Archaeological site, Cumilla
Shalban Viharaশালবন বিহার
- Time needed
- An hour and a half with the museum.
- best months
- Oct–Mar
- Cost
- Entry about ৳30 for Bangladeshis.
The largest and best-kept of the Mainamati ruins: a square Buddhist monastery of 115 cells around a central shrine, built by the Deva kings around the 8th century and dug out of the sal forest in the 1950s.
Plan your visit
- Opening
- Daily except Sunday; Monday afternoons only. About 9 am to 5 pm, with a lunch break.
At a glance
- Built
- About 8th century, Deva dynasty
- Cells
- 115
- Side
- About 168 m
About
Shalban Vihara stands at Kotbari in the middle of the Lalmai ridge, named after the sal forest that covered it. The monastery is about 168 metres on a side: a single gateway on the north, a ring of monks' cells with a wide verandah inside, and in the courtyard a cross-shaped temple that was rebuilt several times. Copper plates and a sealing found here name Bhavadeva of the Deva dynasty as its builder, and the site was used into the 12th century.
The brick walls stand to shoulder height, the plan is easy to read, and the terracotta plaques that decorated the shrine are in the museum next door. It is the one site in Mainamati everyone should see, and the easiest to reach.
Getting there: CNG from Kandirpar or the cantonment bus stand to Kotbari, 20–30 minutes; the museum and Rupban Mura are a short walk.
Things to do
- Walk the cell ring, then the museum for the terracotta and bronzes.
Good to know
- Go before 11 am; there is no shade on the mound.
