The newly unveiled Nanhai Buddhist College in Hainan province, set to welcome its first 220 students this September, stands as a stark contrast to India’s stalled Nalanda project. Despite being announced nearly two decades ago, the original Nalanda campus in Bihar remains an empty 455-acre expanse — a silent testament to unfulfilled promises.

China’s swift execution is telling. While India’s effort languished under the direction of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and successive governments, Beijing worked silently in the background. Reports suggest construction began as early as 2012, just a year after China generously donated $1 million to India’s Nalanda project — a move that now appears more strategic than charitable.

The Chinese campus, spanning 618.8 acres on the scenic Nanshan Mountains, is a marvel of ambition. Dubbing its coastline “Brahma Pure Land” — a concept drawn from Mahayana Buddhism — the university will offer courses in Pali, Tibetan, and Chinese, with specialized departments in Buddhist studies, Tibetan Buddhism, and even Buddhist architectural design.

But this is more than just an academic venture; it’s a calculated play for regional influence. China has already woven the university into a network of Buddhist centers across Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Cambodia — effectively sidelining India in a spiritual domain it once dominated.

The appointment of Monk Yin Shun, abbot of Nepal’s Zhong Hua Buddhist Temple, as dean underscores Beijing’s geopolitical maneuvering. Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace, is now a focal point in China’s “South China Sea Strategy”, linking it to Hainan and Wuxi—home to China’s World Buddhist Forum — through a Buddhist-themed One Belt and One Road (OBOR).

India, meanwhile, has only itself to blame. Its boycott of China’s OBOR over sovereignty concerns was justified, but New Delhi failed to counter with cultural diplomacy of its own. While India dithered, China seized the narrative, positioning itself as the new guardian of Buddhist heritage.

The irony is bitter. Nalanda, once the world’s greatest seat of Buddhist learning, now watches as China replicates its legacy — with efficiency India could not muster. And as students from South America to Southeast Asia flock to Hainan, lured by pristine air and cutting-edge academia, India’s soft power deficit grows ever wider.

If this is the battle for cultural influence, China just handed India a humiliating defeat — without firing a single shot.