A Fascinating History About Vikramashila That You Would Like to Know?

Topic	What You Need to Know
Who Built It?	A king named Dharmapala built Vikramashila a long time ago in Bihar, India.
What Was It?	It was a big school and monastery where people lived, learned, and followed Buddhism.
How Big Was It?	It had more than 1,000 students, 100 teachers, and 208 rooms with a prominent worship place.
Famous Teachers	Wise teachers like Atiśa and Naropa taught here and helped spread learning to other places.
What They Learned	Students learned religion, logic, grammar, and special Buddhist practices called tantra.
Library	There was a cool library with a water system to keep books safe and calm.
What Happened?	It was sadly destroyed in 1193 by an army.
What’s Happening Now?	People are fixing the ruins and planning to rebuild it as a university again.
Why It Matters	Vikramashila shows us how important learning, sharing, and keeping history alive are.

Imagine a place where people from all over the world come to learn and share their knowledge. A place where teachers and students lived together, studying and practising their beliefs. 

This place was called Vikramashila, and it was a significant centre for learning in ancient India. 

Let’s travel back in time to explore the fascinating story of Vikramashila.

The Birth of Vikramashila

Long ago, in a region now known as Bihar in India, there was a king named Dharmapala. King Dharmapala loved learning and wanted to create a special place where people could study and teach. So, between the late 700s and early 800s, he founded Vikramashila. This was not just any school; it was a monastery, a place where people could live, learn, and practice their religion, which was Buddhism.

Vikramashila was built in a village called Antichak, near a town called Kahalgaon. It quickly became one of the most important places for Buddhist learning, along with two other famous monasteries, Nalanda and Odantapuri.

A Big School with Many Teachers and Students

Vikramashila was huge! It had more than 100 teachers and about 1,000 students. People came from far and wide to study there because it was known for its excellent teaching. The monastery was so big that it had over 200 rooms for the monks to live in. These rooms were arranged around a large square, with a special building in the middle called a stupa, which was used for worship.

A Network of Learning

Vikramashila was not the only big school in the area. There were four other important monasteries: Nalanda, Somapura, Odantapuri, and Jagaddala. These schools were all connected, and teachers and students often moved between them. This way, they could share their knowledge and learn from each other. It was like a big network of friends who all loved to learn and teach.

How Vikramashila Was Organised

Vikramashila had an obvious structure, with different roles for different people. At the top was the Abbot, who was like the principal of the school. Below the Abbot were six special teachers called gate scholars, each responsible for one of the six gates of the monastery. These gates were named after the directions: East, West, North, South, and two Central gates.

Next came the Great Scholars, who were very wise and knowledgeable. Then there were the Scholars, who were also very smart. Below them were the Teachers, who helped the students learn. Finally, there were the monks, who lived and studied at the monastery.

During the time of King Chanaka, who ruled from 955 to 983, some of the gate scholars were very famous. For example, Ratnākaraśānti was in charge of the East Gate, and Naropa was in charge of the North Gate. These scholars were known for their wisdom and teachings.

Famous Teachers and Their Lessons

Vikramashila had many famous teachers who taught different subjects. One of the most well-known was Atiśa Dipankara. Atiśa was a great teacher who helped spread Buddhist teachings to other countries, like Tibet. He taught subjects like philosophy, grammar, and logic, but he was especially good at teaching Buddhist tantra, which is a special way of practising Buddhism.

Other famous teachers included Ratnākaraśānti, who was an expert in Vajrayana Buddhism, and Maitripada, who also spent time at Vikramashila. These teachers helped make Vikramashila a significant place for learning and practising Buddhism.

Special Teachers of Tantra

Vikramashila was also known for its special teachers of tantra, which is a way of practising Buddhism that includes special rituals and meditations. The first tantra teacher at Vikramashila was Buddhajñānapāda. After him came Dīpaṁkarabhadra and Jayabhadra. These teachers were experts in a special book called the Cakrasamvara tantra, which is very important in Vajrayana Buddhism.

Other teachers who came after them, like Śrīdhara, Bhavabhaṭṭa, and Bhavyakīrti, also studied and taught the Cakrasamvara tantra. They worked with famous translators from Tibet to help spread these teachings to other countries.

The Beautiful Buildings of Vikramashila

The ruins of Vikramashila, which have been partly dug up in Bihar, show us how big and beautiful the monastery was. It was shaped like a large square, with a special building called a stupa in the middle. The stupa was used for worship and was shaped like a cross when viewed from above. It was made of bricks and was about 15 meters tall.

The monastery had 208 rooms for the monks to live in, arranged around the square. Some of these rooms even had secret underground chambers where the monks could meditate in peace.

The Library: A Place for Books

Next to the monastery was a special building called the library. This is where all the books were kept. The library was very cleverly designed to keep the books cool and safe. It had a system that used water from a nearby pond to cool the air, which helped preserve the delicate books made from palm leaves.

Sadly, many of the books were lost when the monastery was attacked and destroyed. However, some books were saved and taken to other countries like Nepal and Tibet. These books help us understand what life was like at Vikramashila and what the teachers and students studied.

The Sad End of Vikramashila

Vikramashila was a wonderful place for learning and practising Buddhism for about 400 years. But in 1193, a general named Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji attacked and destroyed the monastery. This was a sorrowful time, as the beautiful buildings were ruined, and the teachers and students had to leave.

Trying to Fix and Rebuild Vikramashila

For a long time, Vikramashila was forgotten and left to crumble. But in recent years, people have started to fix and take care of the ruins. The Archaeological Survey of India and local leaders have been working hard to make the site nice again so that people can visit and learn about its history.

There is even a plan to rebuild Vikramashila and make it a university again, just like Nalanda University has been rebuilt. In 2015, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, said he would give money to help rebuild Vikramashila. The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, also visited the site in 2017 and said he would talk to the Prime Minister about helping to rebuild it.

How to Visit Vikramashila

If you want to see the ruins of Vikramashila for yourself, you can! The nearest big town is Kahalgaon, which is about 13 kilometres away. You can drive there from a place called Anadipur, which is near Kahalgaon. There are also train stations nearby, called Bikramshila and Kahalgaon, which are on the Sahibganj Loop train line.

Another fun way to visit Vikramashila is by taking a river cruise on the Ganga River. These cruises go from Kolkata to Varanasi and often stop at the Vikramashila ruins.

Vikramashila in Today’s World

Even though Vikramashila is now just ruins, it is still remembered and celebrated in many ways. There is a train in India called the Vikramshila Express that goes from Delhi to Bhagalpur, named after the famous monastery.

Every year in February, there is a big festival called the Vikramashila Mahotsav. People come from all over to celebrate the history and culture of Vikramashila. It’s a fun time with music, dancing, and lots of good food.

The Importance of Vikramashila

The story of Vikramashila is about more than just a school. It’s about a place where people from all over the world come to learn and share their knowledge. It’s about teachers and students working together to understand the world and make it a better place.

Even though Vikramashila was destroyed, its spirit lives on. The ruins remind us of the power of learning and the importance of preserving our history. They also give us hope that one day, Vikramashila can be rebuilt and become a centre for learning and wisdom once again.

What We Can Learn from Vikramashila

Vikramashila teaches us many important lessons. It shows us that learning is something that brings people together. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you believe; everyone can learn and grow together.

It also teaches us that even when something is destroyed, it can be rebuilt. The people working to fix and rebuild Vikramashila are showing us that we should never give up on our dreams, no matter how big they seem.

Finally, Vikramashila teaches us about the power of sharing. The teachers and students at Vikramashila didn’t keep their knowledge to themselves. They shared it with others, and that’s how their ideas and beliefs spread all over the world.

Imagine Yourself at Vikramashila

Close your eyes and imagine yourself at Vikramashila. Picture the big square monastery with its many rooms and secret underground chambers. See the tall stupa in the middle, where people go to worship. Imagine the library, filled with books from all over the world.

Now, imagine the people. See the teachers, wise and kind, sharing their knowledge with the students. See the students, eager to learn and ask questions. Hear the sound of their voices, filling the air with excitement and curiosity.

Finally, imagine yourself as one of those students. Feel the joy of learning something new, the pride of mastering a complex subject, and the happiness of sharing what you’ve learned with others. That is the spirit of Vikramashila, and it lives on in each of us.

The Future of Vikramashila

As we look to the future, we can dream of a day when Vikramashila is rebuilt and once again a centre for learning and wisdom. We can imagine students from all over the world coming to study and share their knowledge, just like they did long ago.

But even if Vikramashila is never rebuilt, its spirit will live on. It will live on in the hearts and minds of everyone who loves to learn and share their knowledge with others. It will live on in the ruins that remind us of the power of learning and the importance of preserving our history.

So, let’s remember Vikramashila and the lessons it teaches us. Let’s never stop learning, never stop sharing, and never stop dreaming of a better world. That is the true spirit of Vikramashila, and it will never be forgotten.

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