Indian government to propose revive Nalanda University in East Asia Summit for endorsem

SINGAPORE : An ancient Buddhist university in the Indian state of Bihar is undergoing a revival.

The Indian government will take the proposal to revive Nalanda University to participants of the East Asia Summit in Thailand this year for endorsement.

It may lie in ruins, but the excavated remains of the once ancient seat of higher learning still inspires awe in visitors.

Professor Wang Gung Wu, chairman, East Asian Institute, said: "It is still able to communicate some sense of spiritual uplift. I sense it, I do not know why exactly so, but it makes me feel very good to be there."

The old Nalanda University was special as an institution of academic excellence, not just in its depth of expertise in Buddhist studies, but also astrology, mathematics and science.

Believed to have been established in the 5th century, the residential university attracted the brightest students, scholars and pilgrims from Asia and beyond. In its heyday, it housed some 10,000 students and 1,500 academic staff.

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, who is also a member of the Nalanda Mentor Group, said: "Centuries ago, the fact that the local economy could have supported such a huge university shows that there is, in this land, something special - favourable conditions which made possible, when human beings are organised, a very productive economy."

Revival of the university and what it once stood for have found resonance across Asia through a common Buddhist heritage, resulting in a multi-national steering group getting behind the project.

Professor Amartya Sen, chairman, Nalanda Group and Nobel Laureate, said: "We are coming at a time when Asia is reasserting itself, not only economically but also intellectually. And I think as it happens, one of those things people note of and recognise (is) that the economic revolution in Asia has a much higher content of inter-relatedness than others."

Mr Yeo said: "If we succeed in setting up to do what we hope we can do, this university will help to create understanding among peoples across the whole of Asia, maybe in the world, and help in the cause of peace - which is really something we should never take for granted."

Some 182 hectares of land has been acquired by the Bihar state for the new Nalanda International University, which is a 10-minute drive from the original site. - CNA/ms