Patna: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has chosen the ancient Vikramshila University in Bhagalpur to conserve and develop on international lines, keeping in view its historical significance and the rising trend of tourists arriving in the site.
The selection was done by the Patna circle of ASI, which has jurisdiction over Bihar, and the project will be completed on the lines of the Adarsh Monument Scheme of the central government, under which the ASI is upgrading 100 monuments across the country and ensuring various public amenities.
A need-gap analysis for conservation and development of the site has been completedand the ASI director-general has given permission to go ahead with the plans. "We have chosen Vikramshila because like the ancient Nalanda University, it was also an elaborate university with international links. The monks from here went to Tibet and developed Lamaism there. This university was famous for the study of Tantrayana (also known as Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism)," ASI Patna circle superintending archaeologist D.N. Sinha said.
Vikramashila, located at Antichak around 50km east of Bhagalpur city, was established by Pala dynasty ruler Dharmapal (783AD to 820AD), in response to a supposed decline in quality of education at Nalanda. Atisha, the renowned Buddhist scholar, is said to have been an abbot there. The university was destroyed by the forces of Bakhtiyar Khilji around 1200AD. With time, the remains got buried in the ground, only to be excavated thoroughly between 1960 and 1982.
Incidentally, people of Bhagalpur have been demanding better conservation, protection and development of the monument.
The Union government also has plans to build a Vikramshila University in the area, though land acquisition by the state government for the purpose is facing hurdles and opposition from the residents.
Talking about the plans for the ancient site, Sinha said a focused approach will be taken for its conservation and development as funds from the ASI headquarters are expected to come. "There are 208 cells for monks around a courtyard having a stupa in the middle at the Vikramshila site. Around 80 cells have been conserved and NTPC Kahalgaon has helped in it financially as part of the National Culture Fund. At this pace, complete conservation of the site would take 15 to 20 years. However, under the new project, all the remaining cells will be developed at a fast pace and simultaneously," Sinha added.
ASI sources said structures in the huge complex were never consolidated after the excavations were completed in 1982, leading to various problems due to nature's action. "Moreover, the firing of bricks used in the main stupa has not been done properly due to which they have developed blackness and are fragile," an ASI official said.
The archaeological site is spread across 100 acres and the ASI will also ensure various public amenities like a ticket booking complex, souvenir shop, cloak room, interpretation centre with an audio-visual hall and an orientation gallery, a cafeteria, that will serve packed food, and toilets.
"ASI will do the conservation work, while work related to public amenities will be outsourced to public sector agencies like NBCC or NPCC," Sinha added.
