication of MSS and their Cataloguing are a few works envisaged under Long-term Projects by the Nava 7 Nalanda Mahavihara. Total 41 Volumes of Pali-Tripitaka in Devanagari script is now available in the Publication Counter of NNM, Nalanda. During the first ten years of its establishment, it has been successful in publishing the whole set of Pali Tipiṭaka for the first time in Devanāgari script under the able guidance of late Bhikkhu Jagadisa Kassapa, an erudite scholar of Pali & Buddhist Studies and the founder Director of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda in forty one elegant volumes which was warmly received by the reputed scholars of the world. It is pertinent to mention here that prior to its publication by the NNM, complete set of the Pali Tipiṭaka had already been published in various scripts like, Burmese, Singhalese, Siamese, Roman etc. The methodology adopted to edit and publish the Pali Tipiṭaka in Devanāgari Script by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara has become a role model for editing the text of Pali language throughout the world. The publication work of the post-canonical literature such as Aṭṭhakathā, Ṭikā and Anuṭīkā etc. in Devanāgari script is also in progress. So far 25 volumes of the Aṭṭhakathā literature have already been published. It is also pertinent to mention here that before its publication by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara the complete set of Pali Tipiṭaka in any Indian script was not extant in India. Besides other publications, mention may be made of seven research volumes containing monographs on different aspects of Buddhist Philosophy, Logic, History and Culture which have been published by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara. At the time of the establishment of the Nava Nalanda Mahaviahra, there were very few Indian universities which were having the departments/centers, though in nascent stage, which were facilitating studies and researches in Pali language and literature. The study of Pali language & literature was not at all popular among the Indians as the people were not known to its rich heritage. The study materials in any modern Indian language were very scant at the disposal of teachers and taught. Therefore, during its initial days of establishment, the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara not only took the responsibility of imparting teaching and conducting researches in Pali language & literature but also started the publication work of Pali texts for making them available to the general readers as well as the scholars. Thus the credit to popularize the study of Pali language and literature in India undoubtedly goes to the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara. Thus it could be surmised that the academic activities of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara includes: (a) teaching and research, (b) organizing seminars/conferences/ workshops (c) Publications and (d) creating a well-equipped library of oriental learning. Besides the above mentioned academic work, time to time the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara holds special convocations to award of the degree of Vidya Varidhi (D. Litt.), honoris causa to those personalities who have made indelible mark in the field Pali and Buddhist Studies as well as in allied subjects. The story of institution of conferment of the degree of Vidya Varidhi is quite interesting. It was started on the behest of Government of India in the year 1966 when the crown 8 prince of Laos His Highness Sri Vong Savong had visited India and had expressed his desire to get the degree of Nalanda. It was at special request from the Government of India that the NNM held the convocation and conferred the degree of Vidya Varidhi (D. Lit.) Honoris Causa on him. This had a very great impact on the Buddhist countries towards the regeneration of cultural kinship between India and the countries of the East, South and South East Asia.