Vikramashila - Pride of Bihar

✎ Vikramashila was one of the two most important centres of learning in India during the Pala Empire, along with Nalanda.
✎ It was established by king Dharampala in 8th or early 9th century (783 to 820) in response to a supposed decline in the quality of scholarship at Nalanda.
✎ It was destroyed by the forces of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji around 1193 century. 
✎ Vikramashila (village antichak, district Bhagalpur, Bihar) is located at about 50 km east of Bhagalpur and about 13 km north-east of Kahalgaon, a town of Bhagalpur district.
✎ It was prospered for about 4 centuries before it was destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khilji along with the other major centres of Buddhism in India.
✎ It is known to us mainly through Tibetan sources, especially the writings of Taranatha, the Tibetan monk historian of the 16th-17th centuries.
✎ It was the largest Buddhist universities, with more than one hundred teachers and about one thousand students.
✎ It produced eminent scholars who were often invited by foreign countries to spread Buddhist learning, culture and religion.
✎ Subjects like philosophy, grammar, metaphysics, Indian logic, etc. were taught here, but the most important branch of learning was tantrism.
✎ Hierarchy of Vikramashila:
1) Abbot (Adhyaksha)
2) Six gate protectors or gate scholars (Dvarapala or Dvarapandita), one each for the Eastern, Western, first central, second central, Northern and Southern gates.
3) Great scholars ( Mahapandita)
4) Scholars (Pandita), roughly 108 in number.
5) Professors or teachers (Upadhyaya or Acharya), roughly 160 in number including pandits.
6) Resident monks (Bhiksu), roughly 1000 in number.
✎ Dvarapala’s of Vikramashila:
1) Ratnakarasanti (Eastern gate)
2) Vagisvarakirti (Western gate)
3) Ratnavajra (First central gate)
4) Jnanasrimitra (Second central gate)
5) Naropa (Northern gate)
6) Prajanakaramati (Southern gate)
✎ Vikramashila was centre of Vajrayarana and employed tantric preceptors.
✎ Tantric preceptors are Buddhajnanapada, Dipakankarabhadra, Jayabhadra, Sridhara, Bavabhatta, Bhavyakirti, Lilavajra, Durjaychandra, Samayavajra, Tathagatarakshita, Bodhibhadra, and Kamalarakshita.
✎ Meticulous excavation at the site was conducted initially by B.P. Sinha of Patna University and subsequently by Archaeological Survey of India.
✎ It has revealed a huge square monastery with a cruciform stupa in its centre, library building and cluster of votive stupas.
✎ To the north of monastery a number of scattered structures including a Tibetan and a Hindu temple have been found.
✎ The monastery, or residence for the Buddhist monks, is a huge square structure, each side measuring 330 metres having a series of 208 cells, 52 on each of the four sides opening in a common verandah.
✎ The main stupa built for the purpose of worship is a brick structure laid in mud mortar which stands in the centre of the square monastery.
✎ On each of the four cardinal directions there is a protruding chamber with a pillared antichamber and a separate pillared mandapa in front.
✎ In the four chambers of the stupa were placed colossal stucco images of seated Buddha of which three were found in situ but the remaining one on north side was possibly replaced by a stone image after the clay image was somehow damaged.
✎ About 32 metres south of the monastery on the South West corner and attached with the main monastery through a narrow corridor is a rectangular structure identified as a library building and was meant for preserving delicate manuscripts.
✎ The Vikramashila stupa built for the purpose of worship is a brick structure laid in mud mortar and stands in the centre of the square monastery. It has two terraces- the lower terrace is about 2.25 metres high from the ground level and the upper terrace is at a similar height from the lower side. At both terrace there is a circumambulatory path, the lower about 4.5 metres wide and the upper about 3 metres wide.
✎ There is protruding chamber with a pillared antechamber and a separate pillared mandapa in front, placed beyond the circumambatory passage.
✎ The walls and floors of the chamber and antechamber were plastered with lime.
✎ The walls of both the terraces are decorated with mouldings and terracotta plaques which testify the high excellence of terracotta art flourishing in the region during Pal period (8th to 12th century).
✎ The plaques depict many Buddhist deities like Buddha, Avalokiteshwara, Manjusri, Mitreya, Jambala, Marichi and Tara, scenes related to Buddhism, some social and hunting scenes, and a few Hindu deities like Vishnu, Parvati, Ardhanarisvara and Hanuman.
✎ The architecture of the stupa and the terracotta plaques bear great resemblance to the Somapura Mahavira, Paharpur (Bangladesh) which, too, was founded by the same king Dharmapala.
✎ Vikramashila monastery is also larger and has fort- like projections on its outer wall.
✎ It was neglected for years which contributed to extensive damages to the monument but now ASI is planning to develop the excavated site of Vikramashila. Since 2009, there has been considerable work in maintaining and beautifying the place to attract tourism.
✎ The Vikramashila site is the place for Vikramashila Mahotsav, which is held annually during the month of February.