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Atul Kumar Verma, director (archaeology) of the Bihar government’s Department of Art and Culture, says, “Since the excavations suggest that Telhara might have been a contemporary of Nalanda, it is quite possible that it was either an independent university for specialised education or that students graduating from Nalanda University would come here for specialised study. It is a great feeling to see the place emerging as the next big find after Nalanda. It has also aroused great curiosity and attracted even the likes of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.” Sen, who visited the site this January, wrote in the visitors’ book: “What a wonderful site, really thrilling! And so skillfully excavated and restored.” (IE Photo: Ravi S Sahani)