ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book discusses the case study of Nalanda that shows the enormous potential of the archaeology of Buddhism and continues to be under-researched in South Asia. A major international project that has captured headlines relates to the revival of the university at Nalanda, a site idyllically depicted in the paintings in the Constitution of India and described in early Chinese writings. The quest for an international Buddhist university probably started in 1934 when the Dhammapala Memorial Committee approached the Government of the United Provinces to set up one at Sarnath. The book overviews the archaeological remains unearthed in an area covering a corridor of about 100 km from Ganga in northern and southern Bihar belies the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang's claim that Buddha dhamma was in a state of decline in the seventh century CE.
