Nalanda Mahavihara: World Heritage status long overdue

HISTORY has come alive yet again on the antique and glorious land of Bihar with the Unesco's recent announcement at Istanbul to put the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara on the list of World Heritage Sites.
The once-famed centre of spiritual and cultural awakening in the world and a rare archaeological marvel needs no introduction. This official recognition is definitely a shot in the arm not just for the government but also for archaeologists, historians, academics, writers, bloggers, heritage photographers and travellers alike -- in fact, for anyone whom Nalanda beckons as a sublime heritage.
It was an emotional moment for me -- personally. Only years ago I was the superintendent of police in Nalanda when I, encouraged by none other than chief minister Nitish Kumar himself, authored 'The Heritage of Nalanda'. This second book in the series on Celebrating Bihar, published by the Oxford University Press, vehemently pitched for World Heritage Site status to the Nalanda ruins.
Nalanda as a place has no parallel. Come and walk through the remains of one of the world's most ancient, spectacular residential monastic-universities that once housed more than 1,500 teachers and 8,000 students from across the globe, and also exquisite libraries, namely Ratnasagar, Ratnaranjak and Ratnodadhi.
Get enchanted by exquisite viharas, votive stupas and impressive chaityas with artistically carved out niches showcasing beautiful stucco statues of Buddha and Bodhisattvas in different mudras.
Enter the state of trance and feel the reverberations of the age-old chant - Buddham Sharanam Gachchhami - recited by thousands of monks donning bright red and yellow robes in bygone times.
Xuanzang, the legendary Chinese traveller, whose travelogues are major sources of the known history of the place, refers to Shakraditya (Kumaragupta I) as the founder of the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara.
However, Tibetan historian Tarnath mentions about the offerings made by great Mauryan king Ashoka to the Chaitya (temple) of Sariputra, the chief monk and disciple of Lord Buddha, as early as 3C BCE. Yet another prolific Chinese traveller, Faxian of 5C CE, refers to a stupa in Nalo village, which marked the birth and salvation of Sariputra.
I-tsing, the famous Chinese traveller, also provides a mesmerizing description of the life at Mahavihara. The university campus always reverberated with lively discourses and in-depth discussions on vastly diverse subjects ranging from the religious texts of the Hinayana and Mahayana sects of Buddhism to Hetu Vidya (logic), from Shabda Vidya (grammar) to Chikitsa Vidya (medicine) and from Shilpasthana Vidya (arts and crafts) to Adhyatma Vidya (philosophy).
The ancient Nalanda Mahavihara was probably the first educational institute in the world to select students on the basis of walk-in interviews. Aspiring candidates were asked questions at the gate of the university itself by erudite 'dwarpalas' (gatekeepers).
History provides testimony to the fact that all great institutions and civilizations rise and fall eventually, and the ancient Nalanda University was no exception to this historical paradigm. However, the remnants of the great and awe-inspiring Nalanda Mahavihara truly constitute a World Heritage Site, which was the seat of enlightenment for a vast body of humanity for centuries together. The memory of its grandeur and splendour will remain forever enshrined at the site of its ruins.
[The writer is an IPS officer]