Nalanda Diary

During the last quarter, SHS remained actively engaged in promoting scholarly dialogue and academic exchange through seminars, workshops, and conferences.

To further explore India’s transregional historical linkages, SHS organised a one-day workshop on “India and South East Asia: Two Episodes from Shared Past and Connected History” on 26 October 2025. Featuring Prof. Rob Linrothe (Northwestern University) as the resource person, the workshop examined artistic, religious, and cultural connections through focused discussions on Borobudur and Candi Prambanan.

Strengthening international academic collaboration, SHS co-organised an online international symposium with the University of Jambi, Indonesia, on “Tracing the Connections between Muara Jambi and the Ancient Nalanda University.” Scholars from both institutions deliberated on historical, cultural, and intellectual ties, highlighting Nalanda’s wider Asian legacy.

The School also contributed significantly to the International Conference on “India–Vietnam Buddhist Heritage: Retrospect and Prospects,” jointly organized with the Vietnam Buddhist University on 10-11 October, 2025. Bringing together scholars from India and Vietnam, the conference reflected on shared Buddhist heritage while exploring future avenues for academic cooperation, reaffirming SHS’s commitment to historical scholarship and global academic partnerships. Additionally, SHS’s sustained engagement during the quarter reaffirmed its role as a vibrant centre of historical inquiry at Nalanda University.

Dr. Tosabanta Padhan

Teaching Fellow | SHS

Key Activites

• Presented a paper titled “Buddhist Heritage of Rajgir” at the international conference “India-Vietnam Buddhist Heritage: Retrospect and Prospects,” organised by Nalanda University in collaboration with the Vietnam Buddhist Research Institute, held on 10–11 October 2025.
• Delivered a talk on the occasion of International Archaeology Day titled “Introduction to Prehistoric Technologies and the Quaternary Environment,” organised by the Department of A.I.H.C. & Archaeology, Vasanta College for Women, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), on 18 October 2025.
• Coordinated a online symposium between Nalanda University, India and Jambi University and Presented a paper titled “Understanding Ancient Nalanda Mahavihara through a Landscape Approach” at the symposium “Tracing the Connections between Muara Jambi and Ancient Nalanda University,” jointly organised by Nalanda University and the Archaeology Programme, Universitas Jambi, Indonesia, held on 31 October 2025.
• Presented a paper titled “Jain Archaeological Heritage of Rajgir and its Surrounding Areas” at the Nālandā Dialogues on Rājā Ṛṣabhadeva’s Tradition: Culture, Civilization, and Community, organised by the School of Historical Studies, on 17 November 2025.
• Conducted a stone tool knapping workshop as an invited resource person at Vasant Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Kamachha, Varanasi, for the workshop “The Dawn of History: Man, Subsistence & Technologies,” held on 13 November 2025.

Symposium on “Tracing the Connections between Muara Jambi and the Ancient Nalanda University”

October 31, 2025 | Nalanda University, through its School of Historical Studies, co-organised an international symposium with Universitas Jambi, Indonesia, exploring historical and archaeological linkages between Muara Jambi and ancient Nalanda. Bringing together eminent scholars from India, Indonesia, and Europe, the symposium examined shared Buddhist intellectual networks, maritime exchanges, and cultural continuities across Asia. The discussions reaffirmed Nalanda’s enduring role as a trans-Asian centre of knowledge and concluded with a commitment to deepen Indo-ASEAN academic collaboration through joint research in history, archaeology, and heritage studies. The symposium also opened new pathways for long-term academic friendship and collaboration, reaffirming Nalanda University’s commitment to nurturing shared learning, mutual understanding, and living connections across Asia’s civilizational past and present.

Prof. (Dr.) Abhay Kumar Singh,

Professor and Dean

Conference/Seminars/Workshop/Invited Lectures

• 10–11 October 2025 | Delivered Address during the Inaugural Session and chaired Valedictory Session at the International Conference on “India–Vietnam Buddhist Heritage: Retrospect and Prospects,” jointly organised by Nalanda University and Vietnam Buddhist University.
• 26 October 2025 | Presented Inaugural Address in a one-day workshop on the theme ‘India and South East Asia: Two Episodes from Shared Past and Connected History’ organised by the School of Historical Studies, Nalanda University.
• 31 October 2025 | Presented Keynote Address on The Lost Landscape of an Ancient Centre of Learning in an online international symposium titled “Tracing the Connections between Muarajambi and the ancient Nalanda University”, organised by Nalanda University, India, and University of Jambi, Indonesia.
• 17 November 2025 | Presented a paper entitled Tirthankar Adinatha and his Legacy: Clues to Indian History at the Nālandā Dialogues on “Rājā Ṛṣabhadeva’s Tradition: Culture, Civilization, Community,” a one-day seminar jointly organised by Nalanda University, Rajgir, and the Labdhi Vikram Jan Seva Trust.

Dr. Kashshaf Ghani

Assistant Professor | SHS

Publication

• “Negotiating Competition and Coexistence: Sufism and Religious Interactions from South Asia”, South Asian Studies, Nov. 2025. (https://doi.org/10.1080/02666030.2025.2581344)

Lecture/ Talk

• “Is Sufism Medieval or Early Modern? Personalities, Texts and Practices from South Asia”, International Conference on Medieval Times in Early Modern Texts, Institute of History, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, 2–5 December 2025

Dr. Garima Khansili

Conferences / Symposiums/ Activites

• Presented a paper online on “Microblade Technology and Human Dispersals: Implications of the Mehtakheri Assemblage in the Context of Late Pleistocene Archaeology in India” at the International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences (UISPP) UISPP Congress, held from 27th October to 6th November 2025 in Salatiga, Indonesia, under the theme: Asian Prehistory Today: Bridging Science, Heritage and Development’.
• Moderated an online symposium between Nalanda University, India and Jambi University, Indonesia. The event was a collaborative initiative between School of Historical Studies (SHS) at Nalanda University and Archaeology programme at Jambi University, titled: Tracing the Connections between Muarajambi and Ancient Nalanda University.
• Contributed to Sahabhāgita initiative by supporting engagement activities local schools. These included guided campus visits, lectures on foreign language careers, AI and the heritage of Rajgir, along with faculty–student interactions. Also associated with World Heritage Week (19–22 Nov. 2025) & community engagement efforts leading to the initiation of University Self Help Group with local women.

Dr. Azad Hind Gulshan Nanda

Conference/Seminars/Workshop/Invited Lectures

• 10–11 October 2025 | Presented a paper entitled Revisiting the Indianisation Debate through India–Vietnam Buddhist Heritage at the International Conference on “India–Vietnam Buddhist Heritage: Retrospect and Prospects,” jointly organised by Nalanda University and Vietnam Buddhist University.
• 26 October 2025 | Participated in a one-day workshop on 26.10.25 on the theme ‘India and South East Asia: Two Episodes from Shared Past and Connected History’ organised by SHS, NU.
• 31 October 2025 | Presented a paper entitled Tracing the Intellectual and Cultural Linkages between Nalanda and Muara Jambi through the Travels of Yijing and Atiśa in an online international symposium titled “Tracing the Connections between Muarajambi and the ancient Nalanda University”, organised by Nalanda University, India, and University of Jambi, Indonesia.
• 17 November 2025 | Presented a paper entitled Rājā Ṛṣabhadeva: Cultural Traces and Jain Heritage in South Bihār at the Nālandā Dialogues on “Rājā Ṛṣabhadeva’s Tradition: Culture, Civilization, Community,” a one-day seminar jointly organised by Nalanda University, Rajgir, and the Labdhi Vikram Jan Seva Trust.