Paharpur Bihar, Bangladesh

introduction: Paharpur is a small village 5 km west of Jamalganj in the Naogaon district where the remains of the most important and the largest known monastery south of the Himalayas have been excavated, Somapura Mahavihara. This 7th century archaeological find covers an area of approximately 27acre of land. The entire establishment, occupying a quadrangular court, measures more than 900ft and is from 12 to 15ft in height. With an elaborate gateway complex on the north, there are 45 cells on the north and 44 in each of the other three sides, for a total number of 177 rooms. The architecture of the pyramidal cruciform temple is profoundly influenced by those of South-East Asia, especially Myanmar and Java. It takes its name from a high mound, which looked like a pahar, or hillock. A site museum built recently houses the representative collection of objects recovered from the area. The excavated findings have also been preserved at the Varendra Research Museum at Rajshahi. The antiquities of the museum include terracotta plaques, images of different gods and goddesses, pottery, coin inscriptions, ornamental bricks and other minor clay objects. Nine miles west-southwest of Somapura Mahavihara is the archaeological site of Halud Vihara, which has been tentatively listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.