Odantapuri
Also called: Uddandapura · Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Odantapuri (also called Uddandapura) was a large Buddhist monastic university, a centre where monks lived and studied. It stood in Bihar, near present-day Bihar Sharif. Tradition says an early Pala king founded it in the 8th century, usually Gopala. Along with Nalanda and Vikramashila, it made eastern India a centre of Buddhist learning.
Example
At the end of the 12th century, the Turkish general Bakhtiyar Khilji attacked Bihar. His forces destroyed Odantapuri and killed many of its monks. This was part of the same campaign that ruined Nalanda and Vikramashila.
Don't confuse with
- Vikramashila: founded by Dharmapala, the second Pala king, in the late 8th century. It was a different monastery.
Related concepts
- Tripartite struggle
- Matsyanyaya
- Gopala
- Pala dynasty
- Dharmapala
- Devapala
- Vikramashila
- Somapura Mahavihara
- Atisha Dipankara
- Pala school of art