From correspondents in Singapore, Singapore, 11:30 AM IST

An international advisory panel on the revival of the ancient Indian university of Nalanda is holding its first meeting in Singapore from Friday through Sunday, organisers said.

Economist Amartya Sen, a Nobel laureate, heads the high-powered group.

On the agenda is funding for the project and governance structure, said Singapore's foreign ministry.

Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam initiated the Nalanda project last year. India wants to set up an Asian consortium to resurrect the university, a Buddhist seat of learning in Bihar from 427 to 1197 AD.

Subjects ranging from philosophy and medicine to mathematics and literature were taught at the university.

Historians credit Nalanda with spreading Buddhism to South-East Asia, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan, China and Tibet.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)