Vikramsila is a town situated in the
state of Bihar, India. It lies at a distance of approximately 40 km from
the city of Bhagalpur. One of the popular Buddhist destinations in
India, Vikramshila cannot boast of a direct relation with Lord Buddha.
It is mainly renowned for being one of the most significant centers of
Tantric Buddhism, in the 8th century AD. It also houses the famous
Vikramasila University, the main intellectual as well as learning center
of Tantric Buddhism.
The University was built under the patronage of Dharmapala, a Pala king.
Also known as Paramasaugata (meaning, the chief worshipper of the
Buddha), he was a great follower of the Mahayana sect of Buddhism. The
center of the university once had a huge temple, adorned with a
life-size copy of the Mahabodhi tree. It is said that approximately 108
temples were constructed around it. Out of these, almost 53 temples were
dedicated to the study of the Guhyasamaja Tantra.
The entrance of the main temple stood guarded by two brilliant statues
of Nagarjuna and Atisa Dipankar (a great scholar of the Vikramasila
University). Vikramshila also lies very close to Champanagar, another
famous Buddhist destination in Bihar.
How to reach Vikramasila
By Air
Patna airport is the nearest from Vikramasila.
By Rail
The railway station is in Kahalgaon.
By Road
Vikramasila is well connected with Patna, Gaya, Bodhgaya, Bhagalpur and
Kahalgaon, by road.
