Patna, Feb 21 : Nobel laureate Amartya Sen Saturday urged industrialists from the Jain community to invest at Pawapuri in Bihar where Lord Mahavira, Jainism's founder, attained enlightenment.

'They should invest for its development,' Sen told reporters here. Pawapuri is nearly 90 km from Patna.

The economist, who visited Pawapuri Friday, said there was a need to set up three-star hotels, an engineering college and better infrastructure at Pawapuri in Nalanda district.

Sen recalled that he last visited Pawapuri in 2003 when he was part of a delegation of former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

Sen is in Bihar for a meeting of the mentor group of the proposed Nalanda International University in Nalanda. He heads the group.