Not too far from the ancient academic complex at Nalanda, a new sports centre in Rajgir is driving the state’s bid to emerge as India’s next sporting powerhouse Once upon a time, Lord Buddha spent some time here, teaching. The first Buddhist council was also held here. And then, in the fifth century CE, possibly the world’s oldest residential university, Nalanda, came up here. The university flourished for seven centuries, and then was destroyed in the 12 century. Rajgir, about 100 km south of Patna, still remains a major draw for its many Buddhist attractions. But now, this ancient Buddhist university town has a new calling card. About 20 km away from the ruins of Nalanda, a new landmark looks all set to steal the spotlight from the ancient academic centre: a state-ofthe-art sports complex spread across 97.9 acres and built at a cost of about Rs 770 crore.
Dedicated centres — like Haryana’s wrestling or boxing hubs, or Hyderabad’s badminton academies — have fuelled India’s sporting dreams and achievements in recent years and minted a new generation of sporting heroes. The hope is for the Rajgir Sports Complex to do the same for Bihar. 23 different sports Indian women’s hockey team coach Harendra Singh couldn’t hide his excitement when he saw the complex for the first time. He said it reminded him of the sports facilities in Colorado in the US. That he got a chance to coach his team in the state where he was born and took them to the Asian Champions Trophy title last year, beating China 1-0 in the final, made the venue and the vociferous crowds even more special. “I’ve always wanted to coach in Bihar. So, to get the opportunity finally here in Rajgir and that too with the national team at an international event was indeed a dream come true,” said the coach who was born in Chapra in Saran district. Once fully ready, the world-class sports complex will boast a roster of 23 diverse disciplines, cutting across indoor and outdoor sports. Most importantly, students and budding sportspersons will be able to reside and train at the academies. The first such batch came down towards the end of last year. For now, though, the focus is on successfully hosting the men’s Hockey Asia Cup, which is likely to be held in August and feature India and seven other teams, including Pakistan. The planning for the event has already started. “A second hockey pitch is being laid out in fast-track mode and will be completed in April. The hostels are getting air-conditioners to house the teams and we will also be constructing temporary galleries to hold more spectators,” said Raveendran Sankaran, director general-cumCEO of the Bihar State Sports Authority (BSSA). “Rajgir has got a re markable sports complex, including a state-of-the-art hockey arena. Surrounded by scenic hills, it is one of the most picturesque stadiums in the country,” said Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, who is quite pleased with how the women’s Asian Champions Trophy was conducted. “It was also great to see the reception from fans at these venues with every game getting a packed house. That motivates players to go above and beyond to make fans happy with their performance,” he added.
A cricket stadium, too But the Sports Complex is about much more than just hosting big-ticket events. The most interesting facet of the centre in Rajgir is the sports university that it’ll house, which has already received recognition from the University Grants Commission (UGC). A unique facility, it’s expected to draw people who are interested in sports even if they might not play themselves. “We will be running courses on sports psychology, sports science, and sports nutrition. We will also launch development programmes for coaches and build strong sports science specialists,” said Sankaran, who also talks of using artificial intelligence (AI) to unearth talent in the state. But this launchpad for future sports stars has not ignored the region’s rich past. The main building of the complex pays tribute to the old Nalanda academy in its design and architecture, borrowing key elements. “The colour, design and even brickwork was based on the old Nalanda university. We took into account a salient feature of the old Nalanda university, which was air circulation to ens
ure that the temperature always remained at a particular level,” said Sankaran. Locals though are especially looking forward to the completion of the 45,000-seater cricket stadium that is being built inside the complex. The prospect of seeing the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah in action only adding to the buzz around it. “The cricket stadium is 75% complete and being built according to BCCI standards. It will be inaugurated by June 2025,” Sankaran had said last year. “I believe that domestic matches will start after that. Hosting international matches will then depend on the schedule of the IPL and other international tournaments.” The general view is that Rajgir is ready to take its place on India’s sporting map. “Interest in sports will surely increase in the coming days, thanks to the sports facility in Rajgir. There’s a lot of work going on and, in a matter of two years, people will see even more development,” said Kanchan Gupta, a resident of Patna who’d come down to Rajgir to watch the Asian Champions Trophy. With Bihar govt doing all it can to see a player from the state represent the country at the Olympics in 2036, the Rajgir sports complex appears as a key ingredient for rustling up that winning recipe. It isn’t going to be easy but with the right kind of support and ecosystem the state just might produce the next Manu Bhaker or Neeraj Chopra in the coming days. What it’ll teach… Athletics, football, hockey, swimming, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, weightlifting, kabaddi, badminton, archery, shooting, table tennis, fencing, judo, taekwondo, cycling, cricket, boxing, sepak takraw, wushu, rugby, yogasana … Goes beyond the game The sports complex has a sports university within the facility that will provide academic courses, including undergraduate, diploma and PG diploma courses in physical education and sports sciences. Upcoming events Women’s Kabaddi World Cup in June, Men’s Hockey Asia Cup in Aug
