Paharpur Buddhist Vihara – A Historic Archeological Monument

Paharpur Buddhist Vihara, or Somapura Mahavira is situated in Paharpur, Badalgachhi, Naogaon, Bangladesh. It is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the nation and one of the most well-known Buddhist viharas or monasteries on the Indian Subcontinent. In 1985, UNESCO declared it to be a World Heritage Site. It is among the most well-known instances of pre-Islamic architecture in Bangladesh.

From reading this article, you will know briefly about:

• Location
• History of Paharpur or Somapura
• Architecture of Paharpur Buddha Bihar
• How to get to Paharpur Buddhist Vihara
• Entry Ticket Price
• When to visit Somapura Mahavihara
• Food and Accommodation
• Other Structures Around
• Other Tourist Spots in Naogaon

Location of Paharpur Buddhist Vihara

The UNESCO-listed 8th century’s buddhist temple (see the location in google map) is located in the Naogan district, though it is nearer from Joypurhat. The distance of the monastery from Jouprhat is around 13 kilometers, whereas the Naogaon city is around 32-35 kilometers away. You can also visit the place from Bogura city, which is almost 60 kilometers to the east.

History of Paharpur or Somapura

Historical Archeological Monument Somapura Mahavira, or the Great Monastery, was a prominent intellectual center until the 12th century and provides evidence of the development of Mahayana Buddhism in Bengal beginning in the 7th century. This monastery-city, with its layout well suited to its holy purpose, is an exceptional work of art. It had an impact on Buddhist architecture as far afield as Cambodia because of its straight forward, symmetrical forms and abundance of carved ornamentation. Sri Dharmapaladeva, the second king of the Palavansh dynasty, had built this monastery in the late 8th or 9th century. And Sir Cunningham discovered this great feat in 1879.

Architecture of Paharpur Buddhist Vihara

Paharpur is one of the largest monasteries south of the Himalayas, and it spans over 27 acres (11 hectares) of ground. It was a significant intellectual hub that was occupied alternatively by Buddhists, Jains, and Hindus throughout the 17th century. The huge outside walls of the Somapura Mahavira and surroundings have terracotta artwork and decorative carved stones that contain clues to its many residents.

The quadrangular structure has a huge temple in the courtyard center and consists of 177 cells excluding the cells of the center block in each direction. Each cell internally measures 4.26m X 4.11m. Each of the rooms has a door. These doors are very interesting, these are wide on the inside but narrow on the outside. Niches are available in some rooms. A number of everyday items are found on the floor of rooms with niches. In late period, the dwellers of this place had built ornamental pedestals in 92 cells. Originally they built the cells as living rooms of monks, but subsequently these were used for worship and meditation. The monastery houses a traditional Buddhist stupa in the center. Only the archaeological borders that have been identified at the site so far might be regarded as the property’s boundaries.

In the early 19th century, the British scholar Mr. Buckman Hamilton first recognized the historic and cultural value of the immense  quadrangular structure and studied its remains. But It is an ancient Buddhist monastery now in ruins.

How to get to Paharpur Buddhist Vihara

Reaching the historic place is not hard. There are many ways by which you can reach there.

• If you want to travel by Bus from the capital city Dhaka, you can find lots of intercity coaches (both air conditioned and non-air conditioned) which will drop you directly to Naogaon. Then take a local bus from the Baludanga bus terminal, and set foot on the destination (Approximate distance is 32 km). Other than Dhaka, you can also come from all major cities of Bangladesh.
• Travelling by Train is also a good choice. Get a ticket to Jamalganj. When you get as far as the station, take an auto rickshaw, or tricycle van, and arrive your desired location. Distance will be around 5 kilometers.
• By Air: From Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Dhaka (HSIA), you have to go to either Rajshahi, or Saidpur. Then you need to take bus or train and hit the Paharpur village to visit the precious Buddhist temple.

Entry Ticket Price at Paharpur

Paharpur Bihar has different ticket prices for the visitors to enter the monastery area. For the general people, ticket price is BDT 20 (20 Taka) per person only. Students up to secondary level will require to pay BDT 5 (5 Taka) per person only. Visitors from the SAARC region need to pay BDT 100 (100 taka) per person only. And each person from other countries around the world will need to pay BDT 200 (200 Taka) only. But, Children under 5 years of age do not require any entry ticket.

When to visit Somapura Mahavihara

You can visit the Paharpur Buddhist Vihara, the World Heritage site any time of the year. Though, between October and March, when the weather is mild with little to no rain, is the ideal time to visit this historic place.

Food and Accommodation at Paharpur Buddhist Vihara

• Food: There is a food stall in the premises named The Heritage Cafeteria. You can find different kind of food there. Besides, hawkers are also available who sell green coconut, water, ice cream, nuts, chips etc.
• Accommodation: Though it is 2023, it is still very hard to locate a good hotel, lodge or any public accommodation for foreigners in Paharpur. So, you may have to get back on the same day if you reside nearby, or you can stay at Upazila Sadar or Zilla Sadar where you can manage to some hotels in very reasonable price. But there are guest houses for VIPs to stay. There is a 5 Star hotel in Bogura, Momo Inn. You can also book your room there.

Other Structures Around

When you start exploring the historic monastery, you will see lots of other formation around the main structure.

Paharpur Museum

There is a museum in the property; Directorate of Archaeology has established it in 1960s and they modernized the museum in 2016. It provides a useful background for understanding Paharpur’s and the area’s history.

Central Temple

The ruins of the central temple lie in the middle of the open square of the inner space of the Vihara. The wonderful main temple is a unique masterpiece of architecture. Its artistic design is awesome. Around 2000 beautiful terracotta plaques are found all over the walls of the temple.

Satyapir’s Vita

Satyapir’s Vita Paharpur is located 365 meters east of Bihar. There are remains of a Tara tabernacle and multitudinous immolation stupas of colorful shapes and sizes in this vita.. About 50 terracotta plaques, eight-armed goddess idols and terracotta seals inscribed with Buddhist religious doctrines at various places in the temple grounds are the similarities between this vita and the Tara temple. There are 132 offering piles in the temple premises. The number and ornamentation of offerings of different shapes and designs around the temple testify to its fame and importance.

Open Field

A few more remains of buildings are found in the open spaces between Bihar. The dining hall and kitchen are located in the southeast part of the courtyard. Between these two structures there is a 46m long bricked drain and near it are three wells in a row. There are also some offering stupas, administrative buildings, portraits of central temples etc.

Bathroom and Toilet

It is basically an establishment located outside of Bihar. A number of baths and latrines were constructed on a platform 27m south of the south wall of Bihar. It is connected to Bihar room 102 by a raised causeway. Below this passage is a vaulted arch parallel to the vihara wall. This was probably done to provide free movement and drainage to the outskirts of Bihar.

Gandeshwari temple

There is a temple outside the east facing wall which is 12m west of Snanghat. On the southern wall of the temple there is an idol of the Buddhist goddess Padmapani and It is locally called Gandeshwari temple. Its length is 6.7m and width is 3.5m. Its front wall is bricked with lotuses in full bloom showing a variety of floral designs and masonry materials. It has a quadrangular hall. In the center of the hall you can find the base of an octagonal pillar. A 1.4 m square square puja chamber is located on the outer side of a projecting wall on the west. Moreover, there are four niches of the hall to place idols. There is a square in front of the temple. Its floor is made of steeply laid bricks and is different from other architectural styles of Paharpur.

Sandhyaboti Ghat

From the southeast corner of Bihar lies Shanbandhano Ghat outside the wall. It is called Sandhyavati Ghat. Sandhyavati, the daughter of Raja Maidlan used to bathe regularly at this ghat. A river was flowing by the side of Bihar. Each wall on either side is 1.5m wide and the ghat sloped down about 12m from the surface.

Other Tourist Spots in Naogaon

There are lots of places to visit when you go Naogaon, some of them are as follows:

• Balihar Rajbari
• Palm Tree road in Ghugudanga
• Kushumba Masjid/Mosque
• Alta Dighi
• Biggest Soil home
• Jagaddal Vihara
• Abdul Jalil Park
• Shokher Polli
• Patisar Kacharibari

Other Tourist Places at North Bengal, Bangladesh

Followings are some of great places to visit in the northern part of Bangladesh:

• Tajhat Palace, Rangpur
• Vinno Jogot Amusement Park, Rangpur
• Kantajew Temple, Dinajpur
• Noyabad Mosque, Dinajpur
• Mahasthangarh Archeological site, Bogura
• Natore Rajbari (Palace), Natore
• Dighapotia Palace, Natore
• Puthia Jomidar Bari, Natore
• Small Golden Mosque, Chapai Nawabganj
• Ramsagar, Dinajpur
• Shopnopuri, Dinajpur
• Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate, Panchagarh

Source: internet, photo credit: Unesco, Rezaul Islam