Vikramshila University

Vikramshila was a royal project of the Pala kings of Bengal and Bihar. Its ruins still lie in Bihar.

1. Who founded Vikramshila, and when?

King Dharmapala of the Pala dynasty founded Vikramshila. The Palas ruled Bengal and Bihar from the eighth century. They were Buddhists, and they gave money to monasteries.

The exact date is not fixed. Sources place the founding between about 775 and 820 CE. Most simply say the late eighth or early ninth century.

One source notes that Dharmapala carried the title Vikramashiladeva. This suggests the university and the king were closely linked.

2. Where was Vikramshila?

The ruins are at Antichak village in Bhagalpur district, Bihar. The place lies about 50 km east of Bhagalpur town. It sits close to the Ganga.

An old Tibetan text says the monastery stood where the holy river flows north. The Ganga does turn north near Patharaghat, a hill close to the ruins.

3. What did the site look like?

Diggers found a huge square monastery. Each side is about 330 metres long. Around the courtyard are about 208 small cells where monks lived.

There is a large temple mound, called a chaitya. It is about 15 metres high. Near it stands a library-like building with 13 small vents. These vents may have let air reach the palm-leaf manuscripts.

A wall about three metres thick ran around the whole site.

Vikramshila was strict about who could join. Its staff formed a clear ladder.

4. What were the six gates?

A student could not simply walk in. Six scholars stood at six gates. Each was called a gate-keeper scholar, or dvarapandita.

They tested the knowledge of every person who wanted to join. Only those who passed could enter the college inside.

So the gates worked like an entrance exam. They were an oral test of knowledge.

5. Who were the gate scholars?

Tibetan records name six gate scholars from the time of King Canaka, in the mid-tenth century. They included Ratnakarashanti, Vagishvarakirti, Naropa and Jnanashrimitra.

One modern writer doubts the list. The dates of Naropa do not fit well with that king’s time. So treat the names as a tradition, not a proven fact.

6. Who ran the university?

An abbot led Vikramshila. Under him came the six gate scholars and the senior scholars, called mahapanditas.

Below them were about 108 panditas and about 160 teachers. Tibetan history writers say about 1,000 monks lived there. Another paper says 3,000 monks lived there in the twelfth century.

The numbers differ because the sources are from different times. Treat them as rough sizes.

7. What did students study?

Tantric Buddhism was the main subject. Tantra is a Buddhist path that uses ritual and meditation to reach insight quickly. Vikramshila is known as the great centre of this path.

Scholars also taught Mahayana and Hinayana texts. Grammar, logic and some Hindu scriptures were part of the course too.

Monks also translated Sanskrit books into Tibetan here. Famous heads included Jetari, Abhayakaragupta and Dipankara Srijnana.

8. How was Vikramshila linked to Nalanda?

Nalanda and Vikramshila were sister institutions. One paper says the same board of scholars looked after both. A board of six scholars was led by the chief abbot.

Nalanda was most famous for Mahayana thought. Tibetan sources say Odantapuri and Vikramshila were most famous for the Vajrayana, the Tantric path.

Vikramshila’s best-known teacher left India for Tibet. That link made the university famous far away.

9. Who was Atisha?

Atisha, also called Dipankara Srijnana, was born in Bengal around 982 CE. Some sources give 980. He came from a royal family.

He studied under many teachers. He then sailed to Suvarnadvipa, the island of Sumatra. There he studied for about 12 years under the teacher Dharmakirti.

After he came back, he became the head of Vikramshila.

10. How did Atisha reach Tibet?

The king of western Tibet, Yeshe Ö, wanted Atisha to come. He first sent a minister with gold, but Atisha said no. He felt bound to his duties at Vikramshila.

Then Yeshe Ö was captured by a rival king. The captor asked for a ransom of gold. Yeshe Ö told his nephew, Jangchub Ö, to use that gold to invite Atisha instead.

Jangchub Ö carried out the plan. Atisha reached Tibet in 1042 CE and was welcomed warmly.

11. What did Atisha do in Tibet?

Atisha wrote the Bodhipathapradipa, or Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. It explains the Buddhist path step by step. He is credited with reviving Buddhism in Tibet.

Many of his works carry a note that he wrote them while living at Vikramshila. He died in Tibet in 1054 CE.

For about four centuries, Tibetan scholars kept coming to Vikramshila to study.

The university fell to an invader. Its ruins are now being dug again.

12. Who destroyed Vikramshila?

Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked Vikramshila around 1200 CE. One paper gives 1203. Another source also mentions about 1206.

Soldiers had been living inside the fortified monasteries. Bakhtiyar may have mistaken the place for a fort.

A Tibetan monk named Shakya Shri Bhadra was there. He is an eyewitness in the sources. Diggers also found layers of ash in the cells. This points to fire.

The university had lasted about four centuries.

13. What is happening at the site now?

The Archaeological Survey of India dug at Antichak from 1972 to 1982. It found the monastery, the temple mound and many small objects.

In February 2024 the ASI began new excavation work at the site. The aim is to learn more about the university and to protect it.