New Delhi: The education system of ancient and medieval India was such that people from faraway places, from foreign lands used to come to our country in large numbers to increase their wealth of knowledge. Vikramashila, a monastery located in today’s Bihar is a testament to the fact that our country has worshipped the value of learning and education since ancient times. In this article, we will learn more about the monastery which has become relatively unknown to the common people.
Who built Vikramashila?
Dharmapala, the second ruler of the Pala Empire in the Bengal region established Vikramashila in the late 8th or early 9th century. During the reign of the Pala Empire, several monasteries flourished in medieval Bengal and Magadha and five great Mahaviharas especially stood out: Nalanda, which was past its prime but was still glorious; Vikramashila, the foremost university of the era along with Odantapura, Jagaddala and Somapura.
The five monasteries formed a network and were supervised by the state, they had a co-ordination system among them. Archaeological evidence points towards the formation of a network between different seats of Buddhist learning in eastern India during the Pāla regime and the institutions and great scholars would move easily from one position to another among them.
Among all the Buddhist universities in the history of India, Vikramashila was one of the largest with over 100 teachers and more than 1,000 students. It had eminent scholars and foreign countries often invited them to impart learnings of Buddhism and its culture. Atisha Dipankara was one such scholar who founded the Sarma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. In Vikramashila, subjects like grammar, philosophy, metaphysics, etc. were taught but the teaching of Buddhist tantra was the most important branch.
How did it end?
Vikramashila, one of the most important Buddhist universities in the world at that time flourished for about 400 years. According to reports, in around 1193, the invader Bakhtiyar Khilji destroyed it along with the other major centres of Buddhism in Eastern India, with Nalanda apparently being among the places ravaged by his invading forces.
The Archeological Survey of India has worked extensively to restore this important historical place. In 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a Rs 500 crore package to achieve this goal and in 2017, the then President of India, Pranab Mukherjee visited the excavated ruins of Vikramshila. Over the years, the place has been greatly restored and its popularity as a tourism site has increased, though the site is relatively unknown to people outside Bihar.
Dharmapala, the second ruler of the Pala Empire in the Bengal region established Vikramashila in the late 8th or early 9th century. During the reign of the Pala Empire, several monasteries flourished in medieval Bengal and Magadha. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
