Only 10% of Nalanda excavated, says Dalrymple; pitches for making grand site museum

New Delhi: Noted author and historian William Dalrymple on Tuesday said "only 10 per cent" of the ancient remains of the Nalanda university has been excavated and the rest remains to be discovered, as he pitched for establishing a "proper" site museum, one that will be a "massive and lavish monument" of the Indian civilisation.

During an interaction held at the India International Centre here on the topic "Nalanda: How It Changed the World", Dalrymple said, "It's shocking that in the 21st century, more money hasn't been put into the excavation work at the archaeological ruins of the site in Bihar." The ruins of Nalanda university or the Nalanda Mahavihara is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a coveted tag it earned in 2016.

"It should be remembered that only 10 per cent of Nalanda has been excavated, while 90 per cent remains to be discovered," he said.

Dalrymple, whose latest book "The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World" explores the greatness of the ancient Indian civilisation, said the design of the academic courtyards of Nalanda can be seen in modern Oxbridge colleges (in the UK).

"This was the greatest moment of India's soft power. Who knew that such extraordinary remains could be found there," Dalrymple said.

"And it's even extraordinary that a government which values its ancient civilisation has not made funds available for more excavation work," Dalrymple argued, as he pitched to continue excavation work and build a "proper museum" at the site.

Currently, a humble structure houses a site museum at the Nalanda ruins located in the eponymous town about 98 km from Bihar's capital Patna.

"It should be a massive, lavish monument of Indian civilisation," Dalrymple told the gathering of scholars, researchers and history enthusiasts.

"Nalanda: How It Changed the World", the latest book by Abhay K, diplomat and deputy director general of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), was the pivot of the discussion.

According to the UNESCO website, the Nalanda Mahavihara site comprises the archaeological remains of a monastic and scholastic institution dating from third century BCE to the 13th century CE.

"It includes stupas, shrines, viharas (residential and educational buildings) and important art works in stucco, stone and metal. Nalanda stands out as the most ancient university of the Indian subcontinent. It engaged in organised 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," the UNESCO says in its website.

Spread over an area of 23 hectares, the property is owned, protected, maintained and managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture.

Bihar currently has 70 ASI-protected heritage monuments and sites under the Patna Circle.

According to the data shared by the Union government in March 2023, Rs 435.39 crore was spent on the conservation, preservation and maintenance of centrally protected sites in 2019-20; Rs 260.83 crore in 2020-21; Rs 269.57 crore in 2021-22; and Rs 340.92 crore in 2022-23 till March 1, 2023.

In July 2024, the government shared state-wise data on the expenditure incurred on conservation and preservation of ASI sites.

In 2022-23, Rs 9 crore was incurred on conservation and preservation of 70 ASI sites in Bihar, Rs 3.35 crore in 2021-22, and Rs 1.76 crore in 2018-19, as pe the data shared by the government.

There are 3,698 ancient monuments and archaeological sites declared as of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958, in the country.