Brihattar Bharat: Nalanda and Asia’s Cultural Links
Why in News?
- On 14 October 2026, a three-day conference titled "Bharat's Cultural Connections across the Globe" began in New Delhi, running to 16 October. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts organised it under the Brihattar Bharat Scheme for 2026-2031.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a video message that centres of learning such as Nalanda strengthened the exchange of knowledge between India and other parts of Asia.
- He said monks, scholars, traders and travellers carried Indian ideas across the world by land and sea.
- Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said Brihattar Bharat is a sphere of historical and cultural connections and not a political or territorial claim. He marked the centenary of the Greater India Society, founded in Calcutta on 14 October 1926.
- Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal said scholars from about 51 countries are involved, and the project proposes multinational nominations to UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Key Terminologies
- Brihattar Bharat
- A scheme for 2026-2031 to study India's historical and cultural connections with other countries. It includes joint research, seminars, workshops and a five-year exchange agenda.
- Greater India Society
- A society founded in Calcutta on 14 October 1926. Its centenary was marked at the conference.
- Nalanda Mahavihara
- A Buddhist monastic centre of learning in Bihar. The Archaeological Survey of India credits its founding to the Gupta ruler Kumaragupta I in the 5th century CE.
- Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage
- UNESCO's list of living cultural traditions. The project proposes multinational nominations to it.
Key Issues
- Centre of Learning: Nalanda was founded in the 5th century CE, and the Archaeological Survey of India credits Kumaragupta I. Xuanzang studied there in the 7th century under the abbot Shilabhadra.
- Eyewitness Accounts: Xuanzang's biographer Huili gave a figure of about 10,000 residents, while Yijing, who lived there around 675 to 685, counted more than 3,000. The numbers come from different periods and counters.
- Decline: Royal support faded after the Pala period, and Turkish raids around 1200 caused serious damage. The sources do not clearly show total destruction in a single event, and a Tibetan monk in 1235 still found about 70 students.
- Heritage Status: UNESCO inscribed the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara on the World Heritage List in 2016 under criteria (iv) and (vi), for its monastic plan and its role as an early centre of higher learning.
- Modern Revival: The Nalanda University Act, 2010 revived the name after East Asia Summit decisions. The university admitted its first students in 2014, and its Rajgir campus was inaugurated on 19 June 2024.
Key Implications
Positive/Pros/Merits
- Soft Power: The Prime Minister said Indian philosophy, music, dance, literature, cinema and cuisine continue to have global influence. Shared history gives India a base for cultural diplomacy.
- Research and Exchange: The scheme includes joint research, seminars and workshops, with scholars from about 51 countries, which supports study of shared heritage.
- Recognition Route: Multinational nominations to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage would bring international recognition to shared traditions.
Negative/Cons/Demerits
- Sensitivity of Terms: The word Brihattar Bharat, like the Greater India Society's name, could be read as a territorial claim. The Minister clarified that it is not one.
- Contested History: The popular account of Nalanda's destruction by Bakhtiyar Khalji rests on weak evidence, so simple narratives can mislead.
- Differing Sources: Counts of residents and dates differ between Chinese pilgrims, so historians must read them carefully.
Key Initiatives
- Brihattar Bharat Scheme, 2026-2031: It supports joint research, seminars, workshops and a five-year exchange agenda, and proposes multinational UNESCO nominations for intangible heritage.
- Conference, 14-16 October 2026: "Bharat's Cultural Connections across the Globe" has ten themes, including philosophy, religion, languages, arts, textiles, cuisine, performing arts and trade, with an exhibition on Asia's shared cultural heritage.
- Nalanda University Act, 2010: It revived the university, which admitted its first students in 2014 and opened its Rajgir campus on 19 June 2024.
- UNESCO World Heritage Listing, 2016: The Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara was inscribed under criteria (iv) and (vi).
The Culture Ministry says Brihattar Bharat is about historical and cultural connections and not a political or territorial claim. It plans joint research and a five-year exchange agenda with scholars from about 51 countries. The conference runs until 16 October 2026.
Director's Perspective
Way Forward
- Publish the research outputs of the scheme in open form, so that students and scholars can use them.
- Work with partner countries on shared exhibitions and joint nominations, keeping the focus on culture and learning.
- Teach Nalanda from primary sources such as Xuanzang and Yijing, with the caveats on numbers and on its decline.
The conference rightly links today's cultural diplomacy to a long record of exchange, with Nalanda as the strongest example. The history is solid on the 5th-century founding, the Chinese pilgrims and the 2016 UNESCO listing, though not on a single dramatic destruction. The sensitive point is the name Brihattar Bharat, which the Minister has clarified is cultural. In a Mains answer, credit Nalanda's role in Asian learning, then conclude that shared heritage works best as open, multinational and evidence-based cooperation.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Brihattar Bharat conference of October 2026?
The conference "Bharat's Cultural Connections across the Globe" runs from 14 to 16 October 2026 in New Delhi under the Brihattar Bharat Scheme for 2026-2031. It studies India's historical and cultural links with other countries, and has an exhibition on Asia's shared cultural heritage.
Who founded Nalanda and when?
The Archaeological Survey of India credits the founding of Nalanda to the Gupta ruler Kumaragupta I in the 5th century CE. Chinese pilgrims Xuanzang in the 7th century and Yijing around 675 to 685 left the main eyewitness accounts.
When was Nalanda inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
UNESCO inscribed the Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara on the World Heritage List in 2016 under criteria (iv) and (vi). The modern Nalanda University was revived under the Nalanda University Act, 2010, and its Rajgir campus was inaugurated on 19 June 2024.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Nalanda is credited to the Gupta ruler Kumaragupta I by the Archaeological Survey of India.
It was founded in the 5th century CE.
2 The Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016.
It was inscribed under criteria (iv) and (vi).
3 The Chinese pilgrim Yijing studied at Nalanda in the 3rd century CE.
Xuanzang studied there in the 7th century, and Yijing lived there around 675 to 685.