Moinamoti () is an isolated low, dimpled range of hills, dotted with more than 50 ancient

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

settlements dating between the 8th and 12th century CE. It was part of the ancient

Samatata Samataṭa (Brahmi script: ''sa-ma-ta-ṭa'') was an ancient geopolitical division of Bengal in the eastern Indian subcontinent. The Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman account of Sounagoura is linked to the kingdom of Samatata. Its territory corres ...

division of

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

. It extends through the centre of the district of

Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. Moinamoti is located almost 8 miles or 12 km from the city of

. It is the home of one of the most important

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

s in the region. Comilla Cantonment is located nearby and houses a beautiful colonial era

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

. Mainamati is named for the

Chandra Chandra (), also known as Soma (), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) and Dikpala (guardians of the directions). Etymology and other ...

queen of the same name, mother of the king Govindachandra. According historian Bisweswar Chakravarti that the dynasty had relation with Mahishya king ''Harish Pala''. According to the folk song of

, 'Mainamatir Gan' mentioned that Raja Govindachandra was married Raja Harish Pala's two daughter named 'Aduna' and 'Poduna'. Mainamati is 114 kilometers or 70 miles from

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

city through National Highway 1 and is nearly 162 kilometers or 100 miles from

Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...

. There is also a Buddhist temple located beside it.

Buddhist Monuments

Shalban Vihara Shalban Vihara (Sanskrit; ''Shalban Bihar'') is an archaeological site in Mainamati, Moinamoti, Comilla District, Comilla, Bangladesh. The ruins are in the middle of the Lalmai hills ridge, and these are of a 7th-century Paharpur Buddhist Mona ...

: At the centre piece of the Buddhist sites at Mainamati is the

Shalban vihara Shalban Vihara (Sanskrit; ''Shalban Bihar'') is an archaeological site in Mainamati, Moinamoti, Comilla District, Comilla, Bangladesh. The ruins are in the middle of the Lalmai hills ridge, and these are of a 7th-century Paharpur Buddhist Mona ...

, almost in the middle of the Mainamati-Lalmai hill range consists of 115 cells, built around a spacious courtyard with a

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

temple in the centre, facing its only gateway complex to the north, resembling that of the Sompur Bihara. It is clearly a Vihara, or an educational centre with residential facilities. * Kutila Mura: Situated on a flattened hillock, about 5 km north of Shalban Vihara inside the Comilla Cantonment is a picturesque Buddhist establishment. Here, three

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

s are found side by side representing the Buddhist "Trinity" or three jewels, i.e. the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

and

Sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...

. * 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. * 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" inches high and 8" to 12" inches wide.

References

External links

* Archaeological sites in Bangladesh Cumilla Buddhism in Bangladesh Former populated places in Bangladesh {{Bangladesh-struct-stub