The ruins of the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar have been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization or UNESCO during 40th session of The World Heritage Committee meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday.
The UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee is said to have accepted India’s nomination to inscribe “Nalanda Mahavihara” on the prestigious list after Vietnam and Thailand moved a proposal in India’s favour.
UNESCO's World Heritage List, also featured three new sites from China, Iran and Micronesia, i.e. named as 'The Persian Qanat' of Iran, 'Nan Madol'-- ceremonial centre of Eastern Micronesia -- and 'Zuojiang Huashan Rock Art Cultural Landscape' of China.
"Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara (Nalanda University) comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from the 3rd century BCE to the 13th century CE," Said UNESCO.
"The University engaged in the organized transmission of knowledge over an uninterrupted period of 800 years. The historical development of the site testifies to the development of Buddhism into a religion and the flourishing of monastic and educational traditions," it added.
