Buddhist vihara and pagoda, Cox's Bazar
Rangkut Banasram Monastery, Ramuরামু রাংকুট বনাশ্রম বৌদ্ধ বিহার
- Time needed
- Half a day with Ramu town.
- best months
- Nov–Feb
- Cost
- Free; donations welcome.
Ramu is the Rakhine Buddhist town 15 km east of Cox's Bazar, and Rangkut Banasram on its hill is the oldest of its monasteries, a pilgrimage site said to go back two thousand years.
At a glance
- From town
- 15 km east on the Chattogram road
About
Ramu sits on the Bakkhali river among the monasteries (kyangs) of the Rakhine community, with their tiered wooden roofs and gilded Buddhas. Rangkut Banasram is on a wooded hill outside the town, with a stair up through the trees, a relic stupa, Buddha images and views over the paddy. Tradition says the Buddha himself came this way, which makes it the holiest site in the district for Buddhists.
In town, the Sima Bihar and the large reclining Buddha at the Bimukti Bidarshan Bhabana centre are the other stops; several monasteries were rebuilt after the 2012 attacks.
Getting there: Bus or CNG from town to Ramu on the Chattogram highway, 30 minutes, then a rickshaw.
Things to do
- See the reclining Buddha and the kyangs in Ramu on the way.
Good to know
- Shoes off and shoulders covered inside the monasteries.
