PM Modi to inaugurate Nalanda University today: Top 10 things to know about the historic institution

PM Modi in Bihar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new campus of Nalanda University in Bihar's Rajgir on Wednesday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and ambassadors of 17 nations are expected to attend the event today.

“It’s a very special day for our education sector. At around 10:30 AM today, the new campus of Nalanda University would be inaugurated at Rajgir. Nalanda has a strong connect with our glorious part. This university will surely go a long way in catering to the educational needs of the youth,” PM Modi wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

All you need to know about Nalanda University

1) The new campus is near the ancient ruins of Nalanda, a university established by the Nalanda University Act of 2010. The Act implemented a decision to establish the university made at the second East Asia Summit held in the Philippines in 2007.

2) Founded in the fifth century, Nalanda University was a renowned learning centre attracting international students. It flourished for 800 years before invaders destroyed it in the 12th century.

3) The contemporary university commenced its operations in 2014 at a provisional site with an initial cohort of 14 students, and construction began in 2017.

4) Besides India, a total of 17 countries have signed MoUs to support the Nalanda University. These nations include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, New Zealand, Portugal, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, Laos, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Thailand, China, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

5) The university offers 137 scholarships to international students. It comprises six schools: the School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy & Comparative Religions, Historical Studies, Ecology and Environmental Studies, and Sustainable Development and Management.

6) International students enrolled in the Postgraduate programs for the academic years 2022-24, 2023-25, and the PhD program for 2023-27 come from a diverse array of countries, including Argentina, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Myanmar, Mozambique, Nepal, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, USA, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

7) The campus has two academic blocks containing 40 classrooms, with a combined seating capacity of approximately 1,900. Two auditoriums, each accommodating 300 seats, are also on campus. The student hostel can house around 550 students.

8) Additionally, the campus offers various facilities, including an international centre, an amphitheatre with a capacity for 2,000 people, a faculty club, and a sports complex.

9) The campus is a 'Net Zero' Green Campus, designed to be self-sustaining with solar power installations, domestic and drinking water treatment facilities, a water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, 100 acres of water bodies, and numerous other eco-friendly amenities.

10) The university is envisioned as a partnership between India and the East Asia Summit (EAS) countries. It holds significant historical importance, as the original Nalanda University, founded approximately 1600 years ago, is regarded as one of the world's first residential universities.

(With inputs from agencies)