Moinamoti (''Môynamoti'') is an isolated low, dimpled range of hills, dotted with more than 50 ancient
Buddhist settlements dating between the 8th and 12th century CE. It was part of the ancient
Tripura division of Bengal. It extends through the centre of the district of
Comilla in
Bangladesh. Moinamoti is located almost 8 miles from the city of
Comilla. It is the home of one of the most important
Buddhist archaeological sites in the region.
Comilla Cantonment is located nearby and houses a beautiful colonial era
cemetery.
Mainamati is named for the
Chandra queen of the same name, mother of
Govindachandra. Mainamati is 114 kilometers from
Dhaka city through National Highway 1 and is nearly 162 kilometers from
Chittagong
Chittagong ( /ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/ ''chit-uh-gong''; ctg, চিটাং; bn, চিটাগং), officially Chattogram ( bn, চট্টগ্রাম), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and third largest city in B ...
. Also, there is a Buddhist temple beside it.
Buddhist Monuments
*
Shalban Vihara
Shalban Bihar (Sanskrit; bn, শালবন বিহার ''Shalban Bihar'') is an archaeological site in Moinamoti, Comilla, Bangladesh. The ruins are in the middle of the Lalmai hills ridge, and these are of a 7th-century Paharpur-style ...
: The centre piece of the Buddhist sites at Mainamati is the
Shalban vihara
Shalban Bihar (Sanskrit; bn, শালবন বিহার ''Shalban Bihar'') is an archaeological site in Moinamoti, Comilla, Bangladesh. The ruins are in the middle of the Lalmai hills ridge, and these are of a 7th-century Paharpur-style ...
, almost in the middle of the Mainamati-Lalmai hill range consists of 115 cells, built around a spacious courtyard with a
cruciform temple in the centre, facing its only gateway complex to the north, resembling that of the
Sompur Bihara
Somapura Mahavihara ( bn, সোমপুর মহাবিহার, Shompur Môhabihar) in Paharpur, Badalgachhi, Naogaon, Bangladesh is among the best known Buddhist viharas or monasteries in the Indian Subcontinent and is one of the mos ...
. It is clearly a Vihara, or an educational centre with residential facilities.
*
Kutila Mura
The Kutila inscription of Bareilly is an inscription in the Kutila script (कुटिल लिपि) dating to 992 CE that provides crucial evidence in tracing the shared descent of the Devanagari and Bengali-Assamese scripts of Northern and ...
: Situated on a flattened hillock, about 5 km north of Shalban Vihara inside the
Comilla Cantonment is a picturesque Buddhist establishment. Here, three
stupa
A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation.
In Buddhism, circumamb ...
s are found side by side representing the Buddhist "Trinity" or three jewels, i.e. the
Buddha,
Dharma
Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...
and
Sangha.
*
Charpatra Mura: This is an isolated small oblong shrine situated about 2.5 km. north-west of Kotila Mura stupas. The only approach to the shrine is from the east through a gateway, which leads to a spacious hall. A number of shrines can be found here.
* Ananda Rajer Badi
* Mainamati Ranir Badi: The Mainamati site Museum, situated next to Shavian Vihara, houses a good collection of artifacts found at these sites. The Museum has a rich and varied collection of copper plates, gold and silver coins and 86 bronze objects. Over 150 bronze statues have been recovered mostly from the monastic cells, bronze stupas, stone sculptures and hundreds of terracotta plaques each measuring on an average of 9" high and 8" to 12" wide.
References
External links
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Archaeological sites in Bangladesh
Cumilla
Buddhism in Bangladesh
Former populated places in Bangladesh
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