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Mahastangar: |
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The ancient name of
Mahastangar is Pundranagara. What we now see in
Mahastangar are the ruined citadel or fortified
part of Pundranagara, and a few-Buddhist
structures around that citadel. Citadel was made
as a fortress or a castle protecting a town or a
city. People can take shelter in it during war
or danger. |
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It is said that the
Pundranagara civilization belongs to
3rd-4th century BC. In the beginning of
6th century BC Gautama Buddha visited
Pundranagara and spent six months in
that city. It proves that the city is
much older than it is said. The findings
of excavations have revealed that the
Pundranagara Civilization is as old as
the Mohenjodaro, Harappa Civilization. |
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The area of the citadel of
Mahasthangar is about 2 sq. miles, 4 and half
meters or 15 feet above the surrounding land.
The extension of the semi-.circled suburbs of
the city was 5 mile in radius from the citadel.
We can easily imagine how vast the city was. |
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Paharpur Mahavihara: |
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Paharpur Monastery is the largest Buddhist
monastery in the world. |
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In Paharpur a single
monastery with a central shrine covers 11
hectares of land, so it is said to be the
largest monastery in the world. The Paharpur
Monastery is now a World Heritage declared by
the UNESCO in 1985. The Monastery was built
during the later half of the 8th century AD, on
a site of a Jain monastery of 5th Century AD, by
a Bengali monarch, Dharmapala, who was a
Buddhist by faith. |
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The quadrangular Paharpur
Monastery measures 922 feet north-South
and 919 feet east-west. It was a
multistoried monastery, having 177 monastic
cells in each floor. The thickness of the
enclosure wall is 1166 feet. The central temple
of the monastery is 72 feet high in its present
ruined state. |
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Kantel Temple: |
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The most ornate among
the late medieval Hindu temples of
Bangladesh is situated near Denajpur
town. It was built by Maharaja Pran Nath
in 1752 A.D. Every inch of the temple
surface is beautifully embellished with
exquisite terracotta plaques,
representing flora and fauna, geometric
motifs, mythological |
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scenes and an
astonishing array of contemporary social
scenes and favorite past time. Tire
Maharaja's palace with relics of the
past centuries and local museum are
worth a visit. |
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