A blog about Food, Archaeology and heritage travel : Atisa Dipankara Srijnan: Connecting Bangladesh, India & Tibet

A man born in Chittagong, Sharat Chandra Das was sent to Tibet as an envoy of the British empire in the latter part of the 1800s. As it was highly restricted to travel freely, he snooped around the mountains and monasteries trying to understand the life and ways of the Tibetan monks there. He worked as a sort of spy for the British and needless to say, had to escape Tibet when he was found out, leaving those who had befriended him in risk.

The info he had gathered during his stay was later compiled into 2 books: Indian Pundits in the land of the SNows in 1893 by the Asiatic Society and Travel Accounts of Tibet by the British Geographical Society. He mentioned another son of Bangladesh who had made his indelible mark on the reclusive Buddhists of Tibet and was responsible for reviving and restoring the Buddhism practiced in Tibet.

Atisa Dipankaram Srijan, was born as Chandragarbha in 980 CE, in village Vajrajogini of Vikrampur or the Bikrampur we know of, now known as Munshigonj. Like the Buddha, Atisa was also born into a privileged family as a prince and as a child, showed the seeds of a scholar in him. later as he grew up, he joined a university and started studying more about Buddhism and soon became the star pupil, going on to become the prinicipal of Vikramashila Vihara, one of the 5 main Mahaviharas like Nalanda.

Ruins of Vikramashila in district Bhagalpur of Bihar, India

By now he was called Dipankar Srijnan. At 32, he travelled a perilous journey to Java and Indonesia to spread the Gospel of Buddha and after 15 years he returned to India.

Tapestry found in Indonesia depicting Atisa

Here he headed Vikramashila and several other universities before being invited by the Tibetan king who wanted Buddhism revived in the mountainous region. Bidding his tearful disciples adieu, who felt Atisa leaving India would be catastrophic for the spread of Buddhism (Nalanda was already declining) Atisa then left India and lived for a year in Nepal before leaving for Tibet, through another arduous, perilous, dacoit ridden yet undoubtedly exiting journey to Tibet. he crossed the Manas Lake or Mannosarovar near the Kailash mountains to enter Tibet and was welcomed (like everywhere else) like a celebrity by the King. he was given a celestial drink of tea and the title of Atisa (the greatest one) was bestowed upon him here. Atisa lived in Tibet for 13 years before dying at the age of 73. he is responsible for reviving the Mahayana Buddhsim, as well as the concept of the Dalai Lama.

painting of Atisa found in Kadampa monastery of Tibet gifted to the Metropolitan Museum USA.

Poor Atisa felt homesick and even composed songs in Bangla for his beloved place of birth called "Vajrasana Vajragiti", "Charyagiti", "Vajrayogini Stotra". However we have lost these ancient songs and now they are only contained within Tibetan Tanjurs, or their translated treaties.

Today, Bangladesh truly recognises the efforts of this great scholar and Atish Dipankar is commemorated with a China-Bangladesh joint venture, with a faux model of his house. Now known as "Nastik Ponditer Bhita" or the house of the atheist scholar, Prof. Sufi Mostafizur rahman and his team of archaoelogists have what they feel discovered a 1000 year old monastery in Munshigonj or ancient Vikrampura. this will certainly give us a better idea of the childhood days of Atisa and the world he was exposed to within Bangladesh.