Located in the town of Rajgir, in the northern Indian state of Bihar, Nalanda is a postgraduate, research intensive, international university. The University came into being on November 25, 2010 by a special Act of the Indian Parliament and has been designated as an "institution of national importance". Nalanda is inspired by the academic excellence and global vision of its historic predecessor and aspires to meet and set global standards of academic excellence and research and enable capacity building in all areas of higher learning. The University is being supported by all the Member States of the East Asia Summit and Intergovernmental Memorandums of Understanding to that effect have been signed by 17 countries. The University seeks to recover the lost connections and partnerships that existed in the region called Asia, before the onset of historical forces that led to their dissolution. Asian cultures have multiple links that go deep into the past and are reflected in a variety of common cultural features. The re-discovery of inter-Asian linkages in recent times has led to a resurgence in discovering and building upon a shared history. Nalanda University is envisaged as an icon of this new Asian renaissance: a creative space that will be for future generations a centre of inter- civilizational dialogue.