Shalban Vihara, Comilla

Shalban Vihara, Comilla

Shalban Vihara, Comilla

Bangladesh is also a heartland of the various renowned Buddhist heritage sites. In Bangladesh, some discoveries are made on Buddhism, which are very significant. Shalban Viahara in Cumilla is one in every of the foremost important archaeological discoveries. The discoveries have added substantially to our knowledge of the history and chronology of ancient Bangladesh and various aspects of her Buddhist life and culture. Shalban Vihara - an important heritage of Bangladesh is found about eight km west of Cumilla town, lies during a variety of low hills named Mainamati-Lalmai range. This range is dotted with quite 50 ancient Buddhist settlements dating from 8-12 century AD.

Shalban Vihara could also be a 7th Century AD archaeological site with 115 monastic cells. It had been very vibrant for Buddhist religious activities until 12 century AD.

Shalban Vihara, a singular religious tourism siteBefore 1200 years ago the King Bhava Deva, the fourth ruler of the Early-Deva dynasty built that place on 168 square meters of ground. It had been the royal palace for the primary Buddhist students. This site, previously called Shalban Rajar Bari, came out after archaeological excavation as a Buddhist monastery and hence termed as Salban Vihara from the terracotta seals and copper plates discovered. Its original name is supposed to possess been Bhava Deva Mahavihara after the 4th king of the primary Deva dynasty which ruled this region from the mid-7th to mid-8th centuries AD. It had been built on the outskirts of Devaparvata, the Samatata capital bordering the Lalambi forest.

Antiquities dug up from Mainamati ridge have established its value as a possible archaeological site. The copper plate inscription of Ranavankamalla Harikaladeva was discovered as early as 1803. In 1875 ruins of what was imagined to be alittle ‘brick fort’ was discovered within the Kotbari mound, in conjunction with some typical Mainamati terracotta plaques. It was, in fact, another monastery.

Of the thirteen copper plates recovered from Mainamati excavations no but eight were from Shalvan Vihara, four from Charpatra Mura and one probably from Ananda Vihara. Of the nearly 400 coins found at Mainamati about 350 were collected from Shalvan Vihara, including a few of gold coins of the Guptas, Devas and thus the Khadgas. The quantity of bronze miniatures excavated from Shalvan Viharas is additionally considerable.

Description about Mainamati will remain incomplete if the three marvels recently discovered aren't described. Among the discovered - two of metallurgical skill and one of stone sculpture. The stone sculpture could also be a standing Buddha image discovered within the Rupban Mura excavations. Its uniqueness lies within the undeniable fact that this is often often the only sculpture approximating the classical Gupta Buddha image in Bangladesh, or for that matter, Bengal as a whole. The other two marvels are a bronze colossal Vajrasattva image discovered within the ruins of Bhoja Vihara in 1994 and a huge bell found at Rupban Kanya Mura. The 1.5m high sitting Vajrasattva could also be a wonder of bronze casting dating probably to 10th -11th century AD. Of the same kind, but mutilated, (since only the highest being preserved), could be a component of another bronze image, an outsized life-size bronze head of Buddhisattva Avalokiteshvara which has traces of gold plating on the polished surface. This was collected from the Bairagi Mura mound. The bronze bell’s estimated weight is about half plenty. This may even be dated to the 10th -11th century AD.

In contrast to Paharpur where the foremost important number of stone sculptures and terracotta plaques in anybody site in Bangladesh has been found, an astounding number of inscriptions, coins and miniature bronzes are hauled from Mainamati, unequalled for anybody ancient site not only in Bengal, but perhaps within the whole subcontinent. What’s more important, however, is that not only in sheer number but also in significance they're unparalleled. The inscriptions belong to no but five dynasties (Guptas, Khadgas, Devas, Chandras, and later Devas), and in some cases introduce us to new dynasties and kingdoms not known before, a bit like the Devas. Altogether the discoveries from Mainamati - inscriptions and coins, sculptures and architecture - have changed the concept of the history of south-east Bengal between 6th and 13th centuries AD. Not only its political history but also the area’s artistic, religious and economic histories are illuminated by the finds.

In the case of the Shalvan Vihara excavations, as an example quite 300 coins - gold, silver (bulk), and copper - testify to the use a daily currency. This has revolutionised our long held idea about Bengal’s currency system, which was based for long on the absence of Pala and Sena coins. It now appears that a minimum of the southeastern a neighborhood of Bengal had a flourishing currency system that incidentally also indicates a flourishing economic life. Also, the actual fact of the invention of the Pattikera and Harikela silver coins side by side at Shalvan Vihara has helped clarify our understating of both the coinages.

Every year many tourists from home and abroad visit Shalban Vihara to know the archaeological values of this site. Department of Archaeology has established a site museum near the situation to display the relics found in and around the Shalban Viahara. The govt. of Bangladesh has taken initiatives to inscribe Shalban Vihara as a World Heritage Site.