SadguruCaterer at 20:49, 30 March 2026

2026-03-30T20:49:29Z

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{{Infobox Historic Site
| name = Kṛmilā Adhiṣṭhāna
कृमिला अधिष्ठान
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| location = [[Lakhisarai district]], [[Bihar]], [[India]]
| coordinates = {{coord|25.1571|N|86.0952|E|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = India#India Bihar
| map_caption = Location of Krimila
| built = 8th-9th century CE
| nearest_city = [[Lakhisarai]]
| governing_body = [[Archaeological Survey of India]]
| website =
}}
'''Kṛmilā''' was a [[Buddhist]] religious and administrative centre located in what is now [[Lakhisarai district]] in [[Bihar]].
Spread in an area around 25–30 square kilometres, the city has a large number of historical monuments, particularly Buddhist [[Stupa]]s and Hindu temples. [[Joseph David Beglar|Beglar]] and [[Alexander Cunningham|Cunningham]] explored the area and reported on the antiquity of the region in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Anil |first1=Kumar |title=Kṛimilā: A Forgotten Adhiṣṭhāna of Early Medieval Eastern India |journal=Indian Historical Review |date=2011 |volume=38 |doi=10.1177/037698361103800102 |s2cid=220720306 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/037698361103800102|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

It is known to contain the first hilltop Buddhist [[monastery]] in the [[Gangetic plains]].<ref>{{cite news |title=First hilltop Buddhist monastery found in Bihar's Lakhisarai |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/first-hilltop-buddhist-monastery-found-in-bihar-s-lakhisarai/story-mbgH6ZPvDvDV76H27Ho6rI.html |publisher=Hindustan Times}}</ref>

==History==
The site was built sometime during the [[Gupta Empire|Gupta]] or [[Pala Empire|Pāla]]-period in the [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] region. The monastery at the site was known as '''''Śrīmaddharmavihārik āryabhikṣusaṅghasya''''' which translates as "'''the council of [[Buddhist monk|monks]] of Śrīmaddharma Vihāra'''".
The monastery was mentioned by [[Xuanzang]] during his travels through the region. He also stated that the [[Buddha]] himself stayed here.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kumar|first1=Anil|title=Interesting Early Medieval Sculptures of Magadh: A Case Study of Sculptures from "Krimila Adhisthana" |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44147749|journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|year=2009 |volume=70|pages=1034–1048|jstor=44147749 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=RECENT ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS AT KRIMILA: THEIR IMPLICATIONS ON THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF EARLY MEDIEVAL INDIAN HISTORY |journal=Journal of Indian Research |date=2016 |url=http://mujournal.mewaruniversity.in/JIR4-4/JIR44.pdf#page=25}}</ref>
Recent evidence has also led to speculation that the monastery was led by a [[Bhikkhunī|female monk]] called '''''Vijayaśrī Bhadra'''''.<ref>{{cite news |title=The recently excavated monastery holds evidence that the it was run by a female monk; it's also a vital key in resurrecting the lost city of Krimila |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/outlooktraveller/travelnews/story/71148/the-newly-discovered-buddhist-monastery-at-lal-pahari-bihar-holds-vital-in-resurrecting-the-lost-city-of-krimila |agency=Outlook India}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Buddhist holy sites in Bihar]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Bihar]]

Krimila - Revision history

SadguruCaterer at 20:49, 30 March 2026