Back नालंदा विश्वविद्यालय AWA नालंदा विश्वविद्यालय Bihari নালন্দা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় Bengali/Bangla Nalanda University German Université de Nalanda French Universidade Internacional de Nalanda Galician नालन्दा विश्वविद्यालय Hindi Universitas Nalanda ID ナーランダ大学 Japanese ನಳಂದಾ ವಿಶ್ವವಿದ್ಯಾಲಯ Kannada

Nalanda University

For other uses, see Nalanda University (disambiguation).

Nālandā University
Nālandā Vishwavidyalaya
The campus in Rajgir at twilight
Full nameNālandā University Rajgir
MottoĀ no bhadrāḥ kratavo yantu viśvataḥ (Sanskrit)[1]
Motto in EnglishLet noble thoughts come to us from all directions (Rigveda 1.89.1)[2]
FounderMinistry of External Affairs (India)[3]
Established25 November 2010 (25 November 2010)[4]
Named forNalanda Mahavihara
Previous namesNalanda International University
Architectural styleVastu Shastra[5]
StatusResearch university, International university, Central university (India), Institutes of National Importance (INI)
Colors   
PresidentArvind Panagariya (Chancellor)
DeanProfessor Sachin Chaturvedi (Vice Chancellor)
UndergraduatesNone, Postgraduates Only
Postgraduates1,038[6]
Endowment$210 million[7]
VisitorPresident of India
AffiliationsNAAC, UGC, Ministry of External Affairs (India)
Websitenalandauniv.edu.in
Map
Nalanda University is located in India
Nalanda University
Location in India

Nālandā University (informally NU; or ISO: Nālandā Vishwavidyalaya) is a central research university located in the ancient city of Rajgir in the state of Bihar, India. Designated as an Institute of National Importance (INI) and excellence, it is the flagship university of the Ministry of External Affairs,[3] and was founded in 2010 over the legacy of the Nalanda Mahavihara of medieval Magadha. The international university, like its predecessor, was named after the Sanskrit words Na-Alam-Da, meaning "The giver of lotus-stalks."[8][9] It functions as a postgraduate research institute, offering only Master's and PhD degrees. Traditionally regarded as a symbol of India's historical legacy, the new Nālandā University retains a celebrated status within the nation,[10][11][12][13][14] and is an integral part in the revival of the Dharma in India.[15][16][17]

The university was established by an Act of the Indian Parliament in 2010, with the President of India serving as the Visitor.[18] It is an international university supported by 18 member countries of the East Asia Summit,[19] with the initial proposal being placed by the former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.[20] The first Chancellor of the university was Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, followed by Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo.[21]

Built at an initial cost of $210 million and spread over 485 acres, the campus is among the largest in India and the first in the country to implement a 'Net Zero' eco-recycling strategy.[22] The university offers degree programmes in the School of Historical Studies (SHS), the School of Ecology and Environment Studies (SEES), the School of Buddhist Studies (SBS), the School of Philosophy and Comparative Religions (SPCR), the School of Languages and Literature/Humanities (SLLH), and the School of Management Studies (SMS). It also offers degrees in the study of the Sanātana Dharma, as well as diplomas in languages such as Sanskrit, Pāli, Tibetan, Japanese and Korean. The new campus in Rajgir was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on June 19, 2024 in the presence of officials, ambassadors and dignitaries from all 10 ASEAN members.[23]

The university houses three distinct institutions that are part of the Nalanda vision of bringing the various sects of the Dharmic community together. They include the Centre for Bay of Bengal, the Centre for Conflict Resolution and Peace Building, and the Common Archival Resource Centre.[24] Nālandā university has subsequently established MoUs and collaborations with Peking University, University of Ostrava, Dongguk University, Deakin University, Otani University, Kanazawa University, The City University of New York, Chulalongkorn University, ICWA, IIPHG, ASI, ICCR, ISEAS, IIAS and CSIR.[25][26]

  1. ^ "Nalanda University motto". Archived from the original on 9 July 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Veda and Pura meanings". Archived from the original on 29 January 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Financial Support to Nalanda University". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Starting date of Nalanda University". Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  5. ^ "Vastu Shilpa Consultants". Archived from the original on 27 November 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  6. ^ "International Community - Nalanda University". Archived from the original on 25 June 2024.
  7. ^ "Nalanda University financials". Archived from the original on 9 November 2024. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
  8. ^ Sastri, Hiranand (1986). Nalanda and its Epigraphic Material. New Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications. ISBN 978-81-7030-013-7.
  9. ^ Mary, Stewart (1988). "Nalanda Mahavihara: An Historiographic Study of Its Art and Archaeology" (PDF). London: SOAS, University of London. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Bihar's Nalanda was Harvard, Oxbridge, Nasa of its day: William Dalrymple". India Today. 8 March 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  11. ^ "BBC: Nalanda, the University that changed the world". Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Nalanda University History: India's 1600-year-old Ivy League-like institution, the world's oldest".
  13. ^ "Nalanda University: A Modern Campus Steeped in Ancient Heritage". Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Nalanda University: An Ancient Indian Ivy-League Institution". Archived from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Sanatana Dharma studies at Nalanda University". Archived from the original on 26 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
  16. ^ "Revival of Sanatana Dharma at Nalanda". Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Nalanda University: A Tale of Legacy, Destruction and Revival".
  18. ^ "Bill No. XLIX of 2011: The Nalanda University Bill, 2010". Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 September 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
  19. ^ "Joint Press Statement of the 4th East Asia Summit on the Revival of Nalanda University, Cha-am Hua Hin, Thailand, 25 October 2009". asean.org. 25 October 2009. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Address to the Joint Session of the Bihar Legislature, Patna: Missions for Bihar's Prosperity". abdulkalam.nic.in. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam: Former President of India. National Informatics Centre. 28 March 2006. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  21. ^ "History and Revival". Nalanda University. Archived from the original on 2 August 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Net Zero campus". Archived from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  23. ^ "PM Modi at Nalanda University". The Times of India.
  24. ^ "Translation of Prime Minister's Statement at BIMSTEC Plenary Session (August 30, 2018)". Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Nalanda University | MoUs - Nalanda University". Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  26. ^ "Nalanda University | School of Historical Studies - Nalanda University". Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
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