Odantapuri
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Odantapuri
- University founded in Magadha in the eighth Century by Dharmapala; regarded as the model for bsam yas. [Tarthang]
- one of the six Buddhist universities of ancient India
- also called Uddandapura, was a Buddhist vihara in what is now Bihar, India.
Odantapuri was considered the second oldest of India's universities. This was situated in Maghada, about 6 miles away from Nalanda. Acharya Sri Ganga of Vickramasila had been a student here. Later he joined Odantapuri. King Gopala (660-705) was the patron who helped to found this university. According to the Tibetan records there were about 12,000 students at Odantapuri. Our knowledge of this seat of learning is obscure, and we are not in a position to give more details. This too perished at the hands of the Muslim invaders. It is said they mistook the universities with their high walls for fortresses. They thought the Buddhist monks were "Shaven headed Brahmins" who were idolaters. [D. Amarasiri Weeraratne, Shri Lanka]