Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
Early medieval · Buddhist · India

Odantapuri

ओदंतपुर

Bihar Sharif, Nalanda, Bihar · 25.1970°, 85.5180°

Buddha (mahavihara)Pala—Buddhist circuit
Sacred since
750 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
8th–9th c. (Pala)
Pala

History & significance

The second-oldest of India's mahaviharas after Nalanda, founded at Bihar Sharif under Gopala I and sustained by later Pala kings and the Pithipatis of Magadha, teaching both Hinayana and Mahayana. It declined in the eleventh century and was sacked around 1193 by Bakhtiyar Khalji.

Sthala katha — the legend

Tibetan tradition tells of a yogi and a Buddhist lay devotee performing a corpse rite to conjure the gold that paid for the monastery.

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Related sites

Somapura Mahavihara, Paharpur
Paharpur · Bangladesh
late 8th c.
Relic Stupa and Ashokan Pillar, Vaishali
Vaishali · India
c. 5th–3rd c. BCE
Kesaria Stupa
Kesariya, East Champaran · India
present structure Pala, 8th–12th c.; origin c. 250 BCE
Griddhakuta (Vulture Peak)
Rajgir · India
associated with the Buddha's lifetime; structures undated
Mahaparinirvana Temple, Kushinagar
Kushinagar · India
present temple 1956, over ancient stupa remains
Jetavana, Shravasti
Shravasti · India
built in the Buddha's lifetime by Anathapindika

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Pala