Dr. Azad Hind Gulshan Nanda
Post-doctoral Fellow
School of Historical Studies (SHS)
Dr. Azad Hind Gulshan Nanda is a post-doctoral fellow in the School of Historical Studies at Nalanda University. He recently earned his doctoral degree from the same school. His doctoral research entitled “Mahaviharas of Early India (8th-9th Century CE): Networks, Interactions, and Cultural Exchanges” examined the historical geography of Nalanda Mahavihara and its surrounding areas. He explored the reasons for the resilience of these institutions, as mahaviharas such as Nalanda functioned for more than 800 years. Dr. Nanda’s academic journey reflects a deep commitment to understanding pre-modern cultural exchanges and the archaeological heritage of South and Southeast Asia. He previously served as the Director of the Buddhist Heritage Research Institute at the Heritage Society, Patna. He has also worked as the Project Coordinator for the Rajgir Archaeological Survey Project (RASP), a joint project of Nalanda University (Rajgir) and Bihar Heritage Development Society (Govt. of Bihar, Patna). The project examined the multi-phased and multi-layered development of Rajgir as an urban, political, and religious centre.
Dr. Nanda has held fellowships at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore) and Universitas Sebelas Maret (Indonesia). He has received travel grants from EPHE (Paris) and SOAS (UK) to attend field schools and carry out research activities in Southeast Asia, primarily Indonesia. His research interests include the archaeology of ancient Indian cities, Buddhist art and heritage, and the comparative study of cultural exchanges between India and the Southeast Asia. He has presented his research papers at several conferences and has published his academic works in reputed national and international journals. Prior to his current role, Dr. Nanda served as the coordinator of the Rajgir Heritage Walk funded by the Bihar Heritage Development Society (BHDS), Govt. of Bihar, and worked as a Student Research Assistant at Nalanda University. His academic foundation began with a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, and his early research in this field earned him an invitation to present his work to the Department of Atomic Energy (Govt. of India) and a visit to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai.