Vol. X. No. 9.] Notes on Ancient Ahga. 343 



[N .$.] 



countries when they were governed by the Pala kings : namely 

 the universities of Nalanda, Bikramasila, and Jagaddala res- 

 pectively. They encouraged the Nalanda university situated 

 near Rajgir, the ancient capital of Magadha , which had been 

 founded long before Gopala ascended the throne. Dharraapala 

 according to the Tibetan historian Taranath, founded the cele- 

 brated university at Bikramasila in Ahga, and a third univer- 

 sity existed at Jagaddala in Varendra. one of the provinces 



of Gauda. Bikramasila has been identified with Patharghata, 

 which is 24 miles to the east of Bhagalpur and 6 miles to the 

 north of Kahalgaon. The vast remains of the monastery , 

 which contained the university, still exist. Instructions were 

 given there in religious literature, arts and sciences, including 

 medicine, grammar and logic, and also in the Madhyamika and 

 Yogacharya doctrines* of the Mahayana system, and other doc- 

 trines of philosophy. The Tripitaka was taught and the doc- 

 trines of the Sarvastivada school were principally followed. As 

 the Bikramasila university was a later institution, it must 

 have followed in its instructions the course adopted by the 

 Nalanda university, an account of which we get from I- 

 tsing's work. 3 The Bikramasila university became a renowned 

 centre of the Tantric doctrines, whence they spread over 

 all parts of India, especially to Tibet. Its superintendents 

 were all Mantra- Vajracharyas.* The sculptures which adorned 

 the place were perhaps the works of the celebrated Dhlmana 



moms 



and his successor Devapala. Dr. Tytler rightly suspected 

 from the similarity of construction of the " Chambers,' 

 that is, the rock-cut caves at Patharghata with those at 

 Brambanan in Java dedicated to Buddha, that similarity of 

 worship obtained in the two places. 5 



1 See my article on The Vikrams'ila Monastery in J.A.S.B. , 1909, p. 1. 



2 The Madhyamika and the Yogacharya schools were idealistic ; the 

 Madhyamika is a Buddhistic form of the Vedanta philosophy and the 

 Yogacharya agrees with the Yoga system The Yogacharya school was 



founded by Aryasahga or Asanga who lived in the latter part of the 4th 

 century a. d. (Monier-Williams : Buddhism, 157; Bhandarkar's Peep : xx, 

 J.B.B.R.A.S., 406). 



8 Takakusu : Bee. Bud. ReL, chs. 33, 34 ; Intro, xxiii, xxiv. 



* Prof. Kern: M.I.B., 133. 



6 Francklin : Tenets and Doctrines of the Jainas and Buddhists. 



