An Ancient Glory Rises.(World Affairs)(Nalanda University)(Cover story)

Byline: Sudip Mazumdar

One of the great schools of antiquity--Buddhism's Nalanda University--is being rebuilt in India.

Centuries before Oxford University even opened its doors, a school in northeast India attracted thousands of the brightest minds from China, Persia and Turkey. Deeply influenced by Buddhist teachings, it was known as Nalanda--the "giver of knowledge"--and its vast campus included temples, meditation halls, gardens and a library filled with rare manuscripts. In keeping with a Buddhist tradition of openness to new ideas, the students studied theology along with medicine, astronomy and the arts. And while Europe was mired in the Dark Ages, these young scholars were encouraged to take part in vigorous discussions and to advance the intellectual debates of the day.

Over the decades, Nalanda declined in prominence. In the 12th century it was destroyed by Turkish-Muslim marauders who all but pushed Buddhism out of India. But now, centuries later, political leaders from throughout Asia have joined forces with Nobel-laureate economist Amartya Sen, the Dalai Lama and other notables to rebuild this once great institution. Over the next five years, they plan to spend $1 billion to establish a new Nalanda on a 200-hectare site not far from the old university. They will hire 450 teachers, including four dozen from abroad, and plan initially to enroll 1,150 students from throughout the world. The school's backers are hoping research will begin as early as next year.

The attempt to rebuild a world-class university in this remote corner of India reflects in part an effort to restore Asia's reputation as an intellectual heavyweight. But it is also driven by a recognition that Buddhism is prospering in India. Seven years ago, there were just 8 million Buddhists there out of a population of 1 billion, making it the country's fifth largest religion. Today there are more than 35 million Indian Buddhists, and demographers say the number is growing quickly, particularly among the poor.

Like the old Nalanda, Sen says, this new university will have a Buddhist outlook: "It ...