The Lalmai-Mainamati Group of monuments

Some fifty archaeological sites have been identified on an area of elevated land 18km long and 4,5km wide, representing a major religious and political centre without parallel in the sub -continent. It appears to have been the religious centre from which Buddhism was spread to South East Asia.


It is known as the Chair of Missing Dynasties. About 8 km to the western of Comilla city, located 114 km south of Dhaka, can be found a variety of low mountains known as the Mainamati-Lalmai variety, which was an comprehensive hub of Buddhist lifestyle. On the runs or these mountains lie spread a value of details about the beginning Buddhist world (7th-12th Millennium AD)

Mainamati is an separated low, lumpy variety of mountains. filled with more than 50 historical Buddhist negotiations of the 8th to Twelfth millennium AD known as Mainamati-Lalmai variety are prolonged through the hub of the section of Comilla.

Salban Vihara, almost in the center of the Mainamati-Lalmai mountain variety includes 115 tissues. designed around a huge courtyard with cruciform forehead in the hub experiencing its only entrance complicated to the northern similar to that of the Paharpur Monastery.

Kotila Mura located on a compressed hillock. about 5 km. northern of Salban Vihara in the Comilla Cantonment place is stunning Buddhist organization. Here three stupas are discovered part by part comprising the Buddhist "Trinity" or three jewelry i.e. the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

Charpatra Mura is an separated little rectangular shrine located about 2.5 km. north-west of Kotila Mura stupas. The only strategy to the shrine is from the Eastern through a entrance which causes a huge lounge.

The Mainamati website Art gallery has a wealthy and different selection of birdwatcher clothing, silver and money and 86 brown things. Over 150 brown art forms have been retrieved mostly from the monastic tissues, brown stupas, rock art forms and thousands of terra-cotta plaques each calculating on a typical of 9" great and 8" to 12" large.

Mainamati is only 105 km from Dhaka town and is just a daily journey by street on the way to Chittagong.

Mainamati an separated variety of low mountains in the southern edges of deltaic Bangladesh, about 8 km to the western of Comilla city is a very acquainted name in our social record, where historical excavations have unveiled very considerable components. A milestone of our historical record, it symbolizes a little huge of quasi-lateritic old alluvium. The variety, set in the wide area of the rich reduced Meghna sink, expands for about 17 km north-south from Mainamati city on the Gumti Stream to Chandi Mura near the Lalmai train place.

In its greatest components, the variety is about 4.5 km across and its maximum mountains obtain a size of about 45 meters. These highlands were once heavily forest with an large quantity of outrageous lifestyle, but contemporary improvements have rudely disrupted its peaceful and heavenly establishing.

he double brands - Lalmai- Mainamati - of the position have considerable weblink with the past: Lalmai or the the southeast part of aspect is similar with Lalambi-vana of the Chandra epigraphs, while the south aspect recaptures the name of the renowned Chandra king 'Maynamati', described in regional ballads and folk-songs. The historical discovers have now founded beyond any question that the social and governmental hub of historical Vanga-Samatata (southeast Bengal) was situated here. The wonder and value of that amazing previous is undoubtedly reveal in the numerous ancient monuments, piles and excavated continues to be, effectively compounded by an amazing range of run discovers from the position. Mainamati these days is, however, better known for its Buddhist continues to be revealed by excavations. Here, indeed, can be found the biggest system of historical Buddhist continues to be in Bangladesh.


The Development During the course of restoring the old axial street through these mountains in 1875, employees unintentionally found the remains of what at that time was believed to be 'a little stone fort'. It was actually a Buddhist monastery. Some 72 decades previously (1803), from the same position, was found the first Mainamati relic, the copperplate of Ranavankamalla Harikaladeva, old 1220 AD, which details a details of the investment of Pattikera as 'adorned with fortifications and monasteries'. The name now endures in the contemporary Patikara pargana of the vicinity.

The Mainamati remains were found during the Second Community War. While establishing up an enhance get away, the army came across historical continues to be at a variety of factors in the variety. In the rushed study that followed, 18 websites were recognized and secured by the govt. In more frequent and methodical internet surveys performed between 1955 and 1957, when the whole variety was secure by individual profession, more than 50 websites were situated. Most of those websites lie in the south 50 percent of the variety, now within the Cantonment. Archaeological excavations began in Jan 1955. In several stages of excavation of the 50 odd websites nine have so far been revealed. Though the excavations have not yet been accomplished and have been restricted in many aspects, the outcomes so far acquired and the details acquired offer a audio historical base for the renovation of the lifestyle and record of the beginning interval of this previously unknown area.


Most important among the excavated sites is shalvan vihara, which can be found about the center of the variety in the area of the present day Bangladesh Academia for Non-urban Progression (BARD) at Kotbari. Excavations have revealed a huge paharpur type Buddhist monastery and a money of content things datable from the 7th to Twelfth decades AD. The findings from the website involve eight engraved copperplates, about 400 gold and money, many clay-based and prepared clay-based closes and sealings, a lot of sculptural types in rock, brown and clay-based found in situ or otherwise. The huge monastery together with its main shrine was designed by Shri Bhavadeva, it all leader of the beginning deva empire of devaparvata, sometime towards the end of the 7th or beginning 8th millennium AD.

At kutila mura, the best pile in the east aspect of the variety near ananda vihara, were found the most eye-catching typical monuments in Mainamati The excavated typical monuments involve three key stupas and a variety of additional chapels and chaitya-halls designed around them, all of which were encased by a large edge wall. Exciting and complex architectural types and eye-catching designs have been safeguarded at the website. Excavations have not yet been accomplished here; the monastery in the south end and two huge stupas in two pizza of the website stay to be removed yet. The excavated proof indicates 7th millennium AD as the date of the beginning of these typical monuments. The website stayed filled until the Thirteenth millennium AD as indicated by an Abbasid money retrieved from an in the of the website.

charpatra mura is a fascinating little website, located in the south aspect of the variety in about the hub of the Cantonment area, where was found the continues to be of a little Hindu forehead old in the Chandra period (10th-11th millennium AD). It is one of the first known illustrations of Hindu forehead structure in Bangladesh. Four copperplates were found in this monument and hence the name Charpatra (four plates) Mura.

Among the many unexcavated sites, discuss may be made of the Bairagir Mura, a medium-sized great pile immediately to the european of Kutila Mura in the Cantonment. Brickbats, potsherds and parts of rock pictures found spread on the exterior highly indicate its historical significance. The website has been horribly broken by the development of two large water septic tanks on its top for drinking water to the Cantonment. A variety of things were found during development work; only two (dated in the Chandra period) have found their place into the regional art gallery - the reduced aspect of an engraved heavy rock picture status on a lotus throne, and the brown life-size head of a Bodhisattva picture.

The development of a heavy brown gong, large clothed rock rectangle prevents (presumably main bases), one copperplate, and one rock cavity enducing oral plaque identities, and a variety of brown and clay art forms clearly indicate the value of the Rupban Kanya Mura, located in the center of the Kotbari area. But the website has now been levelled to provide the celebration ground and car ports of the Cantonment.

The Kotbari Mound revealed clear records of a Shalvan Vihara type monastery with a cruciform shrine in the hub. A huge mosque and its connected graveyard have taken over the website.
Pakka Mura is an essential unexcavated website (274m by 91m, 15m high) on the european side of the variety, about a kilometer and a half free airline of the Kotbari remains. The need for the website can be found in its following expansion to its reduced base on the european, presumably after the stream had dry or modified its course. A aspect of the silted up riverbed was modified into a large water container called Tara Dighi, the further main aspect of which has now been modified into two modern septic tanks. While developing the larger container, about two miles in dimension, two exciting black rock pictures of Visnu, one life-size and the other a bit lesser, displaying older Sena-Deva features, were found. Among other associated discovers most significant is a copperplate wording of Dasharathadeva (13th century), son and heir of Damodaradeva of the later Deva empire.

The comprehensive great pile on the european side of the variety, about 2.5 km to the north west of the most southern website of Chandi Mura, in the area known as Rupban Mura, had noticeable architectural continues to be in the shape of a round dome at the top of the pile. Treatment of stones by regional population has already triggered devastation of the revealed architectural continues to be. The website has the potential of producing essential continues to be.

At the excessive the southeast part of end of the variety, about 1.6 km to the north west of Lalmai train place, is a popular pile (457m by 183m, 18m high), in the area called Chandi Mura. The website comes its name from the double wats of Chandi built on the peak of the pile, some 250 in the past by a Maharaja of Tripura. The historical personality of the website is undisturbed; the pile probably contains the continues to be of a huge forehead. The top of the pile was horribly broken, first by the development of the Chandi wats, and later by modern designs performed by individuals associated with the wats. However, the historical continues to be at the 'abnormal' amounts may still be unchanged.

Among other unexcavated websites, discuss may be made of Mainamati Mound 2, Abbas Ali Mura, Station Commander's Property, Hatigara Mound, Ujirpur Mound, Ghila Mura and Balaghazir Mura. All these websites have produced proof of continues to be of historical significance. Most of these websites are now in bad shape due to obstinate or unwillful carelessness of the individuals using the piles or their local community.

Antiquities The Mainamati excavations have produced an extremely rich collect of useful antiquities such as 12 copperplate funds and reduced image-inscriptions, over 400 precious steel money, numerous clay-based and clay-based closes and sealings, some Neolithic rock axes and chisels, a huge collection of rock, brown, stucco and clay-based art forms, rock and clay-based pellets, silver, silver and brown decorations, attractive clay-based and structural pieces, steel and clay-based containers, dishes, attractive accents and items, oil lighting fixtures and a variety of other things of daily use. The majority of these things comes from Shalvan Vihara, the most consistently excavated website. Together, they lead considerably to our knowledge of historical Vanga-Samatata, protecting a period of about seven century from the 6th to Thirteenth decades AD.

About a number of floor and refined narrow-butted hand-axes and chisels, mainly of traditional wooden, have been retrieved from the excavations. Latest search have discovered a few Neolithic negotiations in southeast the Mainamati variety. The gathered kinds must have initially come from there. They display obvious appreciation with the Neolithic sectors of Western Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.

Mainamati excavations have, thus, tossed a overflow of light on almost every element of the life and lifestyle of the south eastern element of Bengal. It has offered information regarding the public, financial and governmental scenario of the area and has led to the development of the amazing beginning Deva empire and of Balabhatta, the creator of Devaparvata. It has resolved a number of traditional and regional concerns, for example, concerning the level and range of Samatata, the place of Devaparvata, Pattikera and Lalambi-vana, and the scenario of Harikela. More important, with the analysis and analysis of clay and the explanation and series relationship of the ceramic kinds and other typical things, Mainamati has now offered set a feasible base for further analysis and analysis in the area. Mainamati discovers have no question enhanced the skyline of our knowing of our previous.