05/02/2023
Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur - Nauga, Bangladesh 🇧🇩
UNESCO World Heritage
Category: Cultural Site
Date of Inscription: 1985
Criteria: (i)(ii)(vi)
Dossier: 322
Naogaon Subdivision of Rajshahi District
N25 1 60 E88 58 60
Built: 8th century AD
Built for: Dharma Pala
Architectural style(s): Gupta, Pala
Somapura Mahavihara (Bengali: সোমপুর মহাবিহার, romanized: Shompur Môhabihar) or Paharpur Buddhist Vihara (Bengali: পাহাড়পুর বৌদ্ধ বিহার, romanized: Pāhāṛapura baud'dha bihāra) in Paharpur, Badalgachhi, Naogaon, Bangladesh is among the best known Buddhist viharas or monasteries in the Indian Subcontinent and is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. It is one of the most famous examples of architecture in pre-Islamic Bangladesh. It dates from a period to the nearby Halud Vihara and to the Sitakot Vihara in Nawabganj Upazila of Dinajpur District.
Evidence of the rise of Mahayana Buddhism in Bengal from the 7th century onwards, Somapura Mahavira, or the Great Monastery, was a renowned intellectual centre until the 12th century. Its layout perfectly adapted to its religious function, this monastery-city represents a unique artistic achievement. With its simple, harmonious lines and its profusion of carved decoration, it influenced Buddhist architecture as far away as Cambodia.
