VIKRAMSHILA UNIVERSITY AND BUDDHIST VIHAR – BHAGALPUR, BIHAR.

Between 5^th Century AD and Eleventh Century AD Buddhism flourished in Magadha, which in present day is the  state of Bihar. Two great seats of Buddhist learning emerged and flourished in Bihar during this period. The first one is obviously the illustrious Nalanda University which was formed sometime during fifth century and patronized by the Gupta rulers and later by Pala Kings.  

Sometime in the late 8^th Century when Nalanda University somehow started losing it’s sheen, King Dharmapal had set up another site for practise and teaching of Buddhist philosophy and religion. This is known as ‘Vikramshila’ which was a great University in it’s own right as well as a Buddhist Stupa for prayer. Interestingly Vikramshila had earned it’s fame as a centre for learning and practise of ‘Vajrayana’ or Tantric Buddhism. One can find mention of this University in the writings of “Tarantha’, the Tibetan monk historian. Just like Nalanda, this was also a residential learning centre and it is estimated that In it’s heydays Vikramshila University had over one thousand students (Bhikkhus)and over hundred teachers(Acharyas).

Just like Nalanda this great University also fell before Muslim invasion led by Bakhtiyar Khilji during 1200AD. Bakhtiyar Khilji ensured complete destruction of Vikramshila along with Nalanda and obliterated the invaluable treasures, relics and books bringing an end to the flourishing Buddhism.

I had the desire to visit both the places and chance came when my official work took me to Bhagalpur which is the nearest city to Vikramshila. Situated at Antichak village, Vikramshila is about 50KM east to Bhagalpur via Kahalgaon. We hired a car from Bhagalpur and started the journey. The road continues along the bank of Ganges. The road is very scenic and I could see the vast expanse of the river on my left and on my right paddy fields in various shades of green, typical fertile Gangetic plain extended till horizon. We went past Ghogha and soon reached Kahalgaon which is famous for the thermal power plant. From Kahalgaon the road condition worsened and our progress was slow. About 15km journey from Kahalgaon there is a road leading to the left and bear signs of Vikramshila put up by Bihar tourism. We continued through the winding village road and distant hills loomed large as we continued. We had to ask for directions from local people as we could not find direction boards. This is disappointing as this is the least Bihar Tourism can do to help tourists and enthusiasts find their way to this heritage site. Finally our journey ended at the gate of the Vikramshila complex. The first extensive excavation work had stated by Patna University in 1969 and ASI took over and continued excavation and restoration between 1972 and 1982. Now this is under ASI maintenance. We bought tickets for Rs.10/- per head (There is no charge for camera) and entered the complex. This is one huge place spreading across more than 100 acres. The site is now beautifully landscaped by ASI. As we walked in, the huge structure of the monastery with it’s imposing Stupa came into our view. At the backdrop of rolling hills it looked majestic. The place till date exudes peace and perhaps that is why this place was chosen by the monks.

The main structure of the monastery is done in brick and it’s a huge square structure and like a crown the main stupa adorns the centre of this structure. The monastery about 15 meters in height,  has two tiers, and accessible through a flight of stairs on the north side , which I presume was the main entrance. The main stupa, has openings on four sides which could have contained statues of Buddha but now I found all four sides sealed with brick and mortar. One can circumvent the stupa by walking on the 2^nd level terrace of the monastery. The two storied main monastery, or residence for the Buddhist monks, measure about 330 metres having a series of 208 cells, 52 on each of the four sides opening into a common verandah. Both levels are in perfect geometric formation with extended terraces. This was made to accommodate the resident student monks. We could not get inside to have a closer look of the chambers meant for stay and meditation.

The walls of the monastery are decorated with terracotta plaques all around. Though the terracotta plaques had borne the brunt of time, still I could make out that they depicted various avatars of Buddha and other deities. This indicates that terracotta art also flourished during the Pala dynasty.  

There are other ruins around the main monastery and stupa which probably were used as classrooms and library. There is a elaborate gateway and I could see a huge cluster of votive stupas. These are basically miniature stupas erected by the devotees for gratitude or fulfillment of his/her desire.

A large number of antiquities of different materials, unearthed from this place in the course of excavation, are displayed in the site museum but unfortunately we reached on Friday which is the day of weekly off and could not see this. Hence visitors should avoid Friday.

HOW TO REACH: Vikramshila is situated in the Bhagalpur district of Bihar and nearest rail station is Kahalgaon. One can also get down at Bhagalpur which is a bigger city and has better staying options. The nearest airport is at Patna. To see the Vikramshila site you have to hire a car from Bhagalpur as public transport is non-existent. You can also hire a car from Kahalgaon but you might not always get them. From Bhagalpur it is about 50 Kms but the road condition of last 20-25 Kms is really bad. You should have about three hours in hand to reach from Bhagalpur (Often there is nasty traffic jam at Kahalgaon bazar). It is advised you hire a big car / SUV to tackle the bad roads. Along with Vikramshila you can also visit ‘Bateshwer Sthan” which is a famous Shiva Temple nearby on the bank of Ganges. The scenery is beautiful all along with the road running along the river Ganges. You can see the brick kilns and lot of activity of the river as huge barges are bringing in stone chips from the stone quarries from nearby Rajmahal hills.  The visit to Vikramshila should take about a day for a general visitor. If you are a student of history or archaeology you will go back again and again. Photographers should target morning time for best results (though you can enter only after 10AM). I reached around midday and the harsh sun was casting strong shadow on the structures, which is a photographer’s nightmare. But one word of caution DO NOT stay there after dark. The law and order situation is not at all good here and this is a totally deserted place and in the event of any untoward incident you won’t even get help. So get out before it’s dark.

Direction by road from Bhagalpur

WHERE TO STAY: Vikramshila site has no place to stay. You can stay at Kahalgaon which is some 15 kms away but best option will be to stay at Bhagalpur city which has better hotel options.  There are hotels for all budgets and it’s best to

explore in a day trip. Kahalgaon has small hotels but my advice will be against staying at Kahalgaon.

WHAT TO EAT: Please note that apart from few shops selling soft drinks and potato chips in front of the entrance there is no food available in the vicinity. So if you are planning to spend the day there please carry your packed lunch. Mineral water bottles are available at the shops near the entrance and it is advisable you carry mineral woter bottles and keep yourself hydrated particularly if you are visiting in warmer months. The ideal season is obviously between October and March, after which it gets extremely hot.  There is a small vegetarian dhaba on the highway just after Kahalgaon which served us decent meal. While at Bhagalpur, you can definitely try the local sweetmeat called “Tikri” or “Tikli”, which is basically a variation of ‘Balushai’ available across Bihar.

TEMPLES OF SRIBATI – HIDDEN TREASURES OF BENGAL

Sribati is a quaint little village nestled deep in the rural heartland of Burdwan district, somewhere near Katwa town. This apparently insignificant village holds a treasure trove in the form of three beautiful terracotta temples built by the Chandra family who were once very rich traders and residents of Sribati. It is said that the family had their origins in Gujrat and their forefathers came to Bengal about 400 years ago and set up trade at this village. Having business acumen in their blood they were quick to identify the opportunities that lay in river trade by Hoogly and it’s tributaries, flowing nearby, giving them access to vast areas in Bengal. The family prospered and they owned several barges and boats which sailed upstream and downstream with various merchandise including salt. They gradually earned a fortune and built mansions and three temples dedicated to lord Shiva in this village.

However their good fortune did not last and slowly the downfall started. Today at Sribati village one can see the ruins of once magnificent mansions and the impressive Thakur Dalan which silently speaks of their once glorious past. Descendants of the family stay at the village till date, though there are many fragments in the family and today nothing remains of their past economic exuberance which is evidenced by the ill maintained and neglected state of the houses.

However it’s the three temples which stood the vagaries of time and still standing tall. It’s a cluster of three temples. The Centre temple is built in Pancharatna Style (Five Turrets each at the four corners and one at the center) and houses a white Shiva Linga. The temple on the right has octagonal base and the one on the left has a square base. Both have tall ‘Shikhara’ or the top dome in ‘Deul’ style. The octagonal temple has the black Shivalinga of Chandreshwer and square temple has the linga called Bishwashwer. These temples are believed to be more than 200 years old.

Temples of  Sribati - View from the front

The outer walls of these three temples have the most exquisitely crafted terracotta panels I have seen on any temple including the much more revered temples of Bishnupur. I was mesmerized by the sheer variety and the intricate workmanship of the terracotta panels. I have never seen such varied subjects depicted on terracotta panels on temple walls. I could see curving of floral designs, I could see intricately entwined figures of mythological animals, demons and humans, curving of goddess Durga and other gods and goddess. Apart from the matters related to religion, gods and mythology, I could see panels depicting day to day life. There are artworks of European soldiers with different head gear and weapons, as well as people with mongoloid features. Figures of traders with prominence of boats as the family prospered in river trade. The details of the human figures are mind-blowing, they are just not vague curving of human shapes but the artisans created them with minute details capturing the crease of the clothes and expression on the faces. Same can be said for all other panels. It’s the intricate detailing which makes these temples stand out amongst the other terracotta temples of Bengal.

The octagonal temple on the right had the best of the panels followed by the main temple at the center. The one on the right is somewhat less illustrious compared to the other two. I also think they were not built together but on different times.

Sadly there is no Govt. intervention to protect these invaluable monuments. The ASI should have taken over but I could see no signs of the same. The temples are now maintained by the villagers, daily Puja is conducted at the temples. But maintenance of these temples requires the intervention of experts. There is always a threat of damage due to incorrect maintenance.

The villagers are quite friendly and some of them enthusiastically guided us to the temples through the winding village roads. We spoke to few of them and apparently they were aware of the historical importance and quite proud of the heritage monuments of their village and the fact that often people come to see them from afar.

How to reach: Sribati is about 150 KMs away from Kolkata. We went by car and including a short break, it took us some 4 and half hours due to ‘not so good’ condition of the roads. We started of around 6:30AM in the morning and took the NH-2 towards Burdwan. At Memari crossing we took the road right which is leading strait to Dainhat. The condition of this road is often poor but nothing that a small hatchback car can’t handle. This is beautiful country. The moment we entered this road, we were surrounded by greenery. Green in various shades and hues engulfed us with only the black stretch of tarmac in between. One can understand why this part of West Bengal is called the ‘Rice Bowl of Bengal’. The road passed through small hamlets by the names of Satgachia, Kusumgram, Manteshwer, till we came to place called Kurchi. There is a four point crossing and we took the road on the right which went past the Sribati village. After about a drive of 10KMs, the entrance to the village comes on the right where a narrow but motorable one and half kilometer road leads to the village.

Driving direction

If you are travelling by bus or train, you need to come to Katwa. From Katwa, you can take a bus to Sribati or better to hire a car as the bus service might be irregular and may not suit your timings. We reached there by mid-day and by that time sun was harsh. For photographers the temples would look best in the evening glow of the sun. The East side is blocked by the buildings hence mornings may not be the best time.

Where to stay: There is no accommodation available at Sribati village. You need to stay at Katwa, which is the nearest town. Katwa has few hotels but do not expect luxury. A guest house called ‘Sraboni’ run by Katwa Municipality offers decent accommodation at cheap rate.

What to eat: There are no restaurants or eateries at Sribati village. If you are coming for a day trip you need to carry some basic food. At Katwa you can find typical pice hotels and few restaurants around rail station and bus stand. The sweets available at Katwa are good.

If you are interested in temple architecture or just want to have a feel of the rural Bengal, breathe in some fresh air, Sribati can be a wonderful weekend destination.