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64-587: The vihara fell in decline in the 11th century, and was looted and destroyed by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji , a Turkic Muslim invader in the late 1100s, when he launched multiple raids on Bihar and adjoining territories. Joseph David Beglar first identified the city of Bihar (Bihar Sharif) with Odantapuri; as the city used to be called Bihar Dandi or Dand Bihar , which is a contraction of Dandpur Bihar (derived from "Dandpura Vihara"). A small brass image of Buddha's birth mother Mahamaya , bearing

128-733: A UNESCO World Heritage Site . Bodh Gayā is considered to be the holiest site in Buddhism. Known as Uruvela in the Buddha's time, it is situated by the bank of the Lilajan River . The first temple at the site was built by Maurya Emperor Ashoka . Traditionally, it is believed that the Buddha was born in 563 BCE on the next Baisakhi purnima (second full moon in calendar years that do not themselves start during full moon) in Lumbini Nepal. As Siddhartha, he renounced his family at

192-463: A bridge, the maidservant fell down and the drug was carried away by the stream to the ocean. It was seized and swallowed by the king of the Nagas , who was the sovereign of the ocean. By the power of the drug, he became subjected to power of the queen, and united with her. From their union, a son named Dharmapala was born. At an auspicious hour when religious ceremonies for the child were being performed,

256-403: A college [مدرسه] Bihar. This passage refers to an attack on a Buddhist monastery (the "Bihar" or Vihara ) and its monks (the shaved Brahmans). The exact date of this event is not known, with scholarly estimates ranging from 1197 to 1206. While many historians believe that this monastery which was mistaken for a fort was Odantapura, some are of the opinion that it was Nalanda instead; even though

320-503: A few decades later. Khalji was assigned two villages on the border of Bihar which had become a political no-man's land. Sensing an opportunity, he began a series of plundering raids into Bihar and was recognised and rewarded for his efforts by his superiors. Emboldened, Khalji decided to attack a fort in Bihar and was able to successfully capture it, looting it with a great booty. The fort was destroyed with all of its inhabitants slaughtered and

384-549: A grant to Sri Lankan monks near the Mahabodhi temple. During the 12th century CE, Bodh Gayā and the nearby regions were invaded and destroyed by Muslim Turk armies, led by Delhi Sultanate 's Qutb al-Din Aibak and Bakhtiyar Khilji . The complex, located about 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Patna , at 24°41′43″N 84°59′38″E  /  24.69528°N 84.99389°E  / 24.69528; 84.99389 , contains

448-582: A great number of books there; and, when all these books came under the observation of the Musalmans, they summoned a number of Hindus that they might give them information respecting the import of those books; but the whole of the Hindus had been killed. On becoming acquainted [with the contents of those books], it was found that the whole of that fortress and city was a college, and in the Hindui tongue, they call

512-461: A huge mound itself. A number of sculptures of the Pala period and some partial brick structures have occasionally been reported from this mound. The area around Gadh Par (or Garhpar ) used to have the remains of an ancient fort surrounded by a wide moat, which was visible till the time Buchanan Hamilton visited it in 1812. According to Hamilton, it was built by a Maga Raja (king of Magadha), and

576-487: A low intensity bomb blast took place in the Mahabodhi Temple complex. This was followed by a series of nine low intensity blasts which resulted in two monks being injured; one was Tibetan and the other Burmese. These blasts were carried out by an Islamic terrorist organization called Indian Mujahideen . Two other bombs, one under the 80-foot statue of the Buddha and the other near Karmapa Temple were defused by

640-452: A raven appeared and threw the lamp into a lake. Dharmapala was distressed, but that night the king of the Nagas came to him and said — "I am thy father, and I will cause this lake to dry up. Thou shalt build thy temple in the place of it. (In order to bring this about) thou must perform sacrifices for seven weeks." This was accordingly done. On the 21st day the lake was dried up, and in its place

704-592: A vihara called Uruvasa, to provide livelihood and accommodation to five hundred "Srāvaka Sendhapas" (Srāvaka Saindhavas or Singhala Srāvakas, who were Sthaviravadins ). While he allowed Vikramashila to retain its position, he made Uruvasa a centre of great veneration. According to Taranatha, during the reign of Ramapala , along with fifty teachers in Odantapuri "permanently lived a thousand monks belonging to both Hinayana and Mahayana . Occasionally even twelve thousand monks congregated there." The temple library of

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768-601: A village woman, offered Siddhartha a bowl of rice milk, providing him with nourishment after years of severe asceticism. This act of kindness is said to have given Siddhartha the strength to pursue the Middle Path, ultimately leading to his enlightenment. The temple stands near the banks of the Niranjana River, symbolizing the site where this transformative event took place. Architecturally, the Sujata Temple

832-475: A votive inscription on the back that mentioned the name Uddandapura , was also discovered in Bihar Sharif. Based on inscriptions along with local tradition and literary evidence, it is believed that the modern town of Bihar Sharif is built on the ancient site of Odantapuri. About the location of Odantapuri, S.C.Das depending on the account by Sumpa Khan-po (18th century Tibetan polymath ) thought that it

896-500: A wide area around the Mahabodhi Temple. These buildings reflect the architectural styles and decoration of their respective countries. The statue of the Buddha in the Chinese temple is 200 years old, and was brought from China. Japan's Nippon temple is shaped like a pagoda . The Myanmar (Burmese) temple is also pagoda-shaped and is reminiscent of Bagan . The Thai temple has a typical sloping, curved roof covered with golden tiles. Inside,

960-739: Is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar . It is famous for being the place where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment ( Pali : bodhi ) under what became known as the Bodhi Tree . Since antiquity, Bodh Gayā has remained the object of pilgrimage and veneration, for both Hindus and Buddhists . In particular, archaeological finds, including sculptures, show that

1024-561: Is modest yet deeply revered, attracting pilgrims and tourists alike who seek to honor the compassion of Sujata and the profound moment that it represents in Buddhist history. The surrounding village and the serene landscape add to the temple's spiritual ambiance, making it a place of contemplation and homage. An 80-foot (24 m) statue of the Buddha, known as The Great Buddha Statue is located in Bodhgaya. The unveiling and consecration of

1088-553: Is situated 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Benares . The disciples of Gautama began to visit the place during the full moon in the month of Vaisakh (April–May), as per the Hindu calendar . Over time, the place became known as Bodh Gayā, the day of enlightenment as Buddha Purnima , and the tree as the Bodhi Tree. The history of Bodh Gayā is documented by many inscriptions and pilgrimage accounts. Foremost among these are

1152-604: The Middle Way . The stupa was built in the 2nd century BCE, as confirmed by finds of black polished wares and punch-marked coins in the attending monastery. The Sujata Temple, located in Sujata Village in Bakrour near Bodhgaya , India, is a significant historical and religious site associated with the life of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. This temple commemorates the pivotal moment when Sujata,

1216-558: The octogenarian emperor Lakshmana Sena at the helm, the Sena dynasty was in a state of decline and could not provide much resistance. As Khalji came upon the city of Nabadwip , it is said that he advanced so rapidly that only 18 horsemen from his army could keep up. The small horde entered the city unchallenged and took the emperor and his army by shock. This caused Lakhsmana Sena to flee with his retainers to east Bengal. Khalji subsequently went on to capture Gauda (ancient Lakhnauti),

1280-444: The upasaka who came to be known as Unna Upasaka built the colossal temple of Odantapuri using the gold. The craftsmen and artists who worked on the building were paid with that gold, and it was also used for maintenance of 500 bhikshus and 500 upasakas . The gold couldn't be used by anyone after Unna's death, so before he died he buried it under the earth praying that it might benefit all living beings in future. Then he handed over

1344-478: The Buddha was abandoned by the five men who had been his companions in his earlier austerities, as all they saw was an ordinary man; mocking his well-nourished appearance, they said "Here comes the mendicant Gautama, who has turned away from asceticism. He is certainly not worth our respect." When they reminded him of his former vows, the Buddha replied, "Austerities only confuse the mind. In the exhaustion and mental stupor to which they lead, one can no longer understand

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1408-613: The Buddha) or Mahabodhi ('Great Enlightenment'). The main monastery of Bodh Gayā used to be called the Bodhimanda-vihāra ( Pali ); it is now known as the Mahabodhi Temple . During the period from the 11th to 13th centuries, Bodh Gayā was under the control of local chieftains known as the Pithipatis of Bodh Gaya who were responsible for the management of the region. One of their rulers, Acarya Buddhasena, has been recorded as making

1472-548: The Great Buddha Statue took place on 18 November 1989. The consecration ceremony was attended by the 14th Dalai Lama, who blessed the statue, the first great Buddha ever built in the history of India. Under the slogan "Spread Buddha's rays to the Whole World," Daijokyo spent seven years on construction of the Great Buddha Statue, mobilizing 120,000 masons in total. On 7 July 2013, at around 5:15   a.m.,

1536-590: The Mahabodhi Temple with the Vajrasana or "diamond throne" and the holy Bodhi tree . This tree was originally a sapling of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Sri Lanka , itself grown from a what is claimed to be a sapling of the original Bodhi tree. In approximately 250 BCE, about 200 years after the Buddha attained Enlightenment, Emperor Asoka visited Bodh Gayā in order to establish a monastery and shrine on

1600-637: The Odantapuri vihara to king Devapala. Sumpa Khan-po mentioned that Otanta in Otantapuri (Odantapuri) meant "soaring on high". This might be derived from the Sanskrit uddayana , uddyanta meaning "going up or flying". According to the legend, the temple was called so because Unna had flown over Sumeru and seen the mountain along with its four dvipas , and hence built Odantapuri in its model. In History of Buddhism in India and Tibet , Bu-ston recounts

1664-421: The Odantapuri vihara was loftier than those at Vajrasana ( Bodh Gaya ) and Nalanda and contained a vast collection of Brahmanical and Buddhist works. It was burnt under the orders of one of the generals of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, when Khalji's army sacked the monastery around the end of the 12th century CE. The monks who survived the massacre fled to Nepal and Tibet . Various legends are associated with

1728-520: The Sultan of Delhi Qutb al-Din Aibak to invade Bengal, who sent an army under Qayemaz Rumi, the governor of Awadh , to dethrone Shiran Khalji. Shiran fled to Dinajpur where he later died. Ghiyas-ud-din Iwaz Khalji assisted the invasion and assumed the governorship of Bengal in 1208. But shortly after, he yielded power to Ali Mardan willingly, when the latter returned from Delhi in 1210. However,

1792-471: The Tabaqat-i-Nasiri mentions "Adwand Bihar" among the conquests of Khalji, which is obviously a corruption of the name "Uddandapura vihara". However, considering that the two Mahaviharas were only a few kilometres apart, both very likely befell a similar fate. Taranatha writes that the emperor of Magadha had fortified the monastery and stationed some soldiers with whom the monks joined in repulsing

1856-605: The accounts of the Chinese pilgrims Faxian in the 5th century and Xuanzang in the 7th century. The area was at the heart of a Buddhist civilization for centuries, until it was conquered by Turkic armies in the 13th century. The placename, Bodh Gayā, did not come into use until the 18th century CE. Historically, it was known as Uruvela, Sambodhi ( [REDACTED] , Saṃ + bodhi , meaning 'Complete Enlightenment' in Ashoka's Major Rock Edict No.8 ), Vajrasana (the ' Diamond Throne ' of

1920-618: The actual Buddhist sites were already abandoned or in declining state. His rule is said to have begun the Muslim rule in Bengal, most notably those of Bengal Sultanate and Mughal Bengal . Bakhtiyar launched an ill-fated Tibet campaign in 1206 and was assassinated upon returning to Bengal. He was succeeded by Muhammad Shiran Khalji . Bakhtiyar Khalji was born and raised in Garmsir , Helmand , in present-day southern Afghanistan . He

1984-557: The age of 29 in 534 BCE, and travelled and meditated in search of truth. After practicing self-mortification for six years at Urubela (Buddhagaya) in Gaya, he gave up that practice because it did not give him liberation. Then he discovered the Noble Eightfold Path of his own and practiced it, finally reaching enlightenment: a state of being completely free from lust (raga), hatred (dvesha) and delusion (moha). At this point,

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2048-415: The beginning of the 13th century. He subjugated much of Bihar in 1200. His invasions destroyed the university establishments at Odantapuri , Vikramashila Mahaviras. Minhaj-i-Siraj Juzjani's Tabaqat-i Nasiri documents Bakhtiyar Khalji's sack of a Buddhist monastery, which the author equates in his description with a city he calls "Bihar", from the soldiers' use of the word vihara . According to

2112-400: The capital and the principal city of Bengal and intruded into much of Bengal. Muhammad Bakhtiyar's rule was related by Minhaj al-Siraj , as he visited Bengal about 40 years later: After Muhammad Bakhtiyar possessed himself of that territory he left the city of Nudiah in desolation, and the place which is (now) Lakhnauti he made the seat of government. He brought the different parts of

2176-438: The corpse's, and caught its tongue with his teeth. Then the tongue became a sword, and the corpse turned into gold. When the upasaka held the sword he began to fly in the sky. He flew to the top of Sumeru and circled it along with the four dvipas and their upa-dvipas . When he returned he gave the sword to Narada, who let him have the gold but warned him not to spend it for immoral purposes. Narada then flew to heaven, and

2240-406: The criteria except a Buddhist upasaka . The upaska initially refused to be the assistant to a tirthika , but Narada convinced him by promising him wealth which could be used by the upasaka to spread his religion. They performed the ritual and as it was reaching fulfilment, Narada said that when the corpse sticks its tongue out, the upasaka must catch it. He told him that if he catches it in

2304-506: The early 17th-century Buddhist scholar Taranatha , the invaders massacred many monks at Odantapuri, and destroyed Vikramashila. Historians Satish Chandra , Mohammad Habib and others have directly or indirectly implicated Bakhtiyar in the destruction of the Mahaviharas in their writings, but others like D.N. Jha and Namit Arora have reasoned that those sites may not have been destroyed by him. In 1203, Khalji invaded Bengal. With

2368-732: The eastern frontier from his headquarters at Barisal . Bakhtiyar Khalji's forces suffered a disastrous defeat at the hands of Tibetan guerrilla forces at Chumbi Valley , which forced him to retreat to Devkot with only about a hundred surviving soldiers. This was first and shameful defeat of Khalji. As Bakhtiyar Khalji lay ill and exhausted in Devkot after defeated by Tibetans, he was assassinated by Ali Mardan Khalji. The Khalji noblemen then appointed Muhammad Shiran Khalji as Bakhtiyar's successor. Loyal troops under Shiran Khalji and Subedar Aulia Khan avenged Ikhtiyar's death, imprisoning Ali Mardan Khalji. Eventually Ali Mardan fled to Delhi and provoked

2432-427: The establishment of Odantapuri: According to Taranatha and Sumpa, Odantapuri was built using the gold that was miraculously obtained in a mystical process. A tirthika yogi ( tantrika ) called Narada, who had miraculous powers, sought a strong, brave, and truthful companion versed in all crafts and branches of knowledge, to assist him in a ritual with a corpse ( shava sadhana ). He couldn't find anyone who met

2496-420: The first try, he will attain supreme success ( maha-siddhi ), if he does it in the second try, he will gain intermediate success, and if he catches it in the third try, he will get small success. However, if he failed to catch it even after the third time, the vetala (corpse) will devour them both and then empty the whole world. After failing to catch the tongue twice, the upasaka sat with his own mouth near

2560-422: The head of a serpent haughtily rose up, which caused the king to get enraged. He resolved to cut it off, but a ring was shown to him, on which he beheld the characters of the Nagas. He then continued to worship, and devoted himself to the child's education. When Dharmapala grew up, he was possessed with a desire to build a temple more magnificent than others and enquired soothsayers on this matter. They said that it

2624-420: The holy site. Representations of this early temple are found at Sanchi , on the toraṇas of Stūpa I, dating from around 25 BCE, and on a relief carving from the stupa railing at Bhārhut , from the early Shunga period ( c.  185  – c.  73 BCE ). Kittisirimegha of Sri Lanka , a contemporary of Samudragupta , erected with his permission a Sanghārāma near the Mahabodhi Temple, chiefly for

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2688-624: The invaders. He mentions that one of the early raids on Odantapuri was repulsed and the Turushka force of five hundreds was defeated. According to the biography of Dharmasvamin , who journeyed to India between 1234 and 1236, Odantapuri was turned into a military headquarters of the Turkic forces after its destruction. Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī , also known as Bakhtiyar Khalji ,

2752-515: The latter, he was rejected due to his ugly appearance. Afterwards, he moved towards Badaun in present-day Uttar Pradesh , where he obtained his first employment. Accounts differ regarding who initially took Bakhtiyar into his service. Bakhtiyar did not come from an obscure background. His uncle Muhammad bin Mahmud had fought in the Second Battle of Tarain against Prithviraja III . Mahmud

2816-443: The library burnt. He later came to know that the fort was a vihara . Minhaj-i-Siraj wrote of this attack: Muhammad-i-Bakht-yar, by the force of his intrepidity, threw himself into the postern of the gateway of the place, and they captured the fortress and acquired great booty. The greater number of the inhabitants of that place were Brahmans, and the whole of those Brahmans had their heads shaven, and they were all slain. There were

2880-459: The minor Gahadavala chiefs in the region of present-day Uttar Pradesh and from there raided Maner and Bihar where he looted a large amount of booty. These successful raids increased Bakhtiyar's fame and many Khaljis joined in his service. Qutb ud-Din Aibak also honoured him. Khalji was head of the Ghurid military force that conquered parts of eastern India at the end of the 12th century and at

2944-518: The nobles of Bengal conspired against and assassinated Ali Mardan in 1212. Iwaj Khalji assumed power again and proclaimed his independence from the Delhi sultanate. Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khalji had the Khutbah read and coins struck in his name. Mosques, madrasas , and khanqahs arose through Bakhtiyar's patronage, and his example was imitated by his subordinates. Bodh Gaya Bodh Gayā

3008-537: The ordinary things of life, still less the truth that lies beyond the senses. I have given up extremes of either luxury or asceticism. I have discovered the Middle Way." This is explained as the path which is neither easy (his former life as a rich prince) nor hard (living in austere conditions, practicing self-denial). Hearing this, the five ascetics became the Buddha's first disciples in Deer Park, Sarnath , which

3072-427: The police. On 1 June 2018, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court of Patna sentenced five suspects in the case to life imprisonment. As per the 2001 census , Bodh Gaya had a population of 30,883. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Bodh Gaya has an average literacy rate of 51%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 63% and female literacy of 38%. 8% of

3136-593: The site was in use by Buddhists since the Mauryan period. Bodh Gayā and the nearby regions were invaded and destroyed in the 12th century CE by Muslim Turk armies, led by Delhi Sultanate 's Qutb al-Din Aibak and Bakhtiyar Khilji . For Buddhists, Bodh Gayā is the most important of the four main pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar , Lumbini , and Sarnath . In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gayā, became

3200-510: The story of Dharmapala's birth and how he built the monastery at Odantapuri. Gopala's queen Dedda Devi, who was the daughter of a king of the Bhadra dynasty , had no power over Gopala; and hence asked a Brahmin for some magical power so that she could bring him under her influence. The Brahmin brought an enchanted drug from the Himalayas and gave it to the queen's maidservant. While crossing

3264-669: The temple holds a massive bronze statue of the Buddha. Next to the Thai temple is a 25-metre (82 ft) statue of the Buddha within a garden which has existed for over 100 years. Across the Phalgu river is the Sujata Stupa , in the village of Bakraur . The stupa was dedicated to the milkmaid Sujata , who is said to have fed the Buddha milk and rice as he was sitting under a Banyan tree , ending his seven years of fasting and asceticism , and allowing him to attain illumination through

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3328-587: The temple of Odantapuri was built. Tibetan sources indicate that the 8th century Samye monastery, which was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet, was modelled upon Odantapuri (which in turn was modelled after Sumeru and the four dvipas ). In around 1193 CE, Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, a Turkic chieftain out to make a name for himself, was in the service of a commander in Awadh . The Persian historian, Minhaj-i-Siraj in his Tabaqat-i Nasiri , recorded his deeds

3392-485: The territory under his sway, and instituted therein, in every part, the reading of the khutbah , and the coining of money; and, through his praiseworthy endeavours, and those of his Amirs , masjids [mosques], colleges, and monasteries (for Dervishes ), were founded in those parts. Bakhtiyar Khalji left the town of Devkot in 1206 to attack Tibet, leaving Ali Mardan Khalji in Ghoraghat Upazila to guard

3456-544: The traditional Buddhist institutions of higher learning in Northern India. In Bengal, Khalji's reign was responsible for the displacement of Buddhism. The leading centre of teaching for Mahayana Buddhism was Nalanda . At the end of the 12th century, Bakhityar Khilji demolished the Monastery in a brutal sacking. But some historians don't agree and reason that Bakhtiyar's attacks weren't on the Buddhist viharas, and

3520-754: The use of the Singhalese monks who went to worship the Bodhi tree. The circumstances in connection with the Sanghārāma are given by Xuanzang who gives a description of it as seen by himself. It was probably here that Buddhaghosa met the Elder Revata who persuaded him to come to Ceylon. Several Buddhist temples and monasteries have been built by the people of Tibet , Mongolia , Nepal , Japan , Korea , Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar , Vietnam , Sikkim , Sri Lanka , Taiwan , Thailand , Bhutan and China in

3584-575: Was a Turko-Afghan military general of the Ghurid ruler Muhammad of Ghor , who led the Muslim conquests of the eastern Indian regions of Bengal and parts of Bihar and established himself as their ruler. He was the founder of the Khalji dynasty of Bengal , ruling Bengal for a short period, from 1203 to 1227 CE. Khalji's invasions of the Indian subcontinent between A.D. 1197 and 1206 led to mass flight and massacres of monks, and caused damage to

3648-417: Was also built in that area, and both the college and the neighbourhood are still called 'Udantpuri' after the name of the ancient university. However, the location of Odantapuri has not yet been conclusively established. Gopala, the founder of the Pala dynasty, who ascended the throne of Bengal in 750 CE, founded the monastic university at Odantapuri. According to Bu-ston , however, the Odantapuri monastery

3712-413: Was built by Gopala's son and successor, Dharmapala ; while according to Taranatha , it was founded by either Gopala or Devapala . Odantapuri was part of a network of five Mahaviharas in eastern India. The others were Nalanda , Vikramashila , Somapura , and Jagaddala . During the Pala period, Vikramshila was the leading monastery; and the state funding to Vikramshila and Odantapuri far exceeded what

3776-474: Was destroyed by Muhammedans in the 12th century. The fort is believed to have been part of the Odantapuri university. Over the years many civil and municipal buildings like the Civil Court and Nalanda College were built over it. By the 1960s, the ruins of the fort had almost totally disappeared as the area was occupied by a portion of the town itself. The original campus of Sardar Patel Memorial College

3840-454: Was granted to Nalanda. As a result, while Nalanda was struggling for survival around the 11th century CE, Odantapuri had a rival institution thriving under the royal patronage of Palas. Taranatha mentions a king called Mahāpāla, who he claims was Mahipala 's son, who mainly honoured the Srāvakas of Odantapuri, maintaining five hundred monks and fifty teachers. As an annexe to Odantapuri, he built

3904-557: Was later honoured with the iqta of Kashamandi. After the death of his uncle, the iqta was passed to Bakhtiyar. However, Bakhtiyar did not stay in Kashamndi for long. He approached the commander of Benaras , Husamudin Aghul Bek, who was impressed with his gallantry and bestowed on him the iqtas of Bhagwat and Bhilui (present-day Mirzapur district). In his early career, before the expeditions in Bengal and Bihar , Bakhtiyar displaced

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3968-707: Was member of the Khalaj tribe, which was originally of Turkic origin. After being settled in south-eastern Afghanistan for over 200 years , it led to the creation of the Pashtun Ghilji tribe, with Bakhtiyar seen as a Turko-Afghan . Later in the Khalji Revolution , the Khaljis faced discrimination and were looked down upon by other Turks for Afghan barbarians. Bakhtiyar during his early years went in search of employment to Ghazni and Delhi . At

4032-408: Was necessary to make a wick out of cotton belonging to ascetics and Brahmins, get oil from houses of kings and merchants, obtain an oil-burner from a place of penance, and burn a lamp using those and place it before the tutelary deity. If the king addressed an entreaty, the serpent of Dharmapala would throw the lamp away, and the temple must be built where the lamp falls. The lamp was lit, but suddenly

4096-400: Was “erected on a hill near the town of modern Behar.” However, dge-’dun-chos-’phel stated: “On the railway line from Patna to Rajgir , there is a station called Bihar-Sharif. If one looks to the west after reaching the station, one will see a low mound." This is said to contain the ruins of Odantapuri Vihara. This is likely a reference to the locality of Gadh Par in Bihar Sharif which is

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