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Question 45 of 93 · Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms
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The Vikramashila university (mahavihara) in Bihar was founded by the Pala emperor:

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Answer: Option A — Dharmapala

Detailed Solution

The Vikramashila Mahavihara (university), in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar, was founded by the Pala emperor Dharmapala in the late 8th or early 9th century CE.

About Vikramashila:

  • It was located on a hill on the banks of the Ganga, at Antichak, near Kahalgaon, in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar.
  • It was one of the greatest centres of Buddhist learning in India, along with Nalanda.
  • It specialised in Vajrayana (tantric) Buddhism.
  • It had a large central stupa (a cruciform brick structure), surrounded by monastic cells.
  • It had about 100 teachers and 1,000 students, according to some accounts.
  • Students came from Tibet, Nepal, Indonesia and other countries.
  • It was administered by a council of six "dvarapanditas" (gatekeeper scholars), who admitted students.
  • Its most famous teacher was Atisha Dipankara Shrijnana (982-1054 CE), who went to Tibet in 1042 at the invitation of the Tibetan king, and helped revive Buddhism there.
  • It was destroyed around 1203 CE by Bakhtiyar Khalji.
  • In 2023-24, the central government announced the establishment of a Central University at Vikramashila.

About Dharmapala:

  • He ruled from about 770 to 810 CE.
  • He was the son of Gopala, the founder of the Pala dynasty.
  • He was a great patron of Buddhism.
  • He fought for control of Kannauj, and placed his nominee Chakrayudha on its throne.
  • He took the title "Paramasaugata" (great devotee of the Buddha).
  • He also built the Somapura Mahavihara at Paharpur (now in Bangladesh), which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other Buddhist universities under the Palas:

  • Odantapuri (Bihar Sharif): founded by Gopala (or Dharmapala according to some).
  • Somapura (Paharpur, Bangladesh).
  • Jagaddala (Bengal): founded by Ramapala.
  • The Palas also supported Nalanda.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Gopala founded the Pala dynasty.
  • ✗Mahipala I revived the Pala power in the 10th-11th centuries.
  • ✗Ramapala founded Jagaddala.

Quick tip

Remember: Vikramashila = Dharmapala (Bhagalpur, Bihar; Vajrayana; Atisha Dipankara; destroyed by Bakhtiyar Khalji about 1203); Somapura (Paharpur) also built by Dharmapala.

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Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Early Medieval India & South Indian Kingdoms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India from about the 7th to the 12th century: the Rajput dynasties, the tripartite struggle between the Palas, Pratiharas and Rashtrakutas, and the South Indian kingdoms of the Chalukyas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandyas, along with the Sangam age and the temple architecture of the period. Questions often ask which dynasty built a temple (the Pallavas built the Shore Temple at Mahabalipuram, and Rajaraja Chola I built the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur), the capitals of dynasties, and the local self-government of the Cholas. Learning each dynasty with its capital, greatest ruler and one monument is the quickest way to answer these questions. Practise the early medieval India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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