Nalanda Group

The involvement of China in restoring the glory of Nalanda is expected to receive further boost following the four-day visit of its President Hu Jiantao to India beginning on November 20.

The development on Nalanda follows the recent reopening of the Nathula (pass) near Arunachal in the North-East to restore the bilateral trade between the two Asian countries.

History is set to repeat itself, as two Chinese monks are visiting Nalanda again on foot following the same route through which Chinese traveller Huien Tsang had visited Nalanda in the seventh Century AD.

The travellers from Beijing are following the silk route and are expected to reach Nalanda by November 20.They had started their journey three months back.

The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to inaugurate it sometime in December.The story of Xuan Zang (Huien Tsang) Memorial Hall in a way narrates the story of Indo-China ties since 1960.

The construction of memorial hall was started in the year 1960-61 under the stewardship of the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The Chinese Government had handed over a cheque of Rs 5.7 lakh as its contribution for the project. In January 1957 Nehru had personally received the relics of Xuan Zang from the Dalai Lama, which was to be housed in the memorial hall.

However, the project came to a standstill after the relationship between the two countries soured after the Chinese aggression in 1962.

Finally, the project was completed by the CPWD in 1984 and in 2001 it was handed over to the Nava Nalanda Mahavihara- an institute dedicated to Buddhist studies under the Government of India`s, Department of Culture.

But even after its completion the memorial hall remained abandoned till China once again developed interest in it.

The Chinese Government is again investing around Rs 4 crore to decorate the memorial hall.

Dr S.P.Sinha, Registrar, Nava Nalanda Mahavihara, informed that in the recent past China`s Religious Minister accompanied by a technical team had come to inspect the progress of the memorial work.

Besides the two Chinese monks, a team of 30-40 members from the Chinese Central Television have taken the ancient Silk route and are scheduled to reach Nalanda on November 18 to produce an 8-hour long documentary on Xuan Zang.

As Nalanda opens up a new phase of diplomacy between India and its Asian neighbour,the Nitish government is presently working on an ambitious project- Vision Nalanda- to develop the Rajgir-Nalanda-Bodhgaya circuit as world class cities.

Describing his meeting with the CM and other top state officials as 'very fruitful', Sadashivan said the Singapore government was very keen on playing an active role in the development of Buddhist sites in Bihar including Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, and Nalanda.

"The Singapore government will hold a seminar on Nalanda University this November that would be attended by 18 countries," the dignitary said describing Nalanda as a symbol of peace and a place of higher learning in the whole of South East Asia.

Sadashivan said he was in Bihar with his team of experts to explore tourism, trade, and education and he will submit his report to the Singapore government upon his return to his country.

Kumar, on August 14, will lay foundation stones of various developmental project including the building of Nalanda Uddhan College, the Rs. 200+ crore rural electrification scheme, and setting up of a training center for farmers, officials said.

Other developmental projects include a Rs. 130 crore milk powder processing plant, Rs. 116 lakh road construction at Ekangarsarai, a bridge at Panchane river, and a power sub-station at Silao.

Meanwhile, a Japanese delegate is scheduled to visit Nalanda district on August 17 to study investment potential in the tourism sector.