Beyond controversy: Continuity, revival and renewal of an ancient intellectual legacy of Nalanda University

The renaissance of Nalanda University constitutes a peculiar experiment in current higher education. In contrast to other modern universities, the authenticity of the modern university does not only stem from its current teaching and research efforts but is also defined through the symbolism of ancient Nālandā Mahāvihāra, which is known for being one of the renowned centres of learning in Asia. The challenge that the modern university faces is thus not only to function as an effective 21st-century university but also to interpret, rather than just copy, the intellectual tradition linked to ancient Nalanda. Recent allegations made on social media about classroom interpretations of Indian and Buddhist intellectual traditions, destruction of ancient Nalanda, dating of Upaniṣads, comparison of Śūnyatā and Advaita Vedānta, and origin of debate traditions have highlighted the need to face this challenge. While these topics can definitely become subject to scholarly investigation, they should be investigated using scholarly methods, namely the use of primary sources, archaeology, epigraphy, textual criticism, historiography, and open academic debate.

The very idea of Ancient Nalanda involved intellectual interaction, not isolation. Despite the fact that it was a Buddhist Mahāvihāra, its intellectual atmosphere comprised not only grammar, logic, medicine, philosophy but also debates with various Indian schools of knowledge. Debating was never a preserve of any school; Buddhist, Jain, Brahmanical scholars debated each other using the traditions of dialectic and disputation. A true revitalisation of Nalanda should necessarily involve pluralism, dialogue, multilingual scholarship, intellectual mobility and freedom of inquiry. The metamorphosis of Nalanda University in 2025-26 shows that this process of revival is under way on several levels. Nalanda University has grown substantially in terms of number of students, international presence, recruitment of faculty members, curricula and research centres. Though there is some discrepancy in figures due to different methods of counting students, one thing is evident that Nalanda is transforming from a modest post-graduate institution into an academic environment. This growth is important since, just as the ancient Mahāvihāra, the future success of the University depends more on the quality of its intellectuals than on its architecture.

Another unique approach has been the required “Nalanda Spirit” course. It acquaints students from various disciplines with the heritage of Nalanda, Indian intellectual traditions, archaeology, epigraphy, texts, historiography, Vāda, openness, sustainability, coexistence, and engagement with community. However, its true value lies in method. If this course turns into a pre-packaged story that is to be told, then it will be inconsistent with the tradition it tries to recreate. But if it equips students with the skills of comparing epigraphs with chronicles, archaeology with literature, Buddhist texts with Brahmanical and Jaina texts, and Indian scholarship with international scholarship, it can become a strong course on historical method and inquiry. Revival of Śāstrārtha and Vāda has been another significant accomplishment. Debate has been structured via interdisciplinary exercises and, in certain curricula, has been included in credit system. It might very well be one of the best continuities of the spirit of Nalanda. But it cannot just be an exercise in symbolism. Students must be assessed based on their ability to use evidence, present opposing view in a fair manner, make logical deductions, utilise primary sources, and change their stand if a better argument is presented.

Intellectual decolonisation at Nalanda is another important aspect to consider. The expansion of courses in Hindi, philosophy, mathematics, economics, archaeology, Buddhism, Hinduism, history, ecology, international relations, and sustainable development helps engage the intellectual tradition of India with modern fields of knowledge. Intellectual decolonisation does not imply simply exchanging one form of dogmatism for another. A more thorough model requires recovering sources in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Tibetan, Persian, Chinese, and other local languages; considering the Indian categories of thought, ethics, statecraft, economy, ecology, and education; critically analysing indigenous and Western traditions; and engaging alternative interpretations. The Nalanda Tradition and Languages project also emphasises the fact that language is a vehicle of communication and culture. Many philosophical and historical ideas cannot be completely comprehended through mere translation. But it was because of the movement of ideas in different languages and locations that ancient Nalanda succeeded. Therefore, multilingualism rather than linguistic isolationism is the right model for the contemporary university, meaning engagement in Indian languages as well as Asian and world languages.

Some examples of the kind of “reimagining” that takes place at research centres include the Kautilya Global Centre for State Capacity, which examines classical Indian thinking about statecraft and relates it to contemporary problems of public administration and institutional capacity. This sort of scholarship becomes truly meaningful only when classic works such as the Arthaśāstra are examined comparatively in relation to modern approaches to governance. There is also the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, which looks back to the connections that historically linked Nalanda to the rest of Asia, and the Centre for Rural Economy and Sustainable Transformation in the Global South, which continues the engagement of the University into present-day development issues.

Also very significant is Nalanda’s interaction with surrounding communities through projects like Sahabhāgitā in which the University has been working with neighbouring villages in fields of agriculture, education, livelihood of women, teachers’ training, sustainability, craft and self help groups. An important question that arises here is whether a university can claim any importance in terms of civilisation when it is socially isolated from its own neighbourhood? In this way, Sahabhāgitā shows how a new vision for Nalanda must take into account not just scholarship but also social responsibility. Another initiative, the LEAP programme, which includes both financial aid and participatory experience of university activities, and the Nalanda Cultural Centre, which emphasizes music, theatre, storytelling, craft, debate, poetry, photography and inter-cultural events, add more dimensions to education. Also relevant is the large international student population in the University because one of the important elements of Nalanda’s past is its cosmopolitan character. A new Nalanda must be Indian and open to Asia, Africa, Europe and the whole world. Sustainability has also come to play a very important role in the institutional identity of the University. Indian philosophical traditions may enrich the moral language of sustainability, but they should complement, not replace, scientific measurement and climate policy.

The current controversy must therefore be viewed as an opportunity for Nalanda to build its academic culture further. Course outlines, reading lists, research agendas and aims of various programs like Nalanda Spirit must be made public. Controversial questions from history must cover major scholarly positions and their evidences. Students should be able to debate with teachers and visiting scholars without fear of any repercussions. Debate must itself become a Śāstrārtha. The ancient Nālandā Mahāvihāra and the present Nalanda University are different institutions. The present University set up under Nalanda University Act, 2010, cannot and must not replicate a monastic university of the past. The purpose of the University can best be understood by the following concepts of continuity, revival and reimagining. Continuity means the values like openness, debate, multilingualism, internationalism and intellectual exchanges. Revival means the conscious efforts to revive these methods in the present educational system. Reimagining means the adaptation of these to modern fields of study, modern research methodologies, science, democracy and sustainability.

Indeed, much has been achieved by the Nalanda University through the expansion of academia, the introduction of new programmes, centres for research, debate-centred teaching method, language programme, outreach, internationalisation and sustainability. All this needs to be acknowledged; however, mere symbolic restoration is not sufficient. It is only through the quality and independence of its faculty, research, sources, classroom openness, and willingness to grapple with tough issues that the real renewal of Nalanda will be judged. In this sense, the proper tribute to ancient Nalanda cannot be seen in mere replication of its history, but in restoring its intellectual tradition. For Nalanda, the proper tribute must be seen in the form of scholarship unencumbered by fear, tradition not cloistered, debate not polemical, and research based on facts and not mere assertion. In such a way only can the contemporary University turn history of the ancient university into a living intellectual tradition pertinent to India, Asia and beyond.