Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s2.t15.2

v1.c7.s2.t15.2

Scholars differ when it comes to the meaning of Vikramaśīlā. Some argue that the name originated from its location on the bluff rock hill, denoted in Sanskrit as *Śīlā*. Others emphasise that the name Vikramaśīlā conveys the sense of a strong moral conduct signified by the Sanskrit term, *Śīla*. The word *Vikrama*, in Indian tradition signifies strong or powerful attributes. The location and identification of the *mahāvihāra* defied a final answer until archaeologists from Patna University exposed a considerable monastic settlement at village Antichak, about 47 km East of Bhagalpur district in Bihar, during the period 1960-1969. The location of the exposed settlement on a broad and steep hill, south of the Ganges river, was similar to that described in the Tibetan accounts and so the remains were finally accepted to be those of the Vikramaśīlā Mahāvihāra.