Jagaddala monastery, (towards) Dhamoirhat, Rajshahi Division, BD

Raw data

"[T]he Pala kings, who were Buddhists, continued to patronize Nalanda. They also founded and supported a series of further monastic universities at Odantapuri, Vikramasila, Somapura and Jagaddala. These institutions continued to function right up to the Muslim conquest, and some of their treachers found refuge in Tibet at that time."
Src: Samuel (1993:409)
Input by: tmciolek, Feb 23 2009

""Jagaddala Vihara During the four centuries of prosperous rule of the a Buddhist monastery situated in Naogaon. […] Jagaddala Mahavihara was probably built by [R]amapala (1077-1120 AD). According to Sandhyakara Nandi's ramacharitam (composed in the reign of Madanapala) it was located in Varendri. Some famous Buddhist scholars in Tibet such as Vibhuti Chandra, Danasila, Mokshakara Gupta and Subhakara Gupta belonged to this monastery. Scholars have now established that many Tibetan translations of Sanskrit texts, especially those dealing with Vajrayana and Tantrayana philosophy of Mahayana persuasion, were actually composed at the Jagaddala Vihara. The presiding Buddhist god at this Sanggharama was Avalokiteshvara.

Subhakara Gupta and Abhayakara Gupta, along with other scholars of Vikramashila Mahavihara, are believed to have taken shelter at the Jagaddala Mahavihara after the former's destruction, and to have prepared scores of Sanskrit works on Buddhism. These scholars - some of whom were Bengalees - not only wrote on religious subjects but also made considerable contribution to the development of secular Sanskrit literature, particularly poetry. Vidyakara, the compiler of subhasitaratnakosa, was a scholar of the famous Jagaddala Mahavihara.

In quest of the ancient site of Jagaddala, AKM Zakaria has identified five old sites bearing the same name, of which four are in northern Bangladesh and one in Maldah in West Bengal (India). These are: (a) Jagdal in Panchagarh; (b) Jagdal in Haripur upazila of Thakurgaon; (c) Jagdal in Bochaganj upazila in Dinajpur; (d) Jagdal in Dhamoirhat upazila of Naogaon [emph. by tmc] ; and (e) Jagdala in Bamangola upazila of Maldah. After carefully exploring these places personally and assessing their potentiality Zakaria observed that except the one in Naogaon district, the other four sites did not have any ancient remains worth any consideration. He therefore, tentatively identified the extensive mounds of Jagdal in Dhamoirhat as the site of the illustrious Jagaddala Mahavihara.

Scattered ancient mounds and derelict tanks occupy a large area in Jagaddala village and are located about 3 km northeast of Hatitakidanga Bazar on the Jaipurhat-Dhamoirhat highway about 1.5 km south of the Bangladesh-India border and 8 km northeast of Dhamoirhat upazila. Paharpur [i.e. Somapura ] and Halud vihara Buddhist monasteries are only 20 and 18 km distant from it. […]"
http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/J_0007.htm

Dhamoirhat, Bangladesh Page
Other names: Dhāmoirhāt,Dhāmairhāt,Dhamairhat
World:Bangladesh:Barisal Division
Latitude 25.1500 Longitude 88.8500
http://www.fallingrain.com/world/BG/0/Dhamoirhat.html

An ancient university at Jagaddala, in Bengal (from the Pala period to the Muslim conquest) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Universities_of_Pakistan#Asia

Final data (and their sources)

Last updated: 5 Apr 2013

Lat/Long coordinates' accuracy:
The monastery in question is assumed to be situated actually no farther than 2 km from the point defined by the coordinates below.

Location of Jagaddala monastery, BD.

General location of the Jagaddala monastery, BD.
lat=25.1500 long=88.8500
Mapping & images: Falling Rain Genomics (http://maps.fallingrain.com), 2009.


Google Map link:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=25.1500+88.8500+(Approx.%20loc.%20of%20the%20Jagaddala%20monastery,%20BD)&ll=25.1500,88.8500&spn=05.0,05.0&t=k&hl=en


Final data - explanatory notes

1. Monastery's name

  • Jagaddala monastery - Samuel (1993:409)

2. Monastery's modern country & province

  • Bangladesh:Rajshahi Division

3. Monastery's alternative/historical names


4. Monastery's lat/long coordinates


5. Other known nearby Buddhist monasteries


6. Modern name of the known nearest city, town, or village


7. The settlement's alternative/historical names


8. The settlement's coordinates


9. Monastery's major Buddhist tradition


10. Monastery's Buddhist sub-tradition

  • [missing data]

11. Date-early

  • MBM chrono-tag 1067-99p 1100-32c - tmciolek 3 Apr 2013
  • 1067-99p 1100-32c 1133-66c 1167-99c 1200=> dated-el

12. Date-intermediate

  • [missing data]

13. Date-late

  • MBM chrono-tag 1200=> - tmciolek 3 Apr 2013

14. Details of contacts with other monasteries

  • [missing data]

15. Type of evidence regarding the monastery

  • [missing data]

16. Additional notes

  • [missing data] (incl. details of the size of the monastic population)

17. Corrections & addenda to this page were kindly provided by

  • [missing data]

18. Known monks and nuns associated with this monastery


19. Available Printed Literature

  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 1]
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 2]
  • [bibliographical details of the Book/Article 3]

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