Since the moment of Lord Buddha's Enlightenment under the Bodhi-Tree till the establishment of Magadh University, Bodh Gaya on 1 st March, 1962, Magadh region of Bihar has envisaged academic explorations in the forms of "Papaa" and "Aparaa" Vidya. Various Gurukuls, Bauddha Vihars, Shramanas, Pathshalas, Nalanda and Udantpuri Universities.
Maqtabs and English Medium Institutions echo the divinely lit-academic throbs of Magadh down the ages. It was Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the then president of India and great Philosopher, Scholar of Modern age who laid the foundation of this University in August, 1964 as a homage to Lord Buddha and Buddhism.
The renowned historian Dr. K.K.Dutta was the founder Vice-Chancellor of this University who had dreamt of disseminating the message of Buddhism by launching new branches of South Asian Studies in the Department of History.