Centre for South East Asian Studies (CSEAS)
Nalanda University, Rajgir, Bihar
Inspire, Educate and Transform
26 October 2025 | The 22nd ASEAN–India Summit was held on 26 October 2025, with Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi participating virtually alongside ASEAN leaders. This marked the Prime Minister’s 12th participation in the ASEAN–India Summit.
In a landmark announcement highlighting Nalanda University’s global academic standing, the Hon’ble Prime Minister announced the establishment of a Centre for Southeast Asian Studies at Nalanda University. The announcement, made during the Summit, is a significant step under India’s Act East Policy, reaffirming Nalanda’s historic role as a bridge of knowledge across Asia. Proposed to be located at the Rajgir campus, the Centre will focus on regional studies, policy dialogue, cultural exchange, and collaborative research with ASEAN nations.
The Centre
A living connection to Nalanda’s intellectual history.
CSEAS brings together historians, political scientists, linguists, and cultural scholars to study the deep and continuing relationships between India and Southeast Asia.
From the movement of Buddhist ideas along maritime routes to the strategic conversations shaping the Indo-Pacific today, our work is grounded in evidence and open to many ways of knowing. The Centre for Southeast Asian Studies was inaugurated on 31 March 2026 by MEA Secretary (East) Shri P. Kumaran, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement at the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit. Serving as a premier knowledge partner to the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership, the Centre advances policy research, civilisational connectivity, and academic collaboration across interdisciplinary research clusters. CSES aims to move beyond standard diplomatic and economic dialogue. By serving as a premier platform for policy-oriented research and cross-cultural scholarship, the Centre aspires to build a robust, long-term intellectual partnership between India and Southeast Asia for generations to come. We welcome scholars, students, visiting fellows, and the public into that conversation.
- VC’s message
- Director’s message
Research Agenda:
Routes to shared regions.
Interdisciplinary by design. Historically grounded. Globally engaged.
Maritime Trade & Buddhist Routes
Investigating civilizational links, historical maritime trade routes, and the exchange of philosophy across the Bay of Bengal.
Geopolitics & Strategic Studies
Analyzing contemporary Indo-Pacific dynamics, ASEAN centrality, and India’s “Act East” policy through a historical lens.
Epigraphy & Epistemology
Preserving and interpreting ancient Southeast Asian inscriptions, manuscripts, and shared linguistic traditions.
Study With Us
The question is always larger than one discipline.
CSEAS offers a distinctive pathway for scholars seeking to engage in advanced study, field research, public lectures, and fellowships with regard to Southeast Asian Studies combining with regional immersion in its full historical depth and contemporary complexity.
GRADUATE PATHWAYS
Work across history, politics, language, and culture.
VISITING FELLOWSHIP
Bring your archive, question, or fieldwork to Nalanda.
PUBLIC CONVERSATIONS
Join lectures and workshops that keep scholarships open.
FROM THE ARCHIVE
Latest research & insights
- CSEAS RELEVANT DISSERTATION WORK
- Newsletter
Contact:
Coordinator
Centre for Studies in Development and Sustainability (CSDS)
Nalanda University,
Rajgir, Bihar, India – 803116
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://nalandauniv.edu.in/