The two-day site inspection of Nalanda University ruins by Japanese expert Masaya Matsui concluded on Thursday on a positive note with expectations of inclusion of the ancient seat of learning in the World Heritage list.

Following a detailed survey on Wednesday of the Nalanda ruins spread over 12 hectares, Matsui on Thursday surveyed the buffer zone of 300m around the remains of the ancient university. He also held a meeting with local stakeholders in the afternoon in Rajgir and concluded his visit with another meeting with Bihar chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh in Patna in the evening.

Matsui was in Nalanda on behalf of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), a professional agency that offers advice to Unesco on World Heritage Sites. He conducted the site inspection on the basis of a dossier on the Nalanda ruins submitted by Archeological Survey of India to Unesco's World Heritage Centre in Paris on January 23.

Spot verification

Starting 8am, Matsui first visited the Nalanda ruins, where he did a final spot verification and interacted with a few of the employees deputed at the ancient site. Later, he visited Xuanzang Memorial, around 500m northeast of Nalanda ruins. "Xuanzang is a legend not only in China but worshipped in Japan and Korea too," said Matsui.

Thereafter, Matsui went around the rural settlements in the buffer zone in all directions along the periphery of Nalanda ruins. As a keen observer, Matsui took deep interest in finer details of the existing development in the buffer zone around the Nalanda ruins. Declaration of the buffer zone is a mandatory criterion for any World Heritage Site. Minimal construction and other human activities are permitted in the buffer zone. Jamviz Sharma, the director of conservation and world heritage section of the ASI replied to most queries raised by Matsui.

Following the survey of the buffer zone, Matsui held a closed-door meeting with the ASI officials at the Nalanda site museum.

Stakeholders' meeting

Post lunch, Matsui chaired the stakeholders' meeting held at Rajgir International Convention Centre. The meeting was participated by people from a cross-section of the society at Nalanda, including street vendors, traders' association, transporters, panchayat representatives and farmers. Gopa Sabharwal, the vice-chancellor of the new Nalanda University and Bijoy Kumar Chaudhary, the director at Patna-based KP Jayaswal Research Institute also participated in the meeting.

Mastui told the street vendors, traders and other people settled in the buffer zone that there would be certain restrictions and regulations if the Nalanda ruins is declared as World Heritage site and whether they have any reservations against abiding to them. He also asked the nearby institutions, including Nalanda University and Nava Nalanda Mahavihara on how they are contributing towards the promotion of Nalanda ruins.

Matsui would furnish his report on his visit to Nalanda ruins to World Heritage Centre of Unesco at Paris after he returns to Japan. A final decision in this regard would be announced in June, next year.