Vol. V, No.1.) The Vikramasilé Monastery. 3 
(18) 
The inevitable inference that should be drawn from these 
discrepancies is that either the chronology of the Pala kings 
should be re-adjusted or the foundation of the Vikramasila 
with the modern town of Bihar,! with a magnificent vihdra. 
But we need not resort to the latter alternative or do violence to 
the accepted opinion of the Vikramasila vihdra being founded by 
Dharma-paéla. General Cunningham must have perceived the 
absurdity to which we are landed by placing the accession of Go- 
pala in the middle of the ninth ce ntury. He therefore adopted 
the average of 25 years to a reign which placed the assumption 
of sovereign power of Bengal by Go-pala in the latter half of the 
eighth century. But with this even he was not satisfied ; he there- 
fore stretched each regal period to 30 years, and thus brought 
the accession of Go-pala to the ats part of the eighth century. 
He says, “ Assi - 20 years to a “pitt and working back- 
wards from Mahi-pala, the accession of Go-pala, the founder of 
the dynasty, will fallin the latter half of the eighth century, or 
still earlier, if we allow 30 years to each generation. By either 
reckoning, the rise of 4 the Pala dynasty of Magadha is fixed to 
the eighth century A.D., at which time great changes would 
Gen 
first half of the eighth century A.D., and therefore we can laa 
the accession of _his* son Dharmapala in the middle of the 
eighth pein A.D., or a little late 
It is therefore very probable” that the Vikramasila’ vihéra 
was founded i in the middle of the eighth century or about that 
time. We cannot, for any reason, place the foundation of the 
monastery anterior to the period of the Pala kings of Magadha, 
that is, beyond the eighth cata of the Christian era, Hiuen 
Tsiang and I-tsing have not at all mentioned the name of Vikra- 
masila vihdra, which they would have certainly done had it 
the circumstances also show that the Vikramasilé vihara 
founded by eee about the middle of the eighth contary. 
we do not know the actual period of his reign, yet it 
appears from an inscription asovered at Khalimpur near Gour 
that Dharmapala reigned at least for 32 years.5 
It is mentioned in the Buddhist chronicles that the Vikrama- 
silé monastery was situated on a bluff hill on the right bank of 
the river Ganges in the province of Magadha. It contained six 
gates and a large open space which could hold an pees of 
! Arch. Report, vol. viii 
2A atch, Survey Report, ‘vol, iii, 
3 Journal of the Asiatic Society Dy Biagsk vol, lxiii, part I. 
