S.P.M.College, Udantpuri

Sardar Patel Memorial College (S.P.M. College) is situated in Bihar Sharif, in the Nalanda district of Bihar, India. Its original campus was constructed in the area known as Gadh Par (or Garhpar), a large mound that is believed to contain the remains of the ancient Odantapuri Vihara, a prominent Buddhist monastic university established during the Pala dynasty. This area historically held the remains of an ancient fort surrounded by a wide moat, said to have been built by a Maga Raja and destroyed by Muhammadans in the 12th century; the fort is believed to have been part of the Odantapuri University complex. Over time, various civil and municipal buildings, including the Civil Court and Nalanda College, were constructed over these ruins, which had almost completely disappeared by the 1960s as the town expanded into the area. Both the college and the surrounding neighbourhood continue to be called 'Udantpuri,' preserving the memory of the ancient Odantapuri Mahavihara that once stood nearby, though the exact location of the original university has not been conclusively established.