The stepped building
Red brick in the courtyard.
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Somapura Mahavihara, also known as the Paharpur Buddhist Vihara, is a great Buddhist monastery in Paharpur, Naogaon District, among the best known in the Indian subcontinent and one of the most important archaeological sites in Bangladesh. UNESCO listed it in 1985. It rises from an open green plain, a huge red mass of brick visible from far off. It was built by the second Pala king, Dharmapala, who ruled from about 781 to 821, as confirmed by seals found in excavations bearing the name of the monastery and its patron. It belonged to a network of monasteries in the east of the subcontinent during the Pala period, and it is among the best-known examples of pre-Islamic Bengali architecture. At the centre you see a stepped brick building with a cross-shaped plan, its tiers rising from the courtyard. Around it runs a wide square of walls that held the monks' cells. The small site museum shows finds from the excavations. The brick is fragile, so do not climb the tiers, and keep to the marked paths out of respect for the site. It is about 45 km in a straight line from Bogra and about 39 km from Mahasthangarh, so you can combine them in a day. The finest light comes at dawn and dusk, above all in winter mist. Bring a hat and water, as shade is scarce.
Red brick in the courtyard.
Clear from above.
A wide square of walls.
Paharpur, Naogaon District, Bangladesh
King Dharmapala of the Pala dynasty, according to seals found on site.
No, the brick is fragile, so keep to the marked paths around it.