PM Narendra Modi Launches Nalanda University’s New Campus, Featuring Two Auditoriums And A Student Hostel. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir, Bihar, near the ancient ruins of the institute. The new campus is a Rs 1,749 crore project. There will be two academic blocks and 40 classrooms with a total sitting capacity of about 1,900 students.
The campus also features two auditoriums and a student hostel to accommodate around 550 students. Nalanda University has an international center, an amphitheater, a faculty club and a sports complex. The new campus has been designed as a ‘Net Zero’ Green Campus. It is self-sustaining thanks to solar plants, domestic and drinking water treatment plants, a water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, and 100 acres of water bodies, as well as other environment-friendly facilities.
PM Modi highlighted that Nalanda was once the epicenter of India’s educational identity. Its history goes back to the 5th century. The institute attracted scholars from around the world but was destroyed by invaders in the 12th century.
Modi said admission to Nalanda University during the ancient times was not based on nationality of the student. He pointed out that people from different walks of life used to come to the institute for education.
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Modi Visited the Nalanda Ruins
The prime minister visited the ruins of the ancient Nalanda, which was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. Modi said he got the opportunity to visit Nalanda in the first 10 days after taking oath as India’s prime minister for the third consecutive time. He believes it’s a good fortune and an auspicious sign for the country’s development journey. Modi said the site offers a profound glimpse into the scholarly past that once thrived in Nalanda, which was created as an intellectual spirit that continues to thrive in India.
According to UNESCO portal, the Nalanda ruins includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal. It says Nalanda was engaged in the organized transmission of knowledge and education over a period of 800 years.
