Who was the founder of ‘Vikramshila Vihar’?

The answer is C) Dharmapala. Vikramshila was founded by Dharmapala, the second major ruler of the Pala dynasty of Bengal and Bihar, around the late 8th to early 9th century CE. It was one of the great Mahaviharas, alongside Nalanda, Odantapuri and Jagaddala, and it stood near Bhagalpur in Bihar. It became a major centre of Mahayana Buddhism and Tantric learning, and Atisha Dipankara taught there before going to Tibet.

Why the others are wrong:

• Gopala was the founder of the Pala dynasty itself, chosen by local nobles to end anarchy in Bengal. He did not found Vikramshila.
• Devapala was Dharmapala's successor and expanded Pala power to its peak. Monastic patronage under him is recorded, but the foundation of Vikramshila is credited to Dharmapala.
• Mahipala I was a later Pala ruler credited with reviving the dynasty and repairing older monasteries, not with founding Vikramshila.

For Mains, Vikramshila and Nalanda show how the Palas made Buddhist learning a state-supported institution, linking to the questions on ancient education and cultural diffusion to Tibet and Southeast Asia.

Trap: Candidates confuse the dynasty's founder (Gopala) with the founder of this particular monastery, and the similar names Devapala and Dharmapala are easy to swap.