Since the last 4-5 years, almost everyone has gotten to know about Nalanda, Takshashila, Vikramshila and various other universities that once thrived in ancient India, most probably because of the wide exposure of social media. Now everybody knows that these universities invited students not only from across the Indian subcontinent but also the ancient foreign empires like China, Babylon, and even Greece. William Dalrymple, a noted historian and author, recently said that the Nalanda University was equivalent to the combination of the modern-day reputed universities of Oxford, Harvard, and even NASA of its day. However, not just Nalanda, but there were a number of uncountable universities spread across the whole Indian subcontinent. For example, Mithila and Valabhi in Gujarat, Nagarjunakonda in Andhra Pradesh, Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Somapura and Jagadalla in Bangladesh. Among the list of these universities was Ratnagiri in Odisha.
History
Situated near modern-day Jajpur in Odisha, Ratnagiri was the major Vishwavidyalaya or university of Odisha, which thrived between the 7th century CE and 13th century CE and was equivalent to the Nalanda university if seen from the perspective of Odisha of that time. Ratnagiri literally means the “Hill of Jewels” and was built in the 7th century CE under the patronage of the Gupta king NarasimhaGupta Baladitya. It was an important centre of Vajrayana and Tantric Buddhism and as per the Tibetan Buddhist texts, the Ratnagiri university is said to be the centre from where Vajrayana Buddhism spread out outside the Indian subcontinent.
The Diamond Triangle
Not just Ratnagiri, but Lalitgiri Vishwavidyalaya and Udayagiri Vishwavidyalaya were also the other universities which thrived in Odisha, which were not as major as Ratnagiri but they held some significant importance too. These three universities are situated within a span of less than 20 kilometres and, coincidentally, form a triangle-like shape together. Which is why the group of these universities are called the Diamond Triangle of Odisha.
Decline
By the 13th century CE, Ratnagiri went into decline, primarily due to invasions of foreign rulers. Not just Ratnagiri, but by this time, almost none of the universities were left and all of them went into decline.
May, 2025
