Rajgir: Nalanda University on Friday welcomed a high-level delegation from Dongguk University in what officials described as a landmark academic and cultural engagement, reaffirming centuries-old links between India and Korea grounded in Buddhism and learning.
The 52-member delegation was led by Venerable Donkwan, chairperson of the board of trustees of the Dongguk University Foundation, and Prof Jaewoong Yun, president of Dongguk University. Their visit unfolded through a carefully designed programme that combined academic dialogue, cultural exchange and strategic discussions on long-term institutional cooperation.
The engagement began with the inauguration of an exhibition of Thangka paintings and Buddhist artefacts, opened by Venerable Donkwan. The display included works by the Korean monk-artist Bhikshu Dovung, who was present at the event, lending what organisers described as a “living spiritual and artistic dimension” to the occasion.
Welcoming the delegation, Nalanda University’s vice-chancellor, Prof Sachin Chaturvedi, outlined the institution’s contemporary academic vision and its ambition to reclaim Nalanda’s historic role as a global centre for inter-civilisational dialogue. He highlighted opportunities for collaboration in areas such as Buddhist pilgrimage studies, philosophy and ethics, cultural conservation, the Sustainable Development Goals, and broader global challenges.
The visit was structured around two parallel tracks. A closed-door roundtable brought together senior leadership, deans and faculty members from both universities to discuss joint research initiatives, faculty and student mobility, and frameworks for long-term academic partnership. At the same time, a cultural and academic exchange session at the Sushma Swaraj Auditorium featured Buddhavacana chanting by international students, presentations on Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Rajgir, and interactions between students and members of the Korean delegation.
Building on an existing memorandum of understanding between the two institutions, both sides agreed to move towards structured faculty and student exchange programmes, annual faculty visits, joint research projects and an international conference to be hosted alternately in India and South Korea.
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During the discussions, Prof Yun formally invited Nalanda University to participate in Dongguk University’s 120th anniversary celebrations in Seoul on May 7, 2026. The invitation was accepted by Prof Chaturvedi, marking another step in what both sides described as a growing and future-oriented partnership.
The visit concluded with a shared commitment to translate dialogue into sustained collaboration across education, Buddhist studies, culture, sustainability and interdisciplinary research — a continuation, university officials noted, of Nalanda’s ancient legacy of cross-border scholarship and exchange.
