Once a citadel of higher education in 5th century AD, Nalanda University may don the title of a World Heritage site, if UNESCO approves India's proposal to this effect.
Once a citadel of higher education in 5th century AD, Nalanda University may don the title of a World Heritage site, if UNESCO approves India's proposal to this effect.
"We have sent a proposal to the World Heritage Committee asking it to declare the ancient seat of learning as a World Heritage Site," Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Deputy Director General BR Mani said.
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If accepted, the architectural marvel may become Bihar's second World Heritage site. The sprawling campus of the university, which attracted pupils and scholars from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey about 1600 years ago, deserves the World Heritage Site status, the ASI said in its recommendation to the UNESCO.
Mani said the varsity may be initially added to the temporary list of the heritage sites as part of the procedure to be declared as a World Heritage site.
"The proposal to UNESCO was sent based on a request from the ASI Patna circle to include the Nalanda University in the World Heritage Sites list," he said.
The ancient Buddhist centre of learning may become 28th World Heritage Site of India and Bihar's second after the Bodhi Temple. The status of World Heritage Site will be a major boost to Bihar government's efforts to revive the university.
Patna circle ASI chief NG Nikoshey, who forwarded the proposal to the ASI head office, expressed optimism that the institution would be declared a World Heritage Site this year.
The remnants of Nalanda University occupy an area of 14 hectares and the institution was completely built with Red Bricks.
Nalanda was one of the world's first residential universities and in its heyday it accommodated over 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers. The university was considered an architectural masterpiece, and was marked by a lofty wall and one gate.
Nalanda had eight separate compounds and 10 temples, along with many other meditation halls and classrooms. Plans are afoot to revive Nalanda University, which could enroll 1,137 students in the first year and 4,530 by the fifth.
The proposed university will be fully residential, like the ancient seat of learning at Nalanda and in the first phase of the project, seven schools with 46 foreign faculty members and over 400 Indian academics would come up.
The varsity will impart courses in science, philosophy and spiritualism along with other subjects.
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