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Vikramshila - The Lost University
The ‘Silent Pages’ of Indian History include several mysterious chapters, of which some, though seemingly latent, often contain such lasting traces that allow revelation even centuries past erosion from common memory. One such chapter is the saga of Vikramshila, the erstwhile University i.e. ‘Mahavihar’ (Large Monastery), which was once internationally famous for its spectacular intellectual activities, but, later forgotten even in the very land of its origin, following brutal destruction at the hands of the invading Turushkas (Turks), sometime around the end of the 12th century A.D. Despite physical decimation by the invaders, who made utmost efforts to obliterate any traces of the great centre, Vikramshila, however, still survived spiritually in the collective memories of the Tibetans, who fondly remembered it for having been the original seat of Dipankara Atisa Srigyana, one of their most revered teachers, having reached their kingdom only after painstaking efforts and persuasion by specially dispatched monks carrying the invitation of the then King (around 1042 A.D.). Thus, due to such past importance, efforts were made by several scholars from the mid 19th century onward, for actual physical identification of the erstwhile site. In the process, old and dilapidated texts, lying forgotten in the distant hills and monasteries of Tibet, were translated and analyzed over years for crucial leads. Gradually, through prolonged historical research, which was followed by actual field excavations, the remains were finally traced.
To be continued...