Patna: Almost a month after PM Modi announced that the state will soon get a new Central University; the state government has started the land acquisition process for the proposed university that will come up near the ancient site of Vikramshila University in Kahalgoan in Bhagalpur.
The Chief Secretary of the state Amrit Lal Meena recently visited the ancient site of Antichak where the ancient Vikramshila University flourished as a renowned centre of learning from 8th to 12th century.
Interacting with the media personnel, the Chief Secretary informed that he visited the site to see the necessary requirement as the land acquisition process for the proposed university has commenced.
This comes after the state government recently identifying around 205 acres of land just around a few kilometers away from the ancient site to develop the new Vikramshila Central University. Earlier the state government led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had also allocated a fund of Rs 90 crore for the land acquisition process.
The project was initially approved by the Union Government with an allocation of Rs 500 crore in the year 2015. However delay in the land acquisition process and other issues have halted the commencement of work.
According to reports, efforts are being made to start the academic session of the university with a makeshift venue from this year and the administration has also identified private buildings from where classes could run temporarily if needed.
A centre for studying theology, philosophy, metaphysics, Bhartiya logic and more significantly the Tantra Vidya, a study of the occult sciences, Vikramshila was founded by King Dharmpala of the Pala dynasty in the late 7th to early 8th century
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The university continued to flourish for the next four centuries, producing eminent scholars who later spearheaded the cultural spread of the Bhartiya knowledge system and philosophy. At its peak, the university had thousands of students, engaged in studies of manuscripts, grammar, Sanskrit and Tantra Vidya at the centre.
The excavations at the ancient site led to unearthing of several Buddhist and Hindu temples alongside disclosure of a giant square monastery. It further led to unearthing of several idols of Buddhist tradition alongside images of Hindu deities which are kept at a museum erected near the site.
