Rakesh Ranjan, CC BY 2.0
Vikramaśīla was one of the great Buddhist monasteries of India. Founded between the late eighth and early ninth centuries by King Dharmapāla, it served as a central institution of learning before being attacked at the end of the twelfth century. Among the other Buddhist institutions of northern India, Vikramaśīla was known to have a large population of foreign students, including many from Tibet. When it was attacked beginning in 1199, many, including its last Abbot Śākyaśrībhadra, fled to Nepal and Tibet with texts from the substantial library.