The Telegraph report published on October 23, 2013

A senior politician from Jharkhand has written to the Prime Minister requesting him to initiate fresh excavation in and around the site of the ancient university, Vikramshila Mahavihara.

Nishi Kant Dubey, a BJP MP from Godda, Jharkhand, on October 23 wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, requesting him to start fresh excavation at Antichak village in the Kahalgaon sub-division of Bhagalpur district in Bihar.

Along with his letter, he enclosed a recent report (“Fresh excavation call”) on the ancient university published in The Telegraph on the same day.

Dubey, who hails from Bhawanipur village near the ruins of the ancient university, wrote in his letter: “I am enclosing a recent news report that points to continuing historical discoveries at the Vikramshila Mahavihara at Ramjanipur hamlet in Bhagalpur. The discovery of nine votive stupas by the villagers at the village, some 300m from the half-excavated parts of the ancient seat of learning, has led to expectation that the historically important site would reveal even more important evidence of the illustrious past of our civilisation.”

Dubey has urged the Prime Minister to order excavations in the Vikramshila area, along with two other places — Padampur in Poraiyahat block of Godda district and Korowin block in Deoghar district of Jharkhand.

The MLA claimed that both the places were closely linked to the Mahavihara.

In the letter, he wrote: “The excavation will not cost much but the revelations would contribute vastly to our culture.”

A copy of the letter was also sent to Chandresh Kumari Katoch, the Union minister of culture.

Dubey told The Telegraph over phone from New Delhi: “I have been raising the demands for proper renovation of the ancient university as well as more excavation in these areas.”

He added: “I shall try my best to get fresh excavations started there.”