ITINERARY
Drive in the morning to Mainamati to visit the excavated remains at the Shalban Vihara. Visit the Museum, Shalban Vihara, Itakhola Mura, and Charpatra Mura in the area. Have lunch at a local restaurant. Drive next to a place called Sonargaon to visit the ancient city of Panam Nagar and the adjacent Folk Arts Museum. Drive back to Dhaka in the evening.
HIGHLIGHTS
Shalban Vihara
It lies about the middle of the Lalmai ridge at Kotbari near Comilla. Excavations have exposed a large Buddhist monastery having cruciform foundation and four identical wings in four sides that looks similar to the excavated 8th century Buddhist at Paharpur. The site excavations have also brought other material objects datable from the 7th to 12th centuries AD.
Itakhola Mura
This is another of the impressive find in the Mainamati village. Excavations have revealed here a grand stupa complex with an attached monastery, located 42m north. The cultural phases of the site are stated to be five; the earlier three being still buried underneath the later remain. It served, for a long time, as a quarry for ancient bricks for the locals, hence the name.
Charpatra Mura
This is a small but interesting archaeological site in Mainamati. It is situated in the northern part of the Lalmai ridge at about the centre of the Comilla Cantonment area. A small Hindu shrine, 45.7m x 16.8m, was uncovered here.
In plan, shape and architectural design and decoration, it is unique; differing basically both from the Buddhist architecture of Mainamati and the traditional Hindu temple architecture of the Gupta or other Indian types.
Sonargaon
The ‘village of Gold’ is the literal meaning of the name. Since before 11th Century, this has been a very important trading centre in the region for a long time till 17th Century, when Dhaka was made the capital of Mughals. During its long glorious history the town has seen several kings and rulers of different origins and religions.
The ancient city has been traced to have embraced a wide tract bounded on the east, west and south by the Rivers Meghna, the Shitalakhya and the Dhaleshwari respectively and on the north by the Brahmaputra River. It is now a township in the name of an upazila about 27km southeast of Dhaka in the Narayanganj district. Ancient city of Panam Nagar and few majestic buildings are the attractive remains of its old glory.
