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12 Jul 2026HISTORY3 questions

208 Cells and a Cooled Library: Digging Up the Mahavihara That Sent Buddhism to Tibet

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Article summary

The Archaeological Survey of India resumed excavation in 2026 at Antichak in Bhagalpur district, Bihar — the site identified with Vikramshila Mahavihara — clearing earlier trenches to reach undisturbed cultural layers that may yield fresh Pala-period inscriptions. In parallel, the long-delayed project to establish a central university at the site is moving: the Bihar government has identified 202.14 acres at Antichak, of which roughly 177 acres remain to be acquired from landowners, the Centre has released the first phase of funds, and the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi has been appointed to design the campus. Central approval for the university dates to 2015 with an initial outlay of about ₹500 crore, and land acquisition has been the principal cause of the eleven-year delay. Vikramshila was founded by the Pala king Dharmapala in the late eighth or early ninth century, reportedly to address a perceived decline in standards at Nalanda, and became the pre-eminent centre of Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhist learning, with over a thousand students and about a hundred teachers. Its most consequential alumnus, Atisa Dipankara Srijnana, carried Buddhism to Tibet. It was destroyed around 1203 CE.

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recallTests whether you read the article and retained key facts.
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applicationTests whether you can apply the concept to a new scenario.
1Q
analysisTests whether you can reason across multiple related facts.
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Sample questions — answers revealed after test

HISTORYRecallEasy

Q1. With reference to Vikramshila Mahavihara, which one of the following statements is correct?

AIt was founded by Dharmapala of the Pala dynasty in the late eighth or early ninth century CE, at present-day Antichak in Bhagalpur district, Bihar.
BIt was founded by Kumaragupta I of the Gupta dynasty in the fifth century CE.
CIt specialised in Theravada Buddhism, in contrast to the Mahayana curriculum of Nalanda.
DIt was destroyed in the early fourteenth century during the eastern campaigns of Alauddin Khalji.
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HISTORYApplicationMedium

Q2. Which one of the following best identifies what distinguished Vikramshila among the mahaviharas of eastern India?

AIt was the oldest of them, predating Nalanda by roughly two centuries.
BIt was the only one to enjoy the patronage of the Pala dynasty.
CIt was the pre-eminent centre of Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhism, and the institution from which Atisa Dipankara Srijnana carried Indian Buddhism into Tibet in the eleventh century.
DIt was the only mahavihara to admit lay students alongside ordained monks.
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HISTORYAnalysisHard

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding Vikramshila: 1. Excavation has revealed a large central cruciform stupa surrounded by 208 monastic cells, and a library building with a cooling arrangement fed by water from an adjacent reservoir. 2. The Pala dynasty also patronised Nalanda, Odantapuri, Somapura and Jagaddala. 3. Central approval for a university at the site came in 2015, and the entire 202.14 acres identified at Antichak has since been acquired. Which of the statements given above are correct?

A1 only
B2 and 3 only
C1 and 2 only
D1, 2 and 3
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