Narendra Modi inaugurates new Nalanda University campus in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bihar on Wednesday, June 19, to inaugurate the new Nalanda University campus near the ancient university ruins of Rajgir.

The campus is named after the original Nalanda University, which thrived over 1,600 years ago and drew scholars from around the world. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and ambassadors from 17 partner countries attended the event

The new campus spans 455 acres and was constructed at a cost of Rs 1,749 crore.

The new campus has two buildings for classes with 40 rooms, two rooms for big meetings with 300 seats each, a place for students to stay with about 550 beds, a place for people from different countries to meet, a big outdoor theater for 2,000 people, a club for teachers, and a place for sports, among other things.

The university houses several schools: Buddhist Studies, Philosophy & Comparative Religions; Historical Studies; Ecology and Environmental Studies; and Sustainable Development and Management.

The idea to build this campus in Rajgir was inspired by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's vision to bring back the old Nalanda University.

He talked about it in a speech to the Bihar Vidhan Mandal in 2006. Nalanda University is thought to be one of the first places in the world where students lived while they studied.

Prime Minister Modi tweeted, "Today, we are inaugurating the new campus of Nalanda University. It is a reiteration of our commitment to encourage learning, research, and innovation. It is also an effort to draw the best scholars from the world to come and pursue their education in our country."

"Visiting the excavated remains of Nalanda was exemplary. It was an opportunity to be at one of the greatest seats of learning in the ancient world. This site offers a profound glimpse into the scholarly past that once thrived here. Nalanda has created an intellectual spirit that continues to thrive in our nation," he added.