L-5 National Culture And Heritage

Buddhist remains on the Lalmai-Mainamati range, Comilla:

Under this sub-weading of Lalmai-mainamati range, we will be discussing

something very important in historical and archaeological perspective for Bangladesh.
The Trans-Meghna region to the southeast of Bangladesh i.e, towards greater comilla
and a part of Dhaka district form the ancient kingdom of samatata. We have mentioned
this home many a times in the course lecture. This signifies the territories situated are
on the sea-coast.

The Chinese Pilgrim Hiewn-Tsang visited Samatata in the 7th century A.D.
mentioned earlier and descrived Samatata as a low lying moist (Humid) country on the
sea-coast about six miles west of Comilla town is known as ‘Mainamati’. There is a big
legend about this name, that there was a Queen Mainamoti, mother of king govinda
Chandra the 7th king of the Chandra dynasty, who has been immortalized in the local
folk songs and ballads. The southern part of the hill range is called ‘Lalmai’ meaning
‘red day’ because of the red colour of the soil. However, ‘Rohitagiri’ and ‘Lalanbi Vana’
of the Chandra copper plate grants indicate the Lalmai Hill Range. In fact, a large
number of Buddhist stupas monasteries and shrines (about 50) are located on the
slopes of the hills, dated between 6th and 1th centuries.

At the beginning of the 20th century an important copper plate grant of

Ranavanka Molla Harikola Dova (1120 A.D.) was discovered by a person in chance
digging which recorded granting of land to a Buddhist monastery in the city of Pattikara,
Burmese and Arakanese chroniclers rejor to this kingdom that had intimate cultural
contact from the 11th to 13th century. During the Second World War military contractors
while building barracks in this area, accidently discovered enormous ruins of a
prosperous Buddhist establishment. The Archaeology Department soon identified more
than fifty such ancient sites of which Seven have been partly or fully excavated Since
1957.These are locally called ‘Salban Vihara ‘, ‘kotila Mura ‘,’Ananda Vihara’,
’Charpatra Mura ‘.

Salban Vihara : Since 1955 excavation has been done , which exposed a
huge built self-contained 550 square Buddhist monastery of the Paharpur type which
used to accommodate in its inner arm 115 monastic cells round a courtyard with a
Cruciform Central Temple , Deep digging inside the monastery , close to the temple to
the south lucre Six building . This Salban Vihara had a large Buddhist image and this.
The Salban Vihara of the 8th century by King Bhara Dera, the fourth king of the Deva
dynasty.

Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 1

L-5 National Culture And Heritage

Kotila Mura: About three miles north of Salban Kotila Vihara was situated
on the flattened hillock. This is a unique Buddhist stupas .It represents the three jewels
or ‘Trinity’ of Buddhism, being the Buddha, the Dharma and the sangha.

Charpatra Mura: This mound is located about one and half miles north-
west of the Kotila Mura stupas within the military conformant.

Itakhola Mura: This ancient mound is situated about 200 miles of Rupban
Mura all along the Comolla katerbarar road. The monastery contained 20 living cells of
different dimensions

Bhoj rajar Badi: This mound is half a mile south of Ananda Bihara and
close to the itakhola Mura around on the bank of a large tank. Recent excavation at the
mount unearthed a small Buddhist monastery in which a rare bronze sealed unique
Vajrasattava Dhyan Buddha was discovered. It is a beautifully caste iron of a rare
quality which was dated 9th century A.D.

Historical Importance of the archaeological finds from Mainamoti

Excavations Many dacades of excavations at different sites of the range succeeded in
exquisite rich antiquities. The most important are the twelve copper plate’s grants; out of
which four came from charpatra Mura. (Charpatra means ‘char’) patra means (copper
plates).
It is very interesting to note that the discovery of the copper plates in the
Salban Vihara, have brought to light for the first time. The existence of a new
independent Buddhist dynasty the Devas Here are the list of the first four rulers of the
Deva Dynasty. These are Sri Shanti Deva his son Sri Vira Deva, Ananda Deva, Sri
Bhavao Deva and Bhava Deva, which were recorded in these royal plates. They ruled in
samatata during the 7th and 8th century. However, among the four Charpatra Mura
copper plates, the three belonged to the Chandra who issued these from the capital
Vikrampur near Dhaka. These royal copper plates furnished for the first time a complete
genealogical list of the unknown Chandra kings. Their order of succession is as follows:

1. Purna Chandra
2. Savarna Chandra
3. Trilokya Chandra
4. Sri Chandra
5. Kalyan Chandra
6. Ladhna Chandra
7. Govinda Chandra

Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 2

L-5 National Culture And Heritage

The Chandra rulers ruled in Samatata kingdom during the 10th and 11th
century A.D. A large number of historical treasures, coins (both silver and gold) were
recorded from Chandra Gupta II (380 A.D.). But the most important archaeological
importance was the discovery one gold and one silver coin of the Abbasid Khalifas of
Baghdad inscribed with Knfie Character. The gold coin was found in the upper level of
kotila Mura which belonged to the Al Mustasim Billah (1242- 1258 A.D.), the last
Abbasid Khalifa, while the silver coin found from the early level of a monastic cell in
Salban Vihara in a decayed conditions.But the most treasured archaeological findings in
our country was a silver coin of the world famous Abbasid Khalifah Harunur Rashid
dated 172 H/788 A.D. This was disclosed paharpur was quite amazing. However, a
closely resembled Arakanese silver coin is still a matter of controversy over the proper
date and the identity of these rare historical coins, and issued by whom?

Monuments during the Islamic period:

During the duration of six centuries of Muslim rule in Bengal many new
urban centres were established. These centres were beautified with splendid palaces,
forts, monumental gateways, the victory Towers; enormous numbers of beautiful
mosques, mousdia were erected and artistically decorated with exquisite taste of the
rulers of that period. Roads and bridges were repaired and new bridges were built.

The ruins of the Muslim ruler’s early capital at Lakhnauti (Gaur) and
Pandua which stretched between pandua the old Ganges and Mahanana River for
about 17 miles in urbroken splendor; but now they collapsed in their own debris or
stripped of their building materials. Hence, the beauty and the splendor of the city of
Lakhnauti ruins are really unparallel by any other city site in this sub-continent. These
ruins are mostly located in the Maldah district of west Bengal and a small part in Chapai
Nawabgunj district. Therefore the historical monuments of Muslim period in Bangladesh
may be divided or classified undertow phases the Pre-Mughal and the Mughal. The
period of its isolation or independence for more than two hundred years from (1338-
1575) But the Characteristic of popularizing of regional elements were taken from
regions traditional art of Terracotta and occasionally use of stone carving or glazed tiles.
It is unfortunate that those monuments, buildings during the 14th century have all been
perished with the passage of times. For instance, Sultan Sikandar Shah Son of Ilyas
Shah ruled between 1358 and 1389 A.D. transferred his capital from the old Lakhnauti
to a new site ruling between 1350 known as Pandua, where the Mughal Sultan built a
superb stone congregational mosque in 1364 A.D. In fact, this stupendons, ambitious
monuments made of black stone ever built in northern India by any Muslim ruler. This
was called the great Adina mosque.

Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 3

L-5 National Culture And Heritage

However, in the early 15th century a definite Bengal building style developed
and emerged which came to be known as the regional Islamic style of which the only
example is the most elegant Eklakhi mausoleum at Pandua, built over the grave of
sultan Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah (1414-1431). This was regarded as the typical
Bengali style eracted for the first time. This style and its bold coloured awlls and Tiles
were copied and followed by the later sultans. Even the independent sultans followed
this distinct indegeneous style of the Eklakhi Tomb. Other surviving famous monuments
of the Pre-Mughal period were the Tomb of Sultan Ghyasuddin Azam Shah (1409) at
Sonargaon, the mausoleum of Khan Jahan (1459) at Bagerhat, the Shait Gumbad
Masjid in the same locality. A ruined mosque with 35 domes was excavated in Baro
Baazar in Ghenida. Monoharpukar mosque a 6 domed Baba Adam’s mosque (1483)
near Dhaka, Sura mosque (1493-1519) in Dinajpur. 15 domed Choto Sonar mosque
(1494-1519) at Ferozpur (Gaur) eh Bagha mosque (1523) and 6 domed Kusumbla
mosque.

Courtesy by: Kaisar Syed 4