Patna, Feb 12 (IANS): The ruins of the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar should be in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites, External Affairs Minister Salman Kuurshid said Tuesday.
"The ruins should be included in the list," Khurshid told reporters in Nalanda, about 100 km from here.
Last week, Noble laureate Amartya Sen said it was "outrageous" that the Nalanda ruins was not in the heritage list.
A fifth century architectural marvel, the Nalanda University, devoted to Buddhist studies, was home to over 10,000 students and nearly 2,000 teachers.
The varsity, which existed until 1197, attracted students and scholars from South Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia and Turkey.
In 1193, the university was ransacked by an army led by Bhaktiyar Khilji, a Turkish general of Qutb-ud-din-Aibak of the Slave Dynasty, the then ruler of northern India.