Patna,(BiharTimes): The Mahavir Mandir Trust plans to set up Ramayan University in Vaishali district of Bihar. It has acquired about 25 acres of land in Hajipur for the planned university.

According to Acharya Kishore Kunal, chairman of the Trust apart from teaching, this unique university would be an advanced centre of research on the Ramayan and allied subjects. It will have a Wi Fi campus and IT facilities as well.

It is this Trust which has planned to build the Viraat Ramayan Mandir in East Champaran district. In November last, chief minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a model of this temple coming up on 110 acres of land at Kesaria in East Champaran district with an estimated budget of Rs 500 crore.

The Trust plans specialised five-year course in Astrophysics, Astronomy, Hindu Mythology, Vedas and Upanishads, Sanskrit and much more in a bid to preserve and promote the literature of the Ramayan in Sanskrit, Hindi, vernacular texts or the languages of South East Asian countries.

Kunal said the Valmiki Ramayan would be the main foundation of the syllabus, but other Ramayans such as Adhyatma and Anand as well as Sanskrit works like Raghuvansha of Kalidas would also be included.

He further added that Ram-charit-manas of Tulsidas in Hindi and all other epics in vernacular languages like Tamil Ramayan of Kamb or Marathi Ramayan of Eknath and Ramayans prevalent in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia too would be part of the syllabi of the University. Other Hindu scriptures such as Gita would also be taught at the campus.

He said students would be imparted basic knowledge of Sanskrit to the extent that they understand the Sanskrit text after reading the translation.

Kunal said that earlier the University was planned in Motihari, but since a Central University is already coming up it has been planned to build in Hajipur, which is more close to Patna and more centrally located.