The Nava Nalanda Mahavihara

 The Nava Nalanda Mahavihara

The Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda was established by the Government of Bihar in the year 1951 with the object, inter alia, to “promote advance studies and research of high standard in Buddhist learning, and to publish works of permanent value to scholars” and named it as Magadha Institute of Post-Graduate Studies and Research in Pali and Allied Languages and Buddhist Learning. It was the cherished dream of His Excellency Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the first President of the Republic of India that the legacy of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara should be carry forward and accordingly he declared that „the ancient seat of Buddhist learning at Nalanda would be revived in order to revive the lost glory and the heritage of ancient Nalanda Mahavihara‟. It was His Excellency, Dr. Rajendra Prasad who laid the foundation stone of the first building of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara on 20th November, 1951.

The words engraved upon it in verse form in Pali language are:

Asm eva silāsiṁgṁā Nālandā bhānuraṁsio,

Udentu lokabhāsāya vigame mārarattiyā.

 Let the rays of the sun of Nalanda rise from the summit of this rock in order to brighten the vernacular (lokabhāsā in Pali) after the passing away of its nights of darkness (period of its obscurity).

In due course of time the rechristening of this Institute was done after an inscribed seal which records: “Srī Nālandā-mahāvihāriyāryabhikṣu-saṅghasya”, „Seal of the Community of Venerable Monks of the Great Monastry at Nalanda‟ was discovered from the excavated site of the ancient Nalanda University. The adjective „Nava‟ or „new‟ in the name of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara was added by its founders which not only signifies the resurrection of ancient Nalanda University but also signifies the revival and reorientation of the academic tradition of the ancient Buddhist Mahavihara on modern scientific lines. It is also pertinent to mention here that the seal adopted for the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is almost modelled after the seal of ancient Nalanda University with the Dharmacakra flanked by two deers dates back to 8th /9th Century AD during the Pala period and had been found during the excavation of the ruins of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara.

Being primarily a research Institute, the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is laying special emphasis on the research and publication projects from the day of its very inception. The research projects undertaken by the Mahavihara are of two types - Short-term Projects and Longterm Projects. Guiding the scholars for the award of the doctoral degree, publication of research volumes and monographs by members of the staff and research scholars come under Short-term Projects. The publication of the Pali texts not yet published in Devanāgari script such as the entire Pali Tipiṭaka, Aṭṭhakathā (Commentaries) on the Pali Tipiṭaka, Pali Ṭikā(s) and Anuṭīkā(s) on them and other Pali texts, the work of compilation of the Pali-Hindi Dictionary and authentic Hindi translation of the entire Pali Tipiṭaka, critical decipherment and publication of MSS and their Cataloguing are a few works envisaged under Long-term Projects by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara. Total 41 Volumes of Pali-Tripitaka in Devanagari script is now available in the Publication Counter of NNM, Nalanda.

During the first ten years of its establishment, it has been successful in publishing the whole set of Pali Tipiṭaka for the first time in Devanāgari script under the able guidance of late Bhikkhu Jagadisa Kassapa, an erudite scholar of Pali & Buddhist Studies and the founder Director of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, Nalanda in forty one elegant volumes which was warmly received by the reputed scholars of the world. It is pertinent to mention here that prior to its publication by the NNM, complete set of the Pali Tipiṭaka had already been published in various scripts like, Burmese, Singhalese, Siamese, Roman etc. The methodology adopted to edit and publish the Pali Tipiṭaka in Devanāgari Script by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara has become a role model for editing the text of Pali language throughout the world. The publication work of the post-canonical literature such as Aṭṭhakathā, Ṭikā and Anuṭīkā etc. in Devanāgari script is also in progress. So far 25 volumes of the Aṭṭhakathā literature have already been published. It is also pertinent to mention here that before its publication by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara the complete set of Pali Tipiṭaka in any Indian script was not extant in India. Besides other publications, mention may be made of seven research volumes containing monographs on different aspects of Buddhist Philosophy, Logic, History and Culture which have been published by the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara.

At the time of the establishment of the Nava Nalanda Mahaviahra, there were very few Indian universities which were having the departments/centers, though in nascent stage, which were facilitating studies and researches in Pali language and literature. The study of Pali language & literature was not at all popular among the Indians as the people were not known to its rich heritage. The study materials in any modern Indian language were very scant at the disposal of teachers and taught. Therefore, during its initial days of establishment, the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara not only took the responsibility of imparting teaching and conducting researches in Pali language & literature but also started the publication work of Pali texts for making them available to the general readers as well as the scholars. Thus the credit to popularize the study of Pali language and literature in India undoubtedly goes to the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara.

Thus it could be surmised that the academic activities of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara includes: (a) teaching and research, (b) organizing seminars/conferences/ workshops (c) Publications and (d) creating a well-equipped library of oriental learning. Besides the above mentioned academic work, time to time the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara holds special convocations to award of the degree of Vidya Varidhi (D. Litt.), honoris causa to those personalities who have made indelible mark in the field Pali and Buddhist Studies as well as in allied subjects. The story of institution of conferment of the degree of Vidya Varidhi is quite interesting. It was started on the behest of Government of India in the year 1966 when the crown prince of Laos His Highness Sri Vong Savong had visited India and had expressed his desire to get the degree of Nalanda. It was at special request from the Government of India that the NNM held the convocation and conferred the degree of Vidya Varidhi (D. Lit.) Honoris Causa on him.

This had a very great impact on the Buddhist countries towards the regeneration of cultural kinship between India and the countries of the East, South and South East Asia. Till date fourteen such special convocations have been organized and the list includes eminent personalities from India and abroad.

Thus the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is a unique institution unparallel in India which has been established to carry forward the legacy of the ancient University of Nalanda established in 4 th Century AD. This Institution which lies close to the ruins of ancient Nalanda University draws its inspiration from it and was established to develop as a centre of higher studies in Pali and Buddhism on the lines of ancient Nalanda Mahavihara offers various courses at Master‟s level and conduct researches of high standards. The scope of research and publications include Pali language and literature, Sanskrit Buddhist texts, Tibetan texts, Buddhist philosophy, cultural, social and religious history of Buddhist countries of Southeast Asia and other topics related to Buddhism.

The idea of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara lies in the preservation and protection of the religious and cultural heritage of India for the posterity. Pali language was the lingua franca of the people during the time of the Buddha. The extant Pali Tipitaka is believed to be the earliest and the most authentic collection of the teaching of Lord Buddha. The Tipitaka and its ancillary literatures are not only the repository of Buddha‟s teachings but also contain the philosophical, religious, geographical, social, political economic information of India during the time of the Buddha. They are the basic literary sources for the study of the cultural history of ancient India.

Keeping in view the deep veneration for the place from all corners of the Buddhist world and also to provide impetus in all-round development of the Nava Nalanda Mahvihara, in the year 1994, the Dept. of Culture, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, New Delhi, took over the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara under the control as an autonomous institute. In the year 2006, The Ministry of Human Resource Development (Development of Higher Education) Govt. of India on the advice of the UGC declared the NNM, Nalanda, Bihar as a Deemed to be University. Since then the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara is functioning as a Deemed to be University under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, New Delhi

. The Nava Nalanda Mahavihara aims to equip students with character, ability, skill, cultural orientation and consciousness desirable for the human conduct. Thus the idea is not limited to facilitate and promote only critical intellectual engagement like other streams of learning. But the idea of Mahavihara is to have critical engagement with different traditions of thought and its great variety of expression, modes of understanding, human condition and predicament and the incredibly diverse inanimate and non-human living world by value-based education and practice in a holistic perspective.

 Aims and objectives of the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara:

The Nava Nalanda Mahaivhara, Nalanda Society shall undertake Under Graduate, Post Graduate and Doctoral Programmes in Pali, Buddhist Studies, and languages and Linguistics. The Objectives for which the Society is established are:

1. to develop a residential centre of education of international importance on the line of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara (where the teachers and the taught lived together devoting themselves to studies and higher academic pursuits) for the promotion of higher studies and research in Pali language and literature, and Buddhist studies through Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Mongolian, Japanese and other Asian languages. In Addition, contemporary Buddhism in various parts of the world may also be made subjects of studies and research;

2. to set up and maintain departments of studies in (1) Pali and Buddhism, (2) Philosophy with special reference to Buddhist Philosophy (both Hinayana and Mahayana), Logic and Epistemology including outlines of Indian Philosophy and Comparative Religion,

(3) Ancient Indian and Asian Studies with special reference to Buddhist history and culture and spread of Buddhism, (4) Linguistics and Modern Languages, (5) the Department of Tibetan and Chinese Studies including Mongolian, Korean and Japanese languages, and (6) such other subjects as the “Society” may decide to introduce from time to time; 3. to undertake extra mural studies, extension programmes and field outreach activities for development of the Indian Society;

4. to accommodate monks, nuns and lay scholars versed in traditional Buddhists monastic learning and to acquaint them with modern methods of research and comparative studies;

 5. to send its scholars and professors to recognized centres of Buddhist learning in the world, specially to neighboring Buddhist countries to acquire first-hand knowledge of their traditions and also to revive the old cultural ties existed between India and those countries and vice versa;

6. to critically edit, translate and publish classical Buddhist works from Pali, Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian and other languages;

7. to publish journals, periodicals on different aspects of Buddhism and allied subjects;

8. to co-operate with educational and other institutions in and outside India having objects wholly or partly similar to those of the Society by exchange of teachers, scholars in order to coordinate research work with them and generally in such a manner as may be conducive to their common objects;

 9. to subscribe to or become a member of, or to co-operate with any other Associations or Society, whose objects are similar, wholly or partly, to the objects of the Society or the promotion of which may be conducive to the attainment of the objects of the Society;

10. to do all such other acts and things as may be necessary or desirable for or conducive to attain or furthering the objectives specified above as may be expedient for functioning of the Mahavihara.

 Departments:

At present, there are 9 departments in the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, namely: (i) Department of Pali (ii) Department of Philosophy (iii) Department of Ancient History Culture and Archaeology (iv) Department of Sanskrit (v) Department of English (vi) Department of Hindi (vii) Department of Chinese and Japanese (viii) Department of Tibetan Studies (ix) Department of Buddhist Studies.

Reference

1. https://www.nnm.ac.in/2020/12/16/prospectus-2020-of-nnm-nalanda/