Rajgir, Bihar | December 21, 2025
The historic town of Rajgir in Bihar is set to host the inaugural edition of the Nalanda Literature Festival (NLF) 2025, beginning on December 21, at the Rajgir Convention Centre. The five-day festival will run until December 25 and aims to revive Nalanda’s centuries-old legacy as a global hub of knowledge, dialogue, and intellectual exchange.
Rooted in the ethos of the ancient Nalanda University- once regarded as the world’s foremost seat of learning- the festival positions itself as a contemporary platform celebrating legacy, language, and literature. With a special focus on Bihar and the North East, NLF 2025 seeks to foreground regional literary traditions while encouraging national and international conversations across cultures, genres, and generations.
Festival leadership and academic partners announced key details and the broader vision of the event during a media interaction held on Friday. The discussions underscored NLF’s ambition to bridge classical and contemporary literary traditions while creating space for diverse voices, ranging from folklore and oral narratives to modern and future-facing writing.
Over the course of the festival, NLF 2025 will host a wide-ranging programme featuring thematic literary sessions, panel discussions, author interactions, and workshops addressing literature’s evolving role in society. The festival will also include curated book stalls showcasing a broad spectrum of publications, book reviews and launches, live cultural performances, and daily yoga and meditation sessions- offering attendees a holistic experience that blends intellectual engagement with cultural and personal well-being.
Speaking about the vision behind the festival, Shri Ganga Kumar, Festival Director, Nalanda Literature Festival, said, “The Nalanda Literature Festival is envisioned as a living tribute to Nalanda’s timeless legacy of knowledge and dialogue. Through NLF 2025, we seek to create a platform that brings together scholars, writers, artists, and thinkers to engage with ideas rooted in tradition while addressing contemporary cultural and literary realities.”
The announcement event witnessed the participation of several eminent personalities from the academic, literary, and cultural spheres. Among those present were Prof. Siddharth Singh, Vice Chancellor of Nava Nalanda Mahavihara (NNM); D. Aaliya, Chairperson, Nalanda Literature Festival; Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Festival Chairperson; Dr. Pankaj K. P. Shreyaskar, author, columnist, poet, and Festival Advisor; Pankaj Dubey, author and Festival Curator; and Charles Thomson, anchor of the event.
Also in attendance were Sanjay Kumar, civil servant and social activist, and Dr. Sarita Boodhoo, social activist, writer, and journalist, along with members of the media and the wider cultural community. The gathering reflected the festival’s intent to foster interdisciplinary dialogue that extends beyond literature to encompass culture, society, and civic engagement.
Organisers emphasised that NLF 2025 aspires to grow into a significant national and international cultural gathering in the years ahead. By situating Rajgir at the centre of contemporary literary discourse, the festival aims to reaffirm Nalanda’s enduring relevance as a space for learning, debate, and the free exchange of ideas.
Inspired by the ancient Nalanda University’s spirit of intellectual openness, the Nalanda Literature Festival seeks to reconnect modern literary conversations with India’s rich traditions of knowledge and storytelling. Guided by its core pillars- Legacy, Language, and Literature- the festival places particular emphasis on vernacular languages, regional voices, and emerging literary talent, especially from Bihar and the North East.
As the inaugural edition begins, expectations are high that the Nalanda Literature Festival will mark the beginning of a renewed cultural renaissance- one that honours the past while engaging meaningfully with the literary and intellectual challenges of the present.
