Vikramashila university, in the Bhagalpur region of Bihar, was founded by which ruler?
- A.Gopala
- B.Dharmapala
- C.Devapala
- D.Mahipala
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Dharmapala. Vikramashila was founded by Dharmapala, the second and most powerful king of the Pala dynasty, in the Bhagalpur region on the Ganga, and it became second only to Nalanda as a seat of Buddhist learning, with Atisha Dipankara among its heads. It was destroyed in the same period as Nalanda, at the end of the twelfth century.
Option A, Gopala, was the founder of the Pala dynasty and is credited with Odantapuri, the earliest of the Pala monasteries. Option C, Devapala, was the son of Dharmapala and extended the empire but founded no such university. Option D, Mahipala, was a later Pala king who repaired Buddhist buildings at Sarnath and elsewhere. Pair the Palas carefully: Gopala with Odantapuri and Dharmapala with Vikramashila.
Read the full article: Buddhism and Jainism in Bihar: Sites and Councils
Practice Questions
View allThe Buddha attained enlightenment at which place in present day Bihar?
- A.Rajgir
- B.Bodh Gaya
- C.Vaishali
- D.Pataliputra
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Gautama attained enlightenment at Uruvela, the Bodh Gaya of today, under a peepal tree on the bank of the Niranjana river, which is called the Phalgu now.
Read the full explanation →The term Tripitakas in Buddhism means three
- A.baskets
- B.houses
- C.roads
- D.trees
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Tripitaka is a Pali and Sanskrit word in which pitaka means a basket, so the whole means three baskets, a name that came from the practice of keeping the palm leaf manuscripts of each collection in a separate basket.
Read the full explanation →The first Buddhist council was held at which place?
- A.Vaishali
- B.Pataliputra
- C.Rajgriha
- D.Kundalvana
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The first Buddhist council met at Rajgriha, the Rajgir of today, in the Saptaparni cave soon after the Buddha's death, under the patronage of king Ajatashatru and the presidency of Mahakassapa.
Read the full explanation →Mahavira, the twenty fourth Jain tirthankara, attained nirvana at
- A.Pavapuri
- B.Kundagrama
- C.Sammed Shikhar
- D.Rajgriha
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Mahavira attained nirvana at Pavapuri in the present Nalanda district of Bihar at the age of seventy two, traditionally in 527 BCE, and the Jal Mandir, a marble temple standing in the middle of a tank, marks the place of his cremation.
Read the full explanation →The third Buddhist council was held at Pataliputra under the patronage of
- A.Ajatashatru
- B.Kalashoka
- C.Ashoka
- D.Kanishka
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The third council met at Pataliputra in the reign of Ashoka, with Moggaliputta Tissa presiding.
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