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Discover why winter is the best season to visit Nalanda. Explore its ancient ruins, serene weather, vibrant literature festival, local food culture, and museums
This year, Nalanda is hosting its first literature festival, and the region is genuinely excited.
Winter changes the whole mood of Nalanda. The air turns cool, the mornings feel slow and slightly misty, and the afternoons are warm enough for long, unhurried walks. Nothing here feels loud or rushed, the town moves at its own pace, and you naturally fall into that rhythm. A cup of chai, a short walk, a bit of sunlight… it all comes together in a simple, comforting way that makes winter the best time to be here.
Here are 5 reasons to visit Nalanda this winter:
1. Architectural Ruins & UNESCO Site
The ruins of the ancient university are still spread out like an open book. Long corridors, old viharas, small meditation rooms, and broken stupas, they all stand quietly, unchanged by time. You can wander through them without any hurry. The boards around the site explain things simply, and local guides speak like storytellers rather than lecturers. Go early in the morning or towards evening; the light at those hours makes the red bricks look warmer and almost alive.
2. Nalanda Literature Festival (21–25 December)
This year, Nalanda is hosting its first literature festival, and the region is genuinely excited.
Speakers include Aalok Shrivastav, Abhay K, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Akhilendra Mishra, Koral Dasgupta, Anupam Kher, Reshma Prasad, Shekhar Suman, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Dr. Sonal Mansingh, and many others.
Over five days, the festival will offer talks, readings, art, and performances. Themes include Bihar’s languages, a special Northeast segment on tribal languages and inscriptions, oral stories, translations, scripts, women in literature, diaspora writing, and voices that don’t always get enough space. It’s a blend of many worlds coming together in one historic town.
3. Pleasant Winter Weather
The weather is steady and uncomplicated, cold mornings with a touch of fog, warm sunlit afternoons perfect for exploring, and cool evenings ideal for slow walks. Winter is easily the most comfortable season to be here.
4. Local Food & Chai Culture
Litti-chokha, tilkut, khaja, and hot chai served in clay cups, that’s winter in Nalanda. Tea stalls become natural resting points where you warm your hands, pause for a moment, and end up chatting even if you didn’t plan to.
5. Museums, Ancient Artefacts & New Nalanda University
The Nalanda Archaeological Museum houses statues, coins, seals, and terracotta pieces from the ruins. The Mahavira Museum in Pawapuri displays Jain sculptures and old handwritten texts. Both are quiet, thoughtful spaces that open a window into the region’s past.
The modern Nalanda University, established in 2010 by the Ministry of External Affairs, carries forward the legacy of ancient learning. As an Institute of National Importance, it is designed in a way that pays tribute to old Nalanda, with open lawns, red-brick buildings, and long walkways that make it feel like knowledge never really left this soil.
Nalanda isn’t a place that tries to impress you. It grows on you slowly through small moments, simple sights, and its easy winter mood.
Pankaj Dubey is a bilingual Penguin novelist and the curator of the Nalanda Literature Festival 2025
Swati Chaturvedi is a seasoned media professional with over 13 years of experience in journalism, digital content strategy, and editorial leadership across top national media houses. An alumna of Lady Shri Ram …Read More
Swati Chaturvedi is a seasoned media professional with over 13 years of experience in journalism, digital content strategy, and editorial leadership across top national media houses. An alumna of Lady Shri Ram … Read More
November 19, 2025, 09:57 IST
