The Andhra Pradesh government has allotted five acres of land at Nagarjunakonda for the establishment of a National Academy for Rural Buddhist Heritage Conservation and Development, placing the State at the forefront of India’s efforts to revive and protect its vast but neglected rural Buddhist legacy.
The announcement was made at the conclusion of the three-day International Conference on the Preservation of Rural Buddhist Heritage held in New Delhi, where the Delhi Declaration was adopted as a national framework for conservation. The conference brought together scholars, monks, conservation experts and policymakers from India and abroad.
Nagarjunakonda, located in the Krishna river valley, is among India’s most significant archaeological sites associated with early Buddhism. Once a major centre of monastic learning and Buddhist art, the region continues to hold deep historical and cultural importance. The proposed academy is expected to build on this legacy by becoming the country’s first institution dedicated exclusively to research, training and community-based conservation of rural Buddhist heritage.
The academy will focus on documenting lesser-known rural Buddhist sites, developing professional capacity in heritage conservation and ensuring the participation of local communities. The Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to allot land is being seen as a critical step towards implementing national commitments at the State level.
During the conference, speakers highlighted the growing threats faced by rural Buddhist sites, including climate change, environmental degradation and regulatory constraints. His Eminence Kyabje Serkong Tsenshap Rinpoche cited the example of the 1,000-year-old Tabo Monastery in Himachal Pradesh, which has suffered severe damage due to unseasonal rainfall and moisture infiltration.
Former NITI Aayog CEO Dr. Amitabh Kant called for treating Buddhist heritage conservation as a national mission and stressed the need for sustainable and community-oriented Buddhist tourism models. Heritage experts such as Professor Amareswar Galla and Dr. Prajapati Trivedi of Harvard University emphasised the importance of systematic documentation, academic training and international collaboration.
The conference concluded with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration, an eight-point commitment recognising rural Buddhist heritage as living culture. The declaration calls for enhanced community participation, technology-enabled documentation, regional cooperation through a proposed Asian Consortium, and institutional support for the Nagarjunakonda Academy.
With land now allotted by the Andhra Pradesh government, the proposed academy at Nagarjunakonda is expected to emerge as a national centre for Buddhist heritage conservation. For Andhra Pradesh, the initiative signals renewed focus on its rich Buddhist past and opens avenues for heritage-led research, education and sustainable rural development.
