Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the new campus of Nalanda University in Rajgir, Bihar.

The inauguration ceremony included the unveiling of a plaque and was attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Bihar Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary, and Vijay Sinha. Ambassadors from 17 countries were also present during the event.

Earlier in the morning, PM Modi visited and toured the ruins of the ancient Nalanda Mahaviharam.

The visit marks PM Modi’s first trip to the state after the Lok Sabha election.

The ancient Nalanda University, established around 1600 years ago, is considered to be among the first residential universities in the world.

The new university campus closely replicates the historical Nalanda University.

Earlier in a post on X, PM Modi wrote, “It’s a very special day for our education sector. At around 10:30 AM today, the new campus of Nalanda University will be inaugurated at Rajgir. Nalanda has a strong connection with our glorious past. This university will surely go a long way in catering to the educational needs of the youth.”

The new campus has two academic blocks with 40 classrooms, with a total seating capacity of around 1,900. It includes two auditoriums with a capacity of 300 seats each, a student hostel for around 550 students, an international center, an amphitheater that can accommodate up to 2,000 individuals, a faculty club, and a sports complex, among other facilities.

The Campus is a ‘Net Zero’ Green Campus. It is self-sustaining with solar power, domestic and drinking water treatment plants, a water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, 100 acres of water bodies, and many other environment-friendly facilities.

The university is conceived as a collaboration between India and East Asia Summit (EAS) countries.

(With ANI input)