Ancient center of learning: Interesting facts about Nalanda university

TOI News Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Updated: Jun 19, 2024, 16:02 IST

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Ancient center of learning: Interesting facts about Nalanda university

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir, Bihar. The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including external affairs minister S Jaishankar and ambassadors from various countries.
The new campus, which spans over 450 acres, is a state-of-the-art facility designed as a 'Net Zero' Green Campus, focusing on environmental conservation.

It features two academic blocks with 40 classrooms, accommodating around 1900 students, and two auditoriums with a capacity of 300 seats each.
The campus also includes a student hostel for approximately 550 students, an international centre, an amphitheatre with a capacity of 2000 individuals, a faculty club, and a sports complex. This new campus's significance lies in its advanced infrastructure and its symbolic rebirth of an ancient center of learning.
Here are some of the most interesting facts about Nalanda University:

The original Nalanda University, established in the 5th century, was renowned for its excellence in various disciplines and attracted scholars from across Asia.
The library, "Dharma Gunj" or "Mountain of Truth," housed an impressive collection of nine million books, with the largest building, Ratnodadhi, standing nine stories high and storing the most sacred manuscripts.
Nalanda was the world's first residential university, accommodating over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers, and was a major center for Buddhist studies as well as subjects like astronomy, medicine, logic, and mathematics.
The university is located near the Nalanda ruins, which were declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2016, emphasizing the site's immense cultural and historical importance. The ruins, dating back to the 5th century CE, include a vast complex of stupas, monasteries, and lecture halls that once formed a prestigious center of learning.
In 2006, former President APJ Abdul Kalam proposed the revival of Nalanda University, and the passage of the Nalanda University Act in 2010 provided the legal framework for its governance and operation.
After nearly 800 years, Nalanda University reopened in 2014, marking a significant milestone in the history of one of the world's oldest centers of learning. The new campus represents the revival of this ancient university, combining ancient wisdom with modern knowledge.
The new campus signifies the revival of one of the world's oldest universities, blending ancient wisdom with contemporary knowledge.

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