A group of donors and promoters of Nalanda University from Singapore and Hong Kong on Sunday visited the institute campus.

The group, on a three-day visit to Bihar, took a tour of Bodhgaya and Rajgir also. The group includes donors who have contributed to the gift that will design, build and deliver the library at Nalanda. The nature of the gift is funding of the building cost of the Nalanda University library in its first phase.

The gift from the people of Singapore (not the government) to Nalanda was an initiative of university chancellor George Yeo. He took the initiative well before taking up the chancellor's responsibility. Yeo was a member of the Nalanda University governing board then.

K.C. Chew, a leading consultant in philanthropy in Singapore, who earlier oversaw endowments at National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and is the secretary at Nalanda Library Fund Limited, is also travelling with the group.

Nalanda Library Fund Limited mobilises funds for the university library.

Chew said: "When we set out to raise the funds for Nalanda University, we had set ourselves a target to raise 10 million Singapore dollars, and about 80 per cent of that has been secured. We are hopeful that the remaining amount will reach soon after this trip which is partly to also inspire those who have not yet committed a specific gift amount for the library."

About the importance of supporting a project like Nalanda University, chancellor Yeo said: "Endowments play a very important role in building centres of knowledge and allowing them to realise their academic vision. As the Nalanda project moves ahead, we hope to have many more people join in this vision."

Thanking the supporters for their interest in the university, vice-chancellor Gopa Sabharwal said: "We are grateful to the people of Singapore for believing in the vision of Nalanda and look forward to increasing support for this project."

The donors for the Nalanda Library have selected Singapore-based architectural firm, RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers, to design the library. The RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers team is led by architect and planner Liu Thai Ker, who was the master planner for Singapore and brings with him more than 50 years of experience in multiple projects.

Liu. along with a five-member team from RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers, visited Rajgir in August 2015 to discuss modalities of design. RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers is part of a tripartite agreement with Nalanda University and Vastu Shilpa Consultants, the master planner for the university.

The group, during its three-day visit to Rajgir and Bodhgaya, will be accompanied by chancellor Yeo and will first visit the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya and then move on to Rajgir, where in addition to interactions with the university community and Sabharwal, will also visit the Nalanda ruins, Nalanda Museum, Xuan Zang Memorial Hall and other places of interest.