Indian university where famous Chinese monk studied opens doors again

India has reopened an ancient university where a famous Chinese Buddhist scholar is said to have once studied, in an attempt to revive the lost days of the "Asian renaissance".

Nalanda University, in the eastern province of Bihar, started classes on Sept 1 after a gap of about 800 years, with students enrolling for postgrad and doctoral programs under a transnational faculty.

Before it was razed by an invading army in the 12th century, Nalanda was famed for being a global seat of learning.

By some accounts, Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) scholar Xuanzang traveled from China to India and returned after obtaining Buddhist scriptures. He reportedly spent many years in Nalanda.

In his congratulatory message to the university's Vice-Chancellor Gopa Sabharwal, Peking University professor Wang Bangwei invoked Xuanzang.

"May the new Nalanda become a center bringing knowledge and better mutual understanding among the various peoples again as in the time of Xuanzang," Wang said in his e-mail to Sabharwal.

Wang is on Nalanda's 12-member governing board, which is led by India's Nobel Prize laureate Amartya Sen, who now teaches economics at Harvard University. Singapore's former foreign minister, George Yeo, is another member of the high-profile board.

In 2007, China threw its weight behind the Nalanda plan along with a handful of Asia-Pacific nations at the annual East Asia Summit, hosted by the Philippines that year.

Beijing contributed $1 million toward the revival following an announcement by former premier Wen Jiabao during a visit to India in 2010. The money will be used to build a Chinese-style section of a library at the university.

The university has seven main schools that offer studies in history, Buddhism, philosophy, management and linguistics, among others.

"It is a remarkable opportunity for students from different parts of Asia, as we will be catering to their needs through various projects," Sabharwal told China Daily by telephone from India.

Xuanzang's tours to India also inspired the 16th century classical Chinese novel, Journey to the West, written by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) author Wu Cheng'en.

Centuries ago, Nalanda was a hub not just for Buddhist studies and philosophy but also for medicine and mathematics. The old Nalanda was a residential campus for thousands of students over many centuries, the university's website says.

Spread over an area of 443 acres, the university is looking to house at least 1,000 students from 40 countries in the near future. Although no Chinese student has yet enrolled, Sabharwal indicated that even late admissions would be welcomed.

"We expect the Chinese association to expand with contributions to the student body, faculty and other facilities as the institution progresses," said Ashok K. Kantha, India's ambassador to China.

With commentators on world affairs increasingly describing the 21st century as the Asian century, the university has its work cut out. In Sabharwal's words, the goal is to create leaders of tomorrow.

satarupa@chinadaily.com.cn