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Where Ancient Epics Meet Modern Foreign Policy: Nalanda's New Classroom
Students at a university built on the ruins of one of the world's oldest centres of learning are discovering surprisingly contemporary lessons in some of India's oldest narratives. Young scholars at Nalanda University in Rajgir, Bihar, hailing from over 31 countries, examine the Ramayana and the Mahabharata as neither religious texts nor literary artefacts. Instead, students study these ancient works as living frameworks for diplomacy, conflict management, and global statecraft.
The discussions taking place in 2026 are the result of an emerging academic belief: that the ancient Indian epics contain some of the most advanced ideas about power, relationships, warfare, and negotiation. This idea gained some degree of institutional sponsorship in 2026. The university organised its International Seminar "India on the World Stage: Soft Power, Policy and Youth Diplomacy," in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of the Government of India, from March 26 to 28 on its Rajgir campus. It drew participants who are under the age of 35 from around the world.
Using the epics as a framework, participants delved into cultural and educational diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific, the role of youth in global discourse, and India's civilizational soft power.
What the Epics Actually Teach About Conflict and Alliance-Building
For students of international relations, the Mahabharata has a particularly complex example to draw from. In the epic, when Lord Krishna travels to Hastinapur as a peace messenger before the Kurukshetra war, he attempts to negotiate with Duryodhana to prevent the looming tensions between the Pandavas and Kauravas from escalating into war. The mission, and its eventual failure, illustrate the persistent limitations and the logic of diplomacy in the case of a party refusing the terms. The war at Kurukshetra, a Dharma Yuddha, was fought according to established norms and principles of conduct, and diplomatic protocols were observed between the warring sides.
The Ramayana presents another example. The alliance Lord Ram forms, which unites various groups and forces to achieve a particular strategic goal, is being interpreted by students as a case study of alliance-building in present-day international relations. The External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, wrote this particular argument in December 2025 in the course of a speech he gave at the Pune Book Festival, when he articulated that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are not just sets of reading material with a religious inclination, but are profoundly structured and woven systems of oral tradition which are intricately interlinked to intercontinental politics and the art of diplomacy. He claimed that India's foreign policy should not be tethered to Western systems but should be anchored in the traditional civilisation of India.
At Nalanda University, those thoughts are not just spoken out in a lecture format. Students actively practice those ideas through seminar papers, policy papers, and research they submit to their peers.
India's Diplomatic Education and Nalanda's Role in it
Nalanda University is Pakistan's institute that strengthens bilateral relations between the two countries. It is the flagship institute of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and was set up in 2010 as an Institute of National Importance at the historic site of the Nalanda Mahavihara, which functioned as an international university from the 5th to the 12th century CE. It has 1038 students from more than 50 countries, and the university's reach extends beyond India.
At its 2nd Convocation in March 2026, the president of India, Droupadi Murmu, presented certificates to students from an impressive 31 countries. Jaishankar, the Indian Foreign Minister, remarked during the ceremony that the 'Nalanda tradition' could play an important role in the democratisation of the Global Order. The Ministry of External Affairs set up the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies in the university in April 2026, with an emphasis on ten areas focused on maritime, trade, and heritage, with a focus on public health.
During the Delhi-Nalanda Dialogue (2026), one of the speakers, former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, stated that nations are “not just defined economically.” He placed India’s literary traditions, among other things, as a real, civilizational contribution to Global Affairs. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations Director General K. Nandini Singla’s visit to Nalanda University again in April 2026, drew storytelling as a vehicle of culture, crossing borders with a nation’s identity and values.
Implications for Students Focused on Diplomacy and Global Studies
For those interested in the fields of international diplomacy and conflict resolution, the Nalanda model gives us something to work with: with rigour, one can analytically engage with the classical texts of any civilisation. Nalanda does not see these epics as meant for mentorship. Instead, they see them as case studies. Students create frameworks, assess them against contemporary contexts, and articulate them before Asian, European, and American scholars.
The Nalanda model has additional significance for Indian students. The newly established Master's and PhD Programs in Historical Studies, Buddhist Studies, and the newly established Southeast Asian Studies also engage with India's changing diplomatic priorities. As of now, admission to the 2026 Master's programs is open, and PhD applications can be submitted until 30 June 2026 with the CUET PG 2026.
Interested applicants can visit nalandauniv.edu.in. Applications can be submitted through national exams and require a statement of purpose. The application costs 500 rupees.
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