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Concept
Odantapuri
Summary
Odantapuri (also called Odantapura or Uddandapura) was a prominent Buddhist Mahavihara in what is now Bihar Sharif in Bihar, India. It is believed to have been established by the Pala ruler Gopala I in the 8th century. It is considered the second oldest of India's Mahaviharas after Nalanda and was situated in Magadha. Inscriptional evidence also indicates that the Mahavihara was supported by local Buddhist kings like the Pithipatis of Bodh Gaya.
The vihara perished at the hands of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, a Turko-Muslim invader in the late 1100s, when he launched multiple raids on Bihar and adjoining territories.
Joseph David Beglar first identified the city of Bihar (Bihar Sharif) with Odantapuri; as the city used to be called Bihar Dandi or Dand Bihar, which is a contraction of Dandpur Bihar (derived from "Dandpura Vihara").
A small brass image of the goddess Parvati, bearing a votive inscription on the back that mentioned the name Uddandapura, was also discovered in Bihar Sharif. Based on inscriptions along with local tradition and literary evidence, it is believed that the modern town of Bihar Sharif is built on the ancient site of Odantapuri.
About the location of Odantapuri, S.C.Das depending on the account by Sumpa Khan-po (18th century Tibetan polymath) thought that it was “erected on a hill near the town of modern Behar.” However, dge-’dun-chos-’phel stated: “On the railway line from Patna to Rajgir, there is a station called Bihar-Sharif. If one looks to the west after reaching the station, one will see a low mound." This is said to contain the ruins of Odantapuri Vihara.
This is likely a reference to the locality of Gadh Par in Bihar Sharif which is a huge mound itself. A number of sculptures of the Pala period and some partial brick structures have occasionally been reported from this mound.
The area around Gadh Par (or Garhpar) used to have the remains of an ancient fort surrounded by a wide moat, which was visible till the time Buchanan Hamilton visited it in 1812.
Official source
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