In the backdrop of coronavirus pandemic, the Nav Nalanda Mahavihara (NNM), a deemed university under the ministry of culture in Nalanda, Saturday suspended all the activities till March 31.The university has over 200 students from foreign countries, including China, Thailand and Japan.
All the boys and girls from foreign countries who are mostly accommodated at the university hostels have been asked to avoid going out of the campus unless there is any emergency. In case things are urgent, they will have to seek permission from university authorities, said an official pleading anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Hiuen Tsang Memorial which is located close to the NNM, has issued an advisory as per which the students who have visited their native countries will have to go for a test at a health centre on their arrival in the country and will be allowed to the university hostel only when they are found free from infections.
All these decisions were taken at a meeting held under the supervision of the NNM vice-chancellor (V-C) Dr Baidynath Labh here on Saturday.
“A circular in this connection has also been issued for the convenience of the students and teachers and other officials at the university. Considering the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines we have suspended all the academic and administrative activities on the campus,” Labh said.
The university has over 600 students and one third of the population is from the foreign countries. “Most of the students are doing courses in Pali and Buddhist studies. Besides, some have also joined courses in Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan language, literature, Sanskrit, English, culture and archaeology. We have asked them to not go out and interact with outsiders in the area,” he said.
The V-C said that precautionary measures are being taken at the Hiuen Tsang Memorial. “The memorial contains the relic of Hiuen Tsang, a Buddhist monk from China who had travelled to Bihar in 7th Century AD. It was developed by the ministry of culture to mark Indio- China relationship and is at present maintained by the NNM,” he said.
The site and the monument witness large number of foreign and domestic tourists. “Even research scholars and academicians from all over the world turn up to the site in good numbers,” Labh said.
“We have banned the entry of all the foreign and domestic visitors to site to avoid the infection,” he said.
