President visits ruins of Vikramshila University

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday visited the ruins of Vikramshila University, an ancient seat of Buddhist learning, in Bihar's Bhagalpur district.

Mukherjee reached Bhagalpur on Sunday evening. He began a three-day visit to West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar on April 1.

The President also visited the university museum.

Vikramshila was among the most important centres of Buddhist learning in ancient India but the remains of the university have been neglected for years.

Now, its ruins would be conserved on the lines of its older counterpart Nalanda, according to authorities.

Vikramshila University was founded in the late 8th century.

It was intended to complement the world class universities at Nalanda and Takshila. It lasted four centuries before being destroyed during an attack by Bakhtiyar Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate.

--IANS

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