Bangladesh University of Professionals
Assignment on
Shalban Bihar of Comilla
Course Title: Bangladesh Studies
Course Code: GED-1105
Submitted To
BRIG.GEN.
SHAFAAT AHMAD
Department of Marketing
Bangladesh university of Professionals
Submitted By
Name: Ahnaf Ali
Id: 2225171167
Section: 7(A)
Department of Marketing
Bangladesh University of Professionals
Date of submission: 11th October, 2022
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SHALBON BIHAR
Introduction:
One of the most well-known archaeological sites from Bangladesh is Shalban Bihar, which is
situated in Mainamati, Comilla. Salban Rajar bari, which translates to "the home of Shalban's
King" in English, was the previous name for this location. But following the excavation, a
550′ x 500′ ground plan for a Buddhist monastery that contained 115 monastic chambers was
revealed. Following that, it is now more commonly referred to as Salban Vihara or Bihar.
Aim of the Paper:
From this paper, we will be able to know about the history, geographical location,
architecture, importance and more attractions that comprise in Shalban Bihar
Body of the Paper:
1. History: From one of the terracotta sealing, we came to know that this monastery
was built by Sri Bhava Deva, the 4th ruler of the early Deva dynasty during mid 8th
century A.D. He built that place on 168 square metres of land. So during its hey-day it
was called Bhava Deva Maha Vihara. Due to the terracotta seals and copper plates
found during the archaeological dig, this location, formerly known as Shalban Rajar
Bari, was revealed to be a Buddhist monastery. But after excavating the ground plan
of a Buddhist monastery measuring 550'x500’ with 115 monastic cells, it was
exposed. Hence it is now popularly known as Shalban Bihar
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2. Location: In and around Comilla, there are several historical and archaeological sites.
Moinamoti and Lalmai are the names of Comilla's northern and southern sections,
respectively. The Shalban Buddha Vihara, also known as a Buddhist Vihara, is
situated between these two regions. The Mainamati Lalmai range, a group of low hills
located about eight kilometers west of Comilla town, is home to more than 50
prehistoric Buddhist communities that date from the eighth to the twelfth century. The
Salvan Vihara, which has 115 cells and is erected around a large courtyard with a
cruciform temple in the midst, is almost in the middle.
3. Exploration of the Area: Four phases of repair and reconstruction have been found
in the monastery, with period III of the cruciform central shrine being the earliest.
Period I and II (7th century AD) monastery ruins have not yet been discovered. They
may have existed, probably of lower size, as evidenced by some sparse and ill-defined
remains beneath the current building. The following two phases (pd. IV & V:
9th–10th Centuries AD) involved the addition of new floors and thresholds over the
ruins from the previous phase. Fireplaces and decorative brick-pedestals, two
intriguing features found inside the cells, weren't part of the original design. Despite
having a communal kitchen and dining halls, many of the resident monks preferred to
prepare their own meals in their cells. An interesting medium-sized shrine with a
small sanctum connected by a long narrator suggests that this establishment may have
some provisions for accommodating poorer lay students (Sramanas) from nearby
settlements. Its structures include a community dining facility, a small, oblong,
pillared, and square shrine with an exquisitely molded plinth, two oblong chapels, and
numerous small votive Stupas inside.
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4. Architecture:
a. Central of Shalban BIhar: There are six phases of construction and
reconstruction of Shalban Bihar. Each arm of the square Shalban Bihar is
167.7 meters long. The walls on all four sides of Vihar are five meters thick.
The chambers are constructed on the back walls of the monastery's four sides.
Vihar could only be accessed by one door. The north block's centre contains
this route or entryway. Walls in each room are 1.5 metres wide. In the centre
of the Vihar courtyard stood the main temple. The monastery showed just four
building phases while the central shrine indicated six. The first and second
phases of the central shrine are still hidden beneath the 3rd, 4th, and 5th period
ruins, although the top has been cleared of the 6th phase's remnants. The
third-century monastery was aconstruction with a cruciform central shrine.
b. Chapels: Each wing's centre cell is bigger, stronger, and more ornate, with
unique elements like greater niches, miniature pedestals & platforms with
beautiful mouldings, etc. By comparison to analogous configurations in the
monasteries of Nalanda and Paharpur, they unquestionably stand in for
auxiliary chapels or shrines. On the other hand, it is thought that the hall,
supported by four side walls and four enormous circular pillars in front, served
as the monks' dining area. The hall measures 10 by 20 metres in size. Around
the house is a broad brick walkway in the hall.
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c. Niches: There is a porch with low walls that is 7.5 feet wide in front of the
room. Each room has three niches on the wall that used to house idols, oil
lamps, and other items.The items found inside and around them strongly
suggest that they were used primarily to store votive statues, oil lamps, and
books and writing implements.
d. Staircases: The arrangements are different on the fronts and are bigger and
more complex. In the middle of each wing, the monastery verandah is given a
shallow extension to serve as the basis for a set of steps leading down to the
brick-paved courtyard. The setup in each corner of the monastery is
impressive in comparison to them. A strongly constructed, wide, and
substantial stairway going to the roof or an upper floor is located here, taking
up two cells. Such intricate arrangements naturally imply the presence of an
upper level, especially when combined with proof of a solid root system.
e. The Central Shrine: The distinctive feature of this location is a prominent
central shrine with a colossal entrance on the north. Six building and
rebuilding phases were visible in the shrine's center, compared to four in the
monastery. They offer intriguing proof of how the ancient Buddhist Stupa
architecture evolved and gradually changed towards that of the Hindu temple.
Under the cruciform shrine of age III, which was constructed with the
monastery as a straightforward structure, were the ruins of the first two
periods. It's a very intriguing piece of architecture, with a ground plan
resembling a Greek course of beautifully sculpted terracotta plaques arranged
between parallel bands of decorative brickwork.
Fig: Shalban Bihar
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5. Materials Found: Eight copperplate inscriptions, about 400 gold and silver coins,
countless burnt clay tablets or terracotta, seals, bronze, and earthenware statues, and
archaeological digs at various dates have all been discovered after conducting various
archaeological excavations. The Mainamati Museum currently has a sizable collection of
artefacts that were gathered from this monastery on display.
a. Mainamati Mountain: North of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway is the Mainamati
Mountain, also known as Mainamati Mound 1A. Six long walls, straight roadways,
crossroads, gateways, and other sparse remnants have been uncovered by the few
excavations that have been done here. The ruins here show that there were 10
rectangular blocks, five of which contained significant constructions, five of which
were open courtyards, and a complex doorway (13.9 m 9.8 m). The ruins appear to be
of a secular nature.
Fig: Mainamati Mountain
b. Rupban Mura: An significant Mainamati archaeological site called Rupban Mura
can be found on a hillock south of the Comilla-Kalirbazar road in the Kotbari
neighbourhood, right next to the current BARD & BDR facility. In this location,
excavations have uncovered the remnants of an impressive medium-sized
semi-cruciform shrine that measures 28.2 metres east-west by 28 metres north-south,
as well as a numbered auxiliary construction that includes an octagonal stupa and
another on a square base. The Stupa's usual entrance is to the east, facing the
monastery gate, and the courtyard's perimeter wall encloses all sides of the oblong
structure. Deep excavations have uncovered three primary eras of building, repairing
with the earliest falling between the sixth and seventh century AD. There are currently
extremely few remnants from the most recent time (10th–11th century AD)
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Fig: Rupban Mura
c. Bhoja Bihara: In Mainamati, close to Comilla, Bhoja Bihara is the third-largest
monastery complex after Shalban Bihara and Ananda Bihara. It is located close to the
centre of the culturally diverse Kotbari neighbourhood, just next to BARD. On its east
side is a sizable water tank. Recent excavations have uncovered the traces of a
monastery that was 137.2 metres square and had a sizable cruciform shrine in the
middle of its central open courtyard. It was severely vandalised in 1944–1945. There
is still more to be discovered and the excavations are still in the beginning stages.
Fig: Bhoja Bihara
d. Kotila Mura: The most beautiful monuments in Mainamati were discovered at
Ananda Vihara on Kotila Mura, the highest mound on the ridge's northeastern side.
The structures that have been excavated include three main stupas and several
auxiliary chapels and chaitya halls that were built around them and all of which were
surrounded by a huge boundary wall. At the location, intriguing and complex
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structural forms and ornamental styles have been preserved. The monastery at the
northern end of the site and two big stupas in two of the site's wings still need to be
cleaned during the excavation process. An Abbasid gold coin found in an upper level
of the site suggests that the area was inhabited from the 7th century AD to the 13th
century AD.
Fig: Kotila Mura
e. Charpatra Mura: In Mainamati, there is a small yet noteworthy archaeological site
called Charpatra Mura. It is located about in the centre of the Comilla Cantonment
region, near the northern end of the Lalmai ridge. Here, a little Hindu shrine
measuring 45.7 m by 16.8 m was discovered. It differs significantly from both the
Buddhist architecture of Mainamati and the traditional Hindu temple architecture of
the Gupta or other Indian types in terms of layout, shape, and architectural style and
decoration. It appears to be a synthetic Bengal form that has gradually developed by
incorporating certain components and aspects of regional Buddhist architecture.
Fig: Charpatra Mura
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Conclusion:
Monks used to live, study, and worship here in this isolated Buddhist monastery. It served as
the early Buddhist students' royal palace. Students from different locations come here to learn
meditation and religion. The students reside in the dorms/cells near the temple during their
study session. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bangladesh and is so quiet
despite being surrounded by a dry forest.
References:
1. Omar, O. (2020, July 29). Shalban Vihara is one of the ancient civilizations of
Bangladesh. Local Guides Connect.
https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/Shalban-Vihara-is-one-of
-the-ancient-civilizations-of-Bangladesh/td-p/2654656
2. Rashid, M.H. (2012), "Shalvan Vihara", in Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal,
Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of
Bangladesh
3. Barua, L.B. (2019, August 26). Mainamati Shalban Vihara (ময়নামতি শালবন বিহার).
Triotno
https://trirotno.com/2019/08/26/mainamati-shalban-vihara-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7
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C%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0/
4. Husain, A.B.M. (1997). Mainamati-Devaparvata : a survey of historical monuments
and sites in Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka; pp. 34-38.
5. Husain, A.B.M. (1997). Mainamati-Devaparvata : a survey of historical monuments
and sites in Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka; pp. 39.
6. (2018, May 8). Buddhist archaeological sites in Bangladesh. Daily Sun
https://www.daily-sun.com/printversion/details/307344/2018/05/08/Buddhist-archaeol
ogical-sites-in-Bangladesh
