The walled monastery of Odantapuri on the Gadh Par mound at Bihar Sharif, which English Wikipedia says Bakhtiyar Khalji destroyed in his invasion of Bihar (dated between 1197 and 1206 on that page, "subjugated much of Bihar in 1200" in its opening).
Minhaj calls the place "Bihar" from the Persian use of vihara and describes a fort with shaven-headed Brahmans (monks) and a library. On 1 January 1200 it either stands whole, has just fallen or is two years from falling, depending on the reading the campaign prefers.
Who holds it
- Name
- not named
- Title
- The head of the vihara and a gate guard
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- not known
- Confidence
- low
English Wikipedia (Bakhtiyar, Nalanda); board gadh-par-mound, odantapuri-bihar-sharif.
Lord in 1200
The vihara; the Pala-line or Pithipati king claims the ground.
What the town holds
- The vihara with its walls and gates
- The estate villages
How things stand that morning
A walled monastery with a library, taken for a fort by anyone who sees it from the plain.
Wealth
The estate villages and the royal grants (nothing recorded for 1200).
Military
A gate guard; no numbers.
Threats
- Bakhtiyar Khalji's raid (1197 to 1206)
Council
A vihara council of monks; no town council.
Walls and castle
A walled monastery on a mound (board: castle); it is this wall that makes the Turks mistake it for a fort.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- Working reading for play: after 1 January 1200, between 1200 and 1203, so not yet done when the game opens (the campaign sets the year). Readings: 1197 to 1206; careful modern readings 1199 to 1200, others 1203Bakhtiyar storms the "fortress of Bihar", kills the monks and takes booty and horses; Aibak honours him.Depends on: Aibak lets him ride; the gate guard is light. Stopped by: A Pala-line, Pithipati or Sena force relieves it; Aibak recalls him.
Places of note
- Bihar Sharif: Odantapuri.
Where the sources disagree
- The assignment says "Odantapuri". Dharmasvamin, according to English Wikipedia, says the site later became a Turkish military headquarters. The date is not pinned.
Evidence: Minhaj, written about 1260, and later Tibetan writers; modern readings disagree on the date.
Primary sources for Magadha and Anga
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Nasirean Generations (a general history of the Muslim dynasties), Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani (completed 1260 at Delhi). The fullest narrative of the Ghurid conquest of northern India. Read online
- The Nasirid Generations: a General History of the Muslim Dynasties, Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani (1259 to 1260, at Delhi). The Ghurid court's own history, by a man born in 1193 whose family served the sultans of Ghur and Ghazna. Read online
- Inscriptions of Bengal, vol. 3, Various (the Sena kings' chanceries), edited by N. G. Majumdar (copper plates of the 10th to early 13th centuries; edited 1929). The one-volume edition of the Sena copper plates, the main documentary evidence for Bengal around 1200. Read online
- Epigraphia Indica: inscriptions of the Chandelas, Paramaras, Gahadavalas, Chaulukyas, Senas and Eastern Gangas, Various (edited for the Archaeological Survey of India by J. Burgess, E. Hultzsch, F. Kielhorn, Sten Konow, F. W. Thomas and successors) (inscriptions of the 1180s to 1210s; the series ran from 1892). The main record series for the Hindu kingdoms of northern India around 1200. Read online
- The History of India as Told by its Own Historians: the Muhammadan Period, vol. 2, Various (Ibn al-Athir, Hasan Nizami, Awfi, Juzjani and others), edited by H. M. Elliot and John Dowson (the sources date from the 1190s to the 14th century; the collection was published in 1869). A one-volume anthology of the Arabic and Persian accounts of the Ghurid conquest. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.