Himalayan Times (1950)

£Mmalapan Cimes A,,eu9t-

ti. 1!I50

RUINS OF VIKRAMSHILA UNIVERSITY

BY Dr. ANTHONY ELENJIMITTAM

pjOREIGN students and savants have tho site as protected area under the
rightly accused Indians of having little Ancient Monuments Act. Shlji M. 8
histciic sense. They tell us that Indians Aney, Governor of Bihar, has taken -ft
are a mystic people who care little for k<en interest in preserving the j site of
history, historical monuments and perso- this ancient scat of learning and continues
nalilies. It is indeed very difficult to to encourage tho BateshwarstharJ-Kaksha
refute such a charge, for we are neglectful Con mittee and its energetic secretary to
of and indifferent towards priceless go ahead with the researches and unfold
documents of history, culture and art Hie hidden treasures of the plata
that unfold the grca*t achievements of TIBETAN CHRONICLES
our fore fathers. Tibetan chronicles reveal that
One such neglected historical m<nu- A(.narya Knmpilya. well versed InBudd
ment is the rums if the Vikramshila llisl fantras, was awestruck wkh lhe
University, second in importance to feat,lres 0f a -bluffy rocky hill" on the
Nalanda in ancient times. Although the right banks of trftoratwWnee Gangal Study-
site of the Vifcramashila University, tamed ing the spot the Buddhist scholnjr found

the Buddhist chronicles, has not been

it to be an ideal place for building a

demonstrably proved as yet, the recent vil,nr Kl th(, t„„ga wilh coi|t.^,s and

explorations and researches ('one in ami lm„mst..ries mound. According to the

around BaUshwarsthan under the able salm, Tibetan chroniclers, Kam;> Iva was

and zealous leadership of Mr. L. K. re born as king Dharmatial win. 'round

Misra have brought u» nearer to ascer- the year g0!, A D. built up the monas-

taming with some amount of certainly tery witn c0|!(,^.s was inaugurated

the site of this ancient seat oflcaimng. under tho p,,n nago of the I uddhist

the third largest cultural Buddhist centre king and wa8 t.a!1(,d tho Royai university

whence the spirit of Eternal India irra- 0f Vikramshila.
dialed to lands far and near.

T, t _,___i.' .; -, . <j. According to the Buddhist-[sources,

Bateshwarsthan is situated/ at tho ., „ rT . .. '

r . c a i l-ii , ■ .... the Vikramshila University was anproa-

foot ot an undulating hi and is within u i i i i »t. • _i!

... ... , h A , ,„ :. ched bv six gates and the inside inonas-

walking distance trom Co gong Station » , • . J, •

,, 6 ,, , i.-- i i b e\. ,v ' tery was large enough to contain an

on the Bunlwan-Kiu oop of the East i_i r u » u£nn 1 vi

, ,. tj i i n j ■ ,;, assembly ol about 8000 persons Nag-

Indian Railway in the district of Bha. fmm Tjbc(. who at|onded ono *f

galpur, Bihar. Tho Bateshwar Hill, where ^ convooation8 bears testimony to

are seen the structural remains of the thoabovo dracriptiori. A C<01 study

ancient builds, commands one of the „f „M( rolios and Inonumenls ; of t|10

most panWmic and enchanting views in BatC8,lwar Hi!l reveals that the place

the whole of Bihar, lhe Ganges flows wa„ already famous for Shaiva, Buddhist

on all the three sides of the rocky an(1 Saku ' The establishi(ient of

promontory and a long chain of moun- s„ch a famo„s C(lllcationa, and L|igious

tains and plains on the fourth seen centre b the Jb.ddhisls made it possible
unobstructed for miles all around.

for the various trends of Indian i thought

The Archaeological Department, and life to assume a unified ai d homo.
Government of India, has already placed geneous form under Buddhism and aa