[en] Laser-plasma interaction studies and experiments related to laser driven shocks as well as laser induced inertially confined thermonuclear fusion have resulted in an ever increasing demand for high brightness lasers capable of producing nanosecond pulse with energy of hundreds of kilo joules. High power Nd-glass laser chains with a master oscillator followed by a number of amplifier stages made up of rods, disks, slabs etc. are in operation in many leading laboratories in the world. This report describes the design, development and characterisation studies of a large aperture Nd:glass laser amplifier which is to be incorporated on line with the existing 40 J, 5 ns high power laser chain built for laser-plasma interaction and laser driven shock wave studies in the Laser and Plasma Technology Division. The development work described in this report discusses the design based on optimum material selection, optimisation of various sub components, ease of maintenance and smooth operation. The necessary operational electronics has also been described. The characterization studies mainly include measurement of spatial gain uniformity, thermally induced depolarization effects, and thermal relaxation studies. (author). 37 refs., 14 figs., 5 tabs