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Lesson 05

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Semester 01

BUCU 31322
Geographical Expansion of Buddhist Culture
Lesson 05 (26.09.2024, 08-09 pm)

R.D.S.Hemalatha
Lecturer (Buddhist Culture)
Department of Pali & Buddhist Studies
University of Kelaniya.
Vikramashila
• Vikramashila is a
Buddhist monastery
located in present-
day Bihar, India.
• It was founded by King Dharmapala in the late eighth and early ninth centuries.

• It was one of the three most important Buddhist Mahaviharas in India at the time, along with
Nalanda and Odanthapuri.

• Vikramashila was one of the largest Buddhist universities with over a hundred teachers and
about a thousand students.

• It produced eminent scholars who were frequently invited from foreign countries to popularize
Buddhist learning, culture and religion.

• One such scholar was Atisha Dipankara, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism.
philosophy

Grammar

Subjects Metaphysics

Indian logic

Buddhist Tantra
• According to scholar Sukumar Dutt, Vikramashila seems to have a more clearly delineated hierarchy than
other Mahaviharas.
- Great scholars and Scholars (Panditas), approximately 108 in number
- 160 professors or teachers
- Resident monks (monks), 1,000
• According to Taranatha, during the reign of King Chanaka (955-83) at the top of Vikramasila, Dvarapala
was as follows.
- Ratnakarashanthi (East Gate)
- Vagiswarakirthi (West Gate)
- Ratnavajra (First Middle Gaitrakondravara)
- Naropa (North Gate)
- Prajnakaramati (South Gate)
• Some characters studied or taught at Vikramashila
Atisha
Buddhajnanapada
Gnanasrimitra
Haribhadra
Maithripada
Ratnakarashanthi
Ratnakeerthy
Vagishwara Keerthy

• Vikramsila was a Vajrayana center and employed tantric


teachers.
Monastery site

• The remains of the monastery have been partially excavated in Kahalgaon


Bhagalpur district of Bihar, India and the process is still going on.

• Excavations at the site were initially carried out by Patna University


(1960-69) and later by the Archaeological Survey of India (1972-82).
• A large square monastery with a
cruciform stupa at its center, a library
building and a cluster of stupas has
been revealed.

• A number of scattered structures


including a Hindu temple have been
found north of the monastery. The
entire spread is spread over an area
of ​more than hundred acres.

• A large number of artifacts of various materials recovered from the site


during the excavations are displayed in the on-site museum run by the
Archaeological Survey of India.
The wall carvings of various deities
Vikramashila was destroyed by the forces of Muhammad bin Bakhtiar Khalji around 1193.
Somapura University
• The Somapura Mahavihara is identified as having been built by the second Pala king of
the Pala dynasty, Dharmapala (c. 781-821).

• Tibetan sources mention that Dharmapala's successor Devapala (ca. 810-850) built it
after his conquest of Varendra.

• The temple fell into decline for the last time during the reign of the Sena dynasty in the
second half of the 12th century.
• Besides the large number of stupas and shrines of various sizes and shapes, terracotta
plaques, stone sculptures, inscriptions, coins, pottery etc. have been found.

• The site covers 11 hectares (27 acres) and contains the architectural remains of a large
Buddhist monastery, the Somapura Mahavihara.

• It was an important intellectual center for religious traditions such as Buddhism, Jainism and
Hinduism.

• Somapura was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.


Jagaddala University
• It was established by later kings of the Pala dynasty, most likely Ramapala (c. 1077–1120).

• A large number of monasteries or temples were established in ancient Bengal and Magadha
during the four centuries of Pala rule in Northeast India (756-1174 AD).

• He is said to have founded 50 temples himself, including Vikramashila, the premier


university of the Dharmapala (781-821) era.

• Jaggadala was established towards the end of the Pala dynasty, most likely by Ramapala (c.
1077–1120).

• An expert on Jagaddala Vajrayana Buddhism.

• Shakyasreebhadra, a Kashmiri scholar who was the last ruler of the Nalanda Mahavihara and
was instrumental in the transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, is said to have fled to Tibet from
Jagadala in 1204 when Muslim invasions seemed imminent.
• Shakyasreebhadra, a Kashmiri scholar who was the last ruler of the Nalanda Mahavihara and
was instrumental in the transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, is said to have fled to Tibet from
Jagadala in 1204 when Muslim invasions seemed imminent.

• In 1999, Jagadala was submitted as a provisional site for inclusion in the UNESCO World
Heritage List.

• Unesco reports that excavations have revealed "a large mound 105 meters long by 85 meters
representing the archaeological remains of a Buddhist monastery ... including terracotta
plaques, decorative bricks, nails, a gold ingot and three deity images."
Thank You

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