Up in the northwest about eight hours from Dhaka near the village of Paharpur, one of South Asia’s greatest archaeological sites is a reminder that Bengal was once a major Buddhist intellectual center. The monastery here was founded in the late 8th century and at its height it was a vast monastic university attracting monks and scholars from across all of Asia. Today visitors explore an enormous quadrangular UNESCO World Heritage complex of monks’ cells surrounding a monumental central shrine, with terracotta plaques and brickwork that still hint at its grandeur. The onsite museum displays sculpture, ceramics, inscriptions, and fragments shedding light on Bengal’s cosmopolitan past. The village here has open skies, quiet fields, and the contemplative atmosphere of ruins that once connected Bangladesh to the wider Buddhist world. And for history lovers it´s among the country’s most rewarding destinations
Read more in my post An Introduction to Bangladesh and 6 of Its Top Destinations.
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